Style

New Year's Style Resolutions for 2013

Time to make some changes.

None

As 2013 approaches, don't commit your New Year's resolutions to things you know aren't going to happen. Admit it - the gym won't see your out of shape ass past February, and your rapping career will remain non-existent. You're not gonna drink less, and you're definitely not going to find a nice girl.

Don't waste your time on these cliché resolutions, and instead take this opportunity to follow our advice on some style improvements to make for the upcoming year. Whether you're trying to further your career or find your personal style this year, you have a whole year to fulfill these self-improving promises. What're you waiting for? Get crackin' on these New Year's Style Resolutions for 2013.

Talk to at least one designer/industry person you admire without getting starstruck.

Most designers, buyers, and street style mavens are not Kanye West—unless they're Kanye West—and not every established industry person has the icy manner of Anna Wintour or the disposition of Mark McNairy. If you get a rare chance to run across someone who's work you admire while they're not drowning in said work, talk to them! Chances are your enthusiasm will be a breath of fresh air from the cynicism and jadedness that they normally have to deal with. So sack up, be polite, don't force anything, and we bet you'll come away for the better.

Advertisement

Spend a month off of Tumblr and look at what real guys are wearing.

Reality and Tumblr are two very different places. In one, guys try to dress well with a varying degree of success. In the other, guys are wearing some off-the-wall shit that would not fly in 94% of the world. If you spend too much time scrolling through Tumblr you might conflate the two and end up thinking that that's how guys are supposed to dress all the time. Incorrect.

Not every outfit has to look like Rei Kawakukbo's Spring/Summer 2084 collection, nor do you have to gussy up your menswear shit with accoutrement that would make Oscar Wilde blush. Take a break from the Internet and stop thinking you have to step out rocking insane clothes when you're shuffling to the bodega for a struggle dinner. Find a balance between what you see on Tumblr and how stylish dudes are actually dressed.

Sneak into a fashion show so you can realize how weird they are.

A lot of people think that fashion runway shows are the height of glamor. Do yourself a favor and sneak into one this year so you can be the judge. They're normally 10 minute affairs of strange music and even stranger clothing. Once you get to experience a show or two, you can decide if these are the thing you need to be focusing on and allow Fashion Week get you all up in a tizzy.

Advertisement

Develop your own blog voice and stop echoing Four Pins.

Written by Lawrence Schlossman; Editor-in-Chief of Four Pins.

What up fuck boys and shark biters, how it do? Did you have a bad year or did you have a terrible fucking year because Four Pins came through looking clean and shat all over your dreams? If I was ya'll I would just skraight kiss the ring and give up as oppose to trying to copy our style. DO YOU REALLY THINK IT'S THAT EASY TO YELL AT PEOPLE ABOUT MEN'S CLOTHING IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE IT'S NOT. Do you really fucking think it's that fucking easy to drop a couple fucking fuck bombs here and fucking there and suddenly be fucking funny? And how skrong is your tangent game? Can you be talking about super stiff jeans that make your dick hurt and then all of a sudden fly off the handle and start yammering on about rappers who were famous in the '90s? But seriously, stop it. Sooner or later one of you is going to beat us at our own game and we are going to lose our jobs, which would be really shitty considering our shopping addiction.

Quit smoking, even if it means you won't get street styled.

If the beginning of Fashion Week means you need to cop your semi-annual pack of cigarettes, then you need to stop. Even if it means the cameras won't be trained on you, how are you gonna explain on your deathbed that the cancer was worth it for the reblogs? And nothing will get you called out for being a bitchboy more than trying to inhale and hacking up a lung in front of all the bloggers who didn't get into the show but have 1.2 million Twitter followers. 2013 is the year you "quit" that "nasty habit."

Advertisement

Building your "brand?" Start smoking.

If you haven't gotten up on a street style blog yet, maybe it's time to realize that it's not your totally awesome unique style, but the fact that you're not smoking. For whatever reason, the lens will be on you if you nonchalantly blow a cloud of smoke in expensive garb. It's more of a sure shot than wearing a weird cape, and definitely better than getting a facial tattoo. Take the time between Fashion Weeks to figure out your brand (or whatever brand the kids are smoking these days) and remember: practice makes perfect.

Stop using your "witty e-personality" as a crutch.

Wow, you have several thousand followers on Twitter? Your Klout score is off the charts and you're an official influencer of all things jawn? Cool story, bruh. While Mashable may laud the sway of online personalities, how is that gonna help you at the next event you get a pity invite to? This year form some actual opinions, and start culturally and stylistically stuntin' hard in real life as you do behind your twitter avi.

Advertisement

Learn another language, if only to cop rare clothes in foreign cities.

The Internet has democratized fashion, everything's available online, blah blah blah. No! There's so much out there that's only available in small shops tucked away in various corners of the world that are not just a few clicks away. This is the year you realize that taking American sign language in college was quite possibly the biggest mistake (among really big mistakes) of your higher education years. Sign up for that Italian, Japanese, or French Rosetta Stone, and start exploring stylish 'hoods around the globe for goods that are one of a kind.

Destroy your Internet style idols.

Like André 3000 told us, emulate but don't imitate. The dudes that fill your feed should inspire you, not dictate your style. While various Tumblr gods may look good, that does not at all mean their steez will work for others. If you find yourself reverse image searching their clothing, then you need to take a step back and remember that smashing your idols is the best way to forge that new-new. Use these contemporary icons as a guide to figure out what you like, and take 2013 to develop your personal style so one day you'll be on their level.

Advertisement

Rock that extravagant garment you purchased.

In a fit of consumer confidence and perhaps delirium, you copped a piece that is very next level. And now it's gathering dust while your regular standard clothes are getting shine everyday. Normally, this extravagant piece would be relegated to remorse-buy status, but not in 2013. Remember that the golden rule of fashion is you should do whatever you feel like, and step out in that cape/skirt/asymmetrical garment/etc. with pride. And if you ever feel doubtful of being at such an advanced level, just remember that the Japanese have probably already done it.

Stay ahead on Exclusives

Download the Complex App