10 New Year's Style Resolutions

Jeans are great, but I definitely do not need more of them. What I need are pants with a dressier backbone so I can wear them on occasions where denim or corduroy just don't cut it. (As I get older, I'm encountering more and more of those.)

There are dozens of sites that make it SO easy to sell or consign the little-loved stuff in your wardrobe (this one's Threadflip, and it's great). Between those new options and good old brick-and-mortar stores, I really have no excuse not to turn some of my not-worn-since-college stuff into cash.

I could never be one of those girls who choreographs a week's worth of outfits every Sunday. Still, I could maybe do this: if I know I have a big meeting on Thursday, I could probably save my favorite confidence-boosting item for that day. Usually I don't have that foresight, and I wear things early on in the week that I wish I'd saved for later. It's annoying, but so preventable.

Instead of buying shiny things at random, I'd love to collect one piece of jewelry from each sort of style family—deco, tribal, beachy, etc. They'd be such great outfit-making options to fall back on when I want to steer a simple ensemble into a certain mood just with the close of a clasp.

Often I'm not totally excited about my day's outfit until I swipe on some bold lipstick or slide on a pair of dramatic sunglasses. But then I get to work and realize there's not much oomph in my look without my scarf, handbag, shades, etc. So in 2013, I'd like to make sure both my layered-up commute outfits and my bare-bones, at-my-desk ones look equally finished.

It's the difference between a good piece of clothing and a great one. Every, every time.

This year, I think I should start looking more towards real street style—like the girl in the middle—than to street style stars for outfit inspiration. It'll keep me from getting too costumey or trying to do too much at once.

I adore a good button-down, but I don't love instant wrinkles or big dry cleaning bills. That's why I've started buying cotton button-downs instead of silk ones. They have a bit of tomboy charm and look so great with the collar and cuffs peeping out of a sweater—and, of course, they're machine-washable.

Being tethered to my hair dryer and heat tools has never been healthy for my hair. I know. But it's vanity that's steering me away from those things lately, when I feel like the natural, air-dried look is the way to go. It's sort of nonchalant and charming. (And with the right products—argan oil, Moroccan oil—I'm actually having better hair days than before.)

I don't need a fancy one-piece bathing suit, a super-bright overcoat, arty stilettos or a crazy novelty-shaped clutch. But I will let myself buy one of those impractical-but-awesome things this year. As long as I limit it to one, and only one (that's the hard part.)