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 The Style Bitch: Do You Know Where You're Going To?
The beginning of each New Year is all about the three e’s—evaluation, elimination and evocation. Ideally suited for grand gestures, January is the perfect time to say goodbye to tired relationships, needy friends and, most importantly, all that drag in your closet that has seen better days. With that in mind, say it with Duane: 'Hola' to clarity and 'Hasta La Vista' to hot mess!
The Style Bitch: Do You Know Where You're Going To?
Say goodbye to tired, dated and unflattering in 2008
Written By Duane Wells
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Category: | Daily News | LifeStyle |
The beginning of each New Year is all about what I like to call the three E’s—evaluation, elimination and evocation. Or to put it more plainly, it’s about making an honest assessment of what you have, dispensing of that which has hung around well past its expiration date and making room to create the next chapter in your living autobiography.
Ideally suited for grand gestures, January is also the perfect time to say goodbye to tired relationships, exhausting lovers, overly needy friends, unnecessarily bad habits and, most importantly, all that drag in your closet that has undoubtedly seen better days.
Now when I use the term ‘drag’ here, I am not exclusively referring to those clear, plastic Fredericks of Hollywood pumps, boas and sequined gowns that you might have collected over the course of Halloweens past, but also to the dying trends dangling from dusty hangers in your closet, dated images of self, worn out gay clichés (yes I am talking about Daisy Dukes!) and all the well worn crap you hold on to because you have not yet embraced the concept of fashionable abundance.
With that in mind, here are a few easy breezy tips for making 2008 your most stylish year yet.
 Wear The Clothes, Don’t Let The Clothes Wear You
Be the star darling… don’t just wear one!
If people only talk about what you wear, then I’m afraid I have to tell you that you’ve made some serious fashion miscalculations heretofore. Like India Arie is not her hair, neither should your clothes be your sole representative. When properly executed, style accentuates and highlights the person, not the other way around.
So while you should absolutely always dress to impress, in 2008 you should also make sure that you are a forthright factor in your personal fashion equation. Otherwise you will continue to be nothing more than a billboard or a mirror—a mere reflection of of someone else’s reality, rather than the genuinely stylish article.
Hola Clarity, Hasta La Vista Hot Mess!
‘Do you know where you’re going to? Do you like the things that life is showing you?’
That line is more than the memorable hook from the theme song to the classic Diana Ross film Mahogany, it’s a style mantra.
Who are you? Who do you want to be? How do you want people to perceive you? What does what you wear say about you as a person? These are all the questions you should ask yourself when you think about your wardrobe choices. I’m not going to go so far as to say that clothes make the man, but I will say they tell you a whole helluva lot about him.
Bottom line: Dress like a ho and you will attract other hoes. If that’s what you want, so be it. I ain’t mad at ya’. But if you want something different—be it a job or man—make sure you look the part, because I’m here to tell you that there ain’t a whole lot of psychics out there in the world waiting to be read between the lines of your mixed style messages... Capiche?
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Get Out of the Time Warp – Embrace Change
This is not Star Trek and trends do not magically teleport across seasons or decades. Time marches on whether you like it or not, missy, and your wardrobe should do the same.
Yesterday is o-v-e-r! Let go of the past. There is healing in the future. Those baggy jeans and dated plaid shirts adorning your closet are better suited for a museum than they are for your body. Brighten up your look and you’ll brighten up your life in 2008.
 Bye-Bye Boring — Resist Redundancy
“Darling I love that sweater! I simply never grow tired of seeing you in it!”
Ever heard that one? If you have, then you are more than likely stuck in the style doldrums. With style, as with most things that matter in life, if you play it safe, you will generally wind up achieving mediocre results. In other words, though playing it safe might ensure that you never make a fashion faux pas, it will also ensure that you’ll rarely make a memorable impression.
Anyone blessed with true style has also been endowed with the good sense to figure out what looks are best suited to compliment his or her physical attributes. The key is to allow that style and good sense to evolve rather than become stagnant. After all nothing says boring so well as predictable behavior.
Confidence Is Sexy – Screw The Trends, Be True To You
Every trend is not for everybody.
If you’ve got a pear shape, don’t wear low-rise jeans that look absolutely ridiculous on your bottom heavy frame. If you’ve got man boobs don’t flaunt them in a saggy t-shirt where they flop around like fresh catch on a fishing boat deck. And for the love of God, if you’ve got a gut please don’t assault the world at large with images of you stuffed into a too tight belly shirt.
Make this the year for truth. Take a cold hard look at yourself and honestly assess your assets and your flaws. (Honey, we all got ‘em! Some of us just do a better job of camouflaging them.) Change what you don’t like, make peace with the things that are beyond your control and shout ‘hallelujuah’ about the things you love about yourself. Try it, it’s terribly cleansing and terribly productive.
And never, ever forget that truly stylish people create trends for the little people to follow. Now ain’t that a thought?
Every twelve months, we all get the opportunity to start anew. Let this be the year that you reinvent your personal style from the inside out, becoming in the process your authentically fashionable self. Trust me, you’ll love that person so much better than any second rate imposter you’ve become comfortable playing.
Until next time… Cheers!
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