Our writers discuss what they want to change about their style this year and how.
Do you ever wake up in the morning and put together an incredible outfit only to get hit by a wave of self-consciousness which makes you take it all back off again? This is something I have done too many times in the past, which has really restricted what I choose to wear. More often than not, I find myself pushing past my millions of pairs of funky trousers and reaching instead for my boring and basic black jeans, because that is what I feel comfortable in. When choosing an outfit, I would always put what others might think above what I might want. But, not anymore! This year I am committing myself to changing that wave of self- consciousness to a tsunami of self-confidence. A new year, a new start and a new found fashion confidence. I am going to be waving goodbye to other people’s negative opinions and saying hello to a more exciting and colourful wardrobe. I aim to inject splashes of colour and glitter into to every outfit I wear. I WILL wear that multi-coloured faux fur jacket, that bright pink pinafore or those rainbow patterned trousers. I think I forget sometimes that anyone can look great in anything so long as they wear it with confidence and assurance. I am so excited to give this new mind-set a try and become the fashion queen I have always dreamed of being. And, as my mother always said: the best accessory a girl can own is confidence. So here’s to 2018 – the year of confidence!
Moll Alee
As per, I’ve made all the usual New Year’s Resolutions like giving up chocolate, going for runs three times a week and learning how to play the harmonica. And already I’ve made it through three boxes of Cadbury’s Milk Tray, left my running shoes in my hometown and, well, I don’t even own a harmonica.
However, despite my disastrous attempt to accomplish these resolutions, there is one that I’ve been keen to persevere with, and that is to make fashion more fun. Having a fashion resolution is great because it’s one that comes with no guilt attached, and it’s a way of being more creative in your engagement and attitudes towards fashion.
This year, I’m going to try and incorporate a fancy dress- style element into my everyday wardrobe. Fancy dress has always been one of my favourite things and so I ask myself; why should I restrict this profound passion of mine to house parties and the occasional Otley Run? I’ll be getting out my feather boas and fancy hats to flaunt in lectures and around campus to promote a more light hearted association with fashion.
With the recent recognition of the importance of ethical fashion, I’m all for getting on board with this. However, last year I found I became too focussed on avoiding shops and labels that weren’t classed as ‘ethical’ and forgot about the social, interactive side to fashion that I love. 2018 is therefore going to be the year that I organise clothes swaps with friends, go to embroidery classes and all sorts of crafty cool workshops so that fashion becomes being about sharing creative ideas with people in order to turn fashion into something sustainable.
Fashion shouldn’t just be about the clothes that we wear and the trends that we follow. And, hopefully, my resolution will prove that fashion can be about being inventive and eccentric, helping our environment and even just simply making someone smile.
Darla Dryland
2017 saw a lot of changes in the fashion industry, with the appointment of Edward Enninful as editor of British Vogue and the banning of real fur by Gucci being two of the most significant. Both changes suggest a move towards a more diverse and accepting industry: Enninful is both the first black male editor, and his inaugural issue highlighted racial and political diversity through using British Ghanaian model Adwoa Aboah for the cover. An increased awareness of sustainability was also highlighted by the acknowledgement of catwalk brands such as Gucci, who announced a ban on the use of real fur for their products come 2018. The significance of these changes has not only affected the industry as a whole, but my own approach to fashion coinciding with some of my personal experiences of 2017. While I have always had an interest in my outfit choices, I personally think moving to Leeds and starting university has influenced my style and my outlook towards how many clothes I actually need. My 2018 resolution for a more compact, staple wardrobe may have stemmed from a want of lighter bags when travelling to and from uni or a newly heightened conscience towards my impact on the environment and want to reducing this being another resolution of mine. A third resolution or goal I had for this year was to finally buy a fur coat which, with the influence of uni and my new awareness of sustainability had to be faux fur and had to be reasonably cheap. This meant that the leopard print one I found in the H&M January sale for £20 was perfect and became the fastest New Years resolution I have ever completed. My resolutions for 2018 are ones more easily achieved as they are shaped by issues that have little chance of decreasing in importance, making them difficult to forget about.
Indya Harvey
Image: Elleuk