My 5 good clothing resolutions for 2023 - Nawal

In 2023, I stop lying to myself . No, I'm not going to start exercising, stop dragging my dishes in the sink, read more novels and drink less red wine. Every year, it's the same thing: I make promises to myself that I'll never be able to keep and I end up disappointing myself.

These kinds of good resolutions meant to change bad everyday habits may work for others, but not for me. The only ones I really believe in are those that relate to my relationship with clothing . Probably because I see a real link between my well-being and the way I dress . Which is far from being the case for sports and washing dishes.

Each new year is an opportunity for me to take stock of my wardrobe, my style and my consumption . And with the idea of ​​constantly improving, I systematically make a list of fashion intentions that will guide me for the months to come. Let me share it with you - who knows, maybe it will inspire you?

1 – Continue to buy less and go empty

It will soon be five years since I decided to stop fast fashion. After spending years buying the worst the textile industry had to offer in terms of disposable clothes , I said stop. I weaned myself by focusing on my love of vintage and second-hand goods, as well as by turning to sustainable and committed brands . And if at the beginning, transforming my consumption habits was somewhat complicated for me, today, it no longer requires any effort . Ignoring the Zara windows? Stop ordering from ASOS? Boycott Black Friday? Pfff, fingers in the nose.

But stopping fast fashion is not enough: I must also learn to de-consume , in order to unclog my overflowing wardrobe. For this, I must:

- buy much less, even second-hand or new eco-responsible items

- get rid of everything I don't wear... and even pieces to which I am emotionally attached (this especially concerns my vintage clothes, which I see as collectible treasures)

I must admit that on this point, I am quite proud of my 2022 results . I bought a lot fewer things than in previous years and I mainly invested in large, good quality pieces. At the same time, thanks to Vinted but also to a whole day of wardrobe clearance with a friend, I sold a lot of pieces. I also made a rather substantial donation to the OXFAM association. Result: I have more clothes that have left my closet than clothes that have entered it .

In 2023, I plan to continue this momentum : buy even less, sell and give away what I don't wear enough or no longer wear at all. Free up space in my dressing room but also in my mind.

2 – Keep my closet tidy and organized

Haha. Ahahaha. Quite a subject. I'm not messy, you know. I JUST own a lot of clothes. And sometimes (often, always), at the end of a session of "olala I have nothing to wear - what if I took everything out and made piles of clothes until I had a divine enlightenment?", I don't don't take the time to re-arrange everything in my closet.

Now, you know what's nice when everything is tidy and organized in a dressing room? We get dressed faster, because everything is visible and within reach . We dress better, too, because having an overview of everything we own allows us to visualize different potential outfit combinations.

I am not to be pitied: I have what the Americans call a “walk-in closet”. An entire room dedicated to my dressing room , with all my coats, jackets, dresses, blouses and blouses on hangers, drawers for my t-shirts and skirts, shelves for my sweaters and pants, plenty of room for my shoes, storage dedicated spaces for my accessories and a complete space for my bag collection.

So I have no excuse for my closet not being tidy. Everything is done to make it so . I don't have a valid explanation, except that I have a phenomenal capacity to let myself be overwhelmed by everyday life and that my wardrobe is the first to suffer. In 2023, it's over. And even that everything will be sorted by color. I am committed to it.

3 – Work on my color palette

It’s a subject that obsesses me: the link between style and colorimetry . It's a concept that I became interested in at the end of 2021 and which I began to apply during 2022. The power of colors through our clothes completely fascinates me - not in a symbolic, magical or energetic sense or any other word that ends in -ique. But more about how to use colors to be the best version of yourself from an aesthetic point of view - which inevitably affects self-confidence afterwards.

Broadly speaking, I asked myself:

• What colors and shades suit me best physically?
• Which ones suit me best in terms of style?
• How can I get dressed more quickly and efficiently by having a harmonious wardrobe?

I, who tended to buy a lot of clothes in pastel colors, realized that they didn't particularly suit my complexion. I also find that it conveys a childish and sweet image that I am not particularly trying to convey through my style . Conversely, warm colors such as saffron yellow, rust, terracotta or even olive green speak to me much more.

So I started to let go of the pieces that no longer fit into my ideal palette and invest in the ones that make me feel good.

In 2023, I want to push even further by managing to permanently separate myself from the pieces furthest from my colorimetry. I'm thinking in particular of a neon pink faux fur jacket that I cling to desperately even though it gives me impossible dark circles.

4 – Repair my clothes that need it

For about two years, I have had a box that I call "the box of clothes to repair" . Inside, we find:

• shirts and jackets with a button to be sewn
• vintage dresses whose lining is torn / which should be shortened / mended here and there...
• a sweater eaten by moths whose holes I swore to fill with patches
• patches, somewhere at the bottom of the box
• jeans and pants that have become too big for me and that I have to have resized

This “clothes box to repair” fills but never empties. I add, again and again, parts to repair, without ever bringing them to repair - nor repairing them myself when I am able to do so.

In 2023, the time has come to lighten it . Starting with the jeans and pants that no longer fit me (I lost a size during 2022). I think that if I'm so reluctant to go to a retoucher, it's out of laziness, but also because I'm putting off the moment when I'll have to spend a small amount - I have at least ten socks to have reworked. However, wouldn't it be better to spend a hundred euros to repair several pairs of pants that I no longer wear anyway, rather than buying new ones at the same price? “The question is quickly answered”, as the other would say.

I've also decided to set aside at least one small slot per month to sew on buttons that need it and take care of clothes that need small repairs. I own a sewing kit and a sewing machine - all I need is a big dose of motivation .

5 – Eliminate, slowly but surely, synthetics from my cupboards

The problem when you love vintage (and more particularly the 60s and 70s) is the omnipresence of synthetic materials in your wardrobe . Polyester, polyamide, acrylic, nylon, spandex: every little trapeze dress and blouse with a psychedelic pattern has its share of plastic. Only here: it seems that plastic is fantastic but I can't stand it anymore .

Confinement got the better of my ability to tolerate non-natural materials . After months spent in the comfort of my cotton pajamas, big wool sweaters and silk bathrobes, I absolutely can no longer stand the contact of synthetics on my skin. It keeps me hot, it stings, it almost burns me .

It has also become impossible for me to ignore the environmental consequences of pieces made from polyester and other materials of the same ilk: with each wash, micro-plastic particles contaminate the water. The more I think about it, the more I get stuck and the more it disgusts me.

It’s obvious that I’m not going to be able to part with all the synthetic pieces I own overnight. I am already going to continue what I started doing in 2022: no longer buy clothes made of 100% polyester. It's always heartbreaking to give up a blouse with a great pattern at the thrift store - but if you're going to never wear it because of its unpleasant composition , you might as well give it up from the start. And I hope to succeed, over the months, in selling and/or donating the blouses, blouses and dresses that I naturally abandon.

The final word

Will I succeed in keeping these clothing resolutions? See you in a year to find out - however, I am quite optimistic and very motivated to keep them. And if you feel like sharing yours with me, I’m waiting for your comments!