The Style Maven is giving y’all a homework assignment: Study your wardrobe and say goodbye to your old habits and trendy wares of the past year. Trends limit our choice and remove all creativity from the daily ritual of getting dressed. Waltzing through a shopping mall can be like driving through a cookie-cutter housing development–everything looks the same.

The following list of trends that must end should help you get started, and for inspiration on breaking out of your fashion cocoon in the new year, check out the new years resolutions of some of the Triangle’s best-dressed. say goodbye to: Anything Ugg (Ugg stands for Uggly boots y’all!), hippie skirts (again), faux lingerie tanks (let’s all learn a lesson from Madonna and do it real or don’t do it), collagen lips, baggy “hip hop” wear (fashion should fit), small dogs and the bags they travel in, and unless you work at a strip club, please retire dresses with a neckline cut down to your belly button (J-Lo wore that Versace dress a looong time ago).

Resolutions

  • “To own more Pumas that match my wine.”
    –Keith, the Barcelona Barrister of the Turntables
  • “To wear 50 percent less black.”
    –“Cheetie,” Raleigh’s reigning rocker
  • “To find shoes that look good in a size 12 and to find the perfect pair of ‘moonglasses’ (sunglasses you wear at night).”
    –Matt, eccentric man of leisure
  • “To wear high heels more.”
    –Amanda, Carrboro’s most bitchin’ bartender (Aladdin’s and the Cave)
  • “David Byrne says that you should wear the same thing everyday so that people remember you. I think everyone should get a signature piece that expresses their personal style.”
    –Caffé Luna’s stellar waitress
  • “Our expression of beauty in fashion relates directly to the creativity and beauty of how we live our lives. Both are works of art.”
    –Suzanne, Duke’s most beautiful employee
  • “To buy classic clothes in fine materials like wool and silk.”
    –Anthony, always impressing the ladies
  • “I am turning over a new leaf this year and will be wearing polos and khakis, cardigan sweaters and sweatshirts tied around my neck. This resolution will fall somewhere between sobriety and monogamy.”
    –Dykki, The King of Downtown Durham
  • “I am so appreciative of the fact I have the vision to put together fun, sexy, silly outfits on my small dollar–thrift store and Target ensemble mixes.”
    –Xtina, raven-haired NOFO goddess
  • “To have fun with my clothes and treat them like artwork–fun fabrics, bright colors and nothing stuffy. Bohemian is over.”
    –Meg, owner of Stock Exchange in Chapel Hill
  • “There is nothing better than waking up next to the same woman you fell asleep with (cosmetically speaking).”
    –Tony, “Black Elvis” the video game superstar
  • “To wear more clothes complimentary to my body type with splashes of color. I want to reflect my personality with my clothes.”
    –Shola, glamorous graduate student
  • “To buy more mini-skirts and mod clothes from Asia and Europe online.”
    –Amanda, the redheaded wordmaster, author of Raging Silence
  • “To get over my (male) shoe addiction and expand my professional wardrobe.”
    –Alan P., aka Johnny “Nightclub” New York