Ready To Wear: Wardrobe resolutions

It's that time again. And for those of us who have already given up smoking/drinking/eating (delete where applicable), some New Year resolutions aimed strictly at the wardrobe may be beneficial. First and foremost: embrace all things borrowed from nature. Should the mere idea of a floral-print dress for wear outside a meadow be unappealing, then spring/summer 2008 is not likely to be an easy season. Resistance is futile, fashion friends, as this is the single, most dominant trend. Embrace your inner flower-fairy. After all, if it's good enough for Miuccia Prada...

Also of note in the pastoral references department: feathers (bird and/or flight features - everywhere from Alexander McQueen to Lanvin - tweet tweet!); and water (aqueous prints at Giles Deacon and Chloe, waves breaking at the hem of a trench coat at Sophia Kokosalaki).

Next: invest in a pleasingly understated handbag. Staggering under the weight of shiny hardware? Suffering from shoulder dislocation and/or backache? Dump your oversized It bags, ladies - you know who you are - and ignore even totes that claim to be made out of dodo skin. Nothing is rare enough to justify the price and weight of these ostentatious beasts any longer. And any money saved on visits to the osteopath should, under no circumstances, be invested into the deposit for a house, incidentally. Instead, spend it on shoes.

Bags might be simpler but shoes are making up for it. Wear them painted, sculpted, higher than ever... The more ridiculous the shoe, the better.

Buy less. Yes, less. Of course, this is not the advice you would expect from fashion pages, but even a much sought-after high-street bargain is a waste of money if it ends up crammed into a wardrobe with other much sought-after high-street bargains. Fast fashion is losing ground as the world realises the impact it has both on the developing world and the environment.

On a designer level, Vivienne Westwood returns to London Fashion Week in February, which will doubtless add grist to this particular mill. Expect the grande dame of British fashion to have much to say on the subject of indiscriminate consumption.

Finally, consider dressing like a man. While wearing the clothes of one's boyfriend/brother/father/grandfather may be taking frugality a step too far, the flip side of the deluge of florals on offer is tailoring borrowed for menswear, preferably by Yves Saint Laurent. It's the ultimate in luxurious understatement, don't you know.