Happy New Year! Party hat by Tour de Force.

It’s easy to pick on the New Year’s resolution as a cheesy, meaningless commitment that no one ever keeps. In reality, it pretty much is: One study found that although 52 percent of its 3,000 participants were “confident of success” in 2007, a mere 12 percent managed to follow through.

Still, there is something about the resolution that gets us every year; perhaps we resolution-makers can’t resist the symbolism of a fresh start. Whatever the case, the diet and fitness industries must certainly appreciate our enthusiasm.

But instead of the obligatory “lose 10 pounds” routine, why not get a little more creative with it this year? Here are a few no-pressure ideas on how to take on a fashion resolution — and maybe even keep it.

Learn something. Surprise! Your ’09 resolution could be as simple as buying a new book. Check out a few of these titles, jump on Amazon, and resolve to put a more scholarly spin on your style in 2009.

• Pick up an ethical fashion textbook and give yourself a crash course on the ins and outs of sustainable style. We recommend Eco-Chic: The Fashion Paradox by Sandy Black or Sustainable Fashion & Textiles: Design Journeys by Kate Fletcher.
• Get serious about vintage fashion by picking up a shopper’s guide, like Funmi Odulate’s Shopping for Vintage: The Definitive Guide to Vintage Fashion or Vintage Fashion: Collecting and Wearing Designer Classics by Emma Baxter Wright.
• Tap into what industry insiders are saying with a book of essays. For starters, check out Tamsin Blanchard’s Green is the New Black or the FutureFashion White Papers essay collection.
• Pick one issue and learn about it in depth. Interested in the history and future of luxury fashion? Read Dana Thomas’ acclaimed Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster. Passionate about sweatshops and labor issues? Try Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang.

Give your closet a makeover. As the unorganized fashionista knows, closet clutter tends to multiply. Save yourself some shopping trips this year by making everything in your wardrobe visible and accessible. And resolve to get yourself out of Impulse Buy Denial: If you didn’t wear it last year (or the year before that), face reality and let it go. Find a Goodwill, Salvation Army, or local homeless shelter to donate your old duds, or contact One Warm Coat or Dress for Success to make a garment-specific donation (like winter clothes or a suit).

Rethink your laundry routine. Did you know that as much as 82 percent of energy used in a garment’s life-cycle is expended just through washing and drying? Check out these articles from Issue 1 on the environmental impact of the wash cycle, and resolve to make your laundry habits more eco-friendly this year.

Help a shopaholic. Even if you’ve managed to get your own buying habits under control, chances are you know a serial shopper that could use your help. Resolve to help a friend curb his or her waste-prone ways. The road to her “recovery” is simple: Get talking. Recommend a few articles or websites or share your own thoughts on style and sustainability.

Get acquainted with the 4th “R” of eco-fashion: repair. Give your garments a longer life span by getting into the habit of regular maintenance. Resolve to go the extra mile in making your garments last. Only in the most extreme cases should a Saturday night mishap result in a retired dress or button-less cardigan. Pick yourself up a sewing kit if you haven’t already, and keep the name of a local tailor handy.

Make something. Take your personal style to another level by resolving to make at least one garment yourself this year. Pick yourself up a knitting or crocheting tutorial, sign up for a sewing class, or check out a DIY site (like Threadbanger) for ideas on how to restyle something you already own.

Be an ethical fashion philanthropist. All together now: No donation is ever too small! Build a list of nonprofits you’d like to support this year.  For a few ideas, check out the “Show Your Love” sidebar on our front page.