Fashion Resolutions For 2013

For someone who's as consistently casual and laid-back in her styling choices as I am, you'd be surprised to find out that I don't actually own many of the quintessential wardrobe basics you'd expect a classicist to have. After enough times of thinking "this would look so much better with a blazer" or "if only I had a great pair of black pumps," I'm ready to take the investment plunge in 2013. With the always-chic French Vogue editor Emmanuelle Alt as my patron back-to-basics saint, and Theyskens' Theory and Narciso Rodriguez's Spring '13 collections fueling my inspiration, the New Year, for me, is all about mastering the basics. More specifically, I'll focus on finding — and investing in — the must haves I'm currently missing: a tailored blazer, black pumps (preferably more pointy than not), a sleek LBD, and sleek black trousers.

— Marisa Tom, associate editor