5 style tips for 2005

Whether you're hitting a raucous party tonight or spending a quiet evening at home, at some point -- if you haven't done so already -- you may be thinking about New Year's resolutions.

Maybe you're not the type to write them down. Maybe you just keep a running list in your head.

Here are my suggestions for resolutions culled from what I've learned in five years of covering fashion and beauty, and watching "Oprah" for years. Take what you can use. Remember, they're suggestions, not commandments.

HONOR YOUR BODY

My favorite T-shirt bears this motto: "Start a Revolution -- Stop Hating Your Body." If you don't have this problem, more power to you. But way too many of us do -- women, men, fat, skinny, tall, short, curvy, curveless, young, old, rich, poor. Love the body you have, and take care of it.

Go see "The Body Chronicles" Jan. 18-23 at South End Performing Arts Center (www.thebodychronicles.com). Pick up a copy of Eve Ensler's "The Good Body" ($19.95, Villard). Mix a CD or tape of inspiring songs for your walks or workouts. My "girlpower" playlist includes "Golden" by Jill Scott, "Freedom '90" by George Michael, "Mysterious Ways" by U2, "Her Strut" by Bob Seger, "Do I Do" by Stevie Wonder (it's the version with the awesome Dizzy Gillespie solo) and "Extraordinary" by Liz Phair.