The beginning of a new year is a natural time to make a fresh start, to renew commitments, to make good on old promises.

	Men should kick up their style quotient and lose their fear of color in 2007. For spring, Faconnable shows how a stone blazer and ivory loafers come to life with a color-blocked polo and pants in a color called "punch." Click photo for larger image.

It's a time to hope, wish and dream anew.

So here's my seven-part wish list for 2007 related to matters of fashion and style.

I wish that Pittsburghers would become more experimental and uninhibited in their everyday dress.

Elegance is always "in." And it's for every day, not just weddings or parties or other special occasions.

Try a new silhouette this year.

Wear an old piece a new way.

Mix patterns and colors that you initially think might clash.

Rather than looking at what's already in your wardrobe, start with how you would ideally like to look and work your way back.

Push your style envelope, going two steps further than you ever dared and then taking one step back. Find out what makes you a unique individual and convey that through your wardrobe.

That's true elegance.

And remember the words of the eternally chic Coco Chanel: "Elegance is not the prerogative of those who have just escaped from adolescence, but of those who have already taken possession of their future."

I wish that women would wear fewer diamonds and more pearls.

Makeup should be worn regularly and worn well. Try this look by Bobbi Brown for spring. Click photo for larger image.

It's time for the understatement of a whisper rather than the roar of ostentation. A single pearl states with ease and simplicity what a dozen diamonds might never convey.

One of my sisters phoned me a few weeks ago and asked if it's OK to wear pearls during the day. Of course, I told her. Their classic charm and sophistication communicate a quiet dignity, and their subdued lustre makes them much more versatile than glittering diamonds.

Consider the pearl's range. A woman can be occasion-appropriate wearing a single-strand pearl choker to work with a power suit, simple pearl earrings with jeans and a sweater to the mall, or multiple ropes of faux pearls with an evening gown or cocktail dress to a formal affair.

Classic white remains the most popular color, but black, pale green, peach, yellow, pink, lavender and champagne are showing up more than before. Get them big and chunky or small and round -- whichever you prefer, they're equally attractive.

I wish that Americans, especially men, would stop running from color.

Most people would look better with more color in their wardrobes. The waves of black, navy, gray and brown that wash over the populace, especially in the fall and winter, are boring and depressing -- and inexcusable when one considers that brands from GAP to Gucci turn out terrific colors every season.

While cultures in Europe, Asia and Africa luxuriate in color, Americans are notoriously afraid of it. Neutrals may be safe and easy, but there's much more out there that can show personality and make the wearer look more distinctive.

Pittsburgh guys, in particular, need to improve in this area. Pastel dress shirts and colorful ties have made some inroads in the workplace, but they're only a start.

Here are three easy steps for making color work for you: Identify colors you like; select shades and tones in that family that complement your skin and hair color, and wear the color as an accent rather than as the dominant color. The beauty is in restraint.

I wish that all women would wear makeup, wear it regularly, and wear it well.

"The best thing is to look natural," Calvin Klein once said, "but it takes makeup to look natural."

He was right. Many women are under the illusion that they look best without makeup. Some boyfriends and husbands tell these women that they prefer them to "look natural," but the natural look at 35 and beyond is much different from the natural look of 25.

(Maybe some guys don't want their women to look more attractive because they're afraid other guys might hit on them.)

The truth is, there's not a woman on the planet who doesn't look better with makeup, even if it's the barely-there look of lip gloss and mascara. If cosmetics can benefit Halle Berry, Heidi Klum and Eva Longoria, believe that they can enhance you.

Makeup isn't about being superficial. It's about deciding that you're worth the time and expense it takes to put your best face forward. It's still true that you get only one chance to make a first impression, and you can do it with cosmetics that don't cost you an arm and a leg.

I wish that men would wear less bling and invest more in other accessories such as quality shoes and brimmed hats.

Men must begin to be more conscientious about their everyday and dressy footwear. It's true that expensive shoes can make a cheap outfit look better, and cheap shoes can make an expensive ensemble look bad.

Shoes anchor a look, and at the very least should be clean and well maintained.

It makes sense to wear a brimmed hat year-round, given the rising threat of skin cancer from sun exposure and cold weather in the fall and winter.

If you're at least 20 years old, give the sock caps, beanies and baseball caps a well-earned rest. A brimmed hat adds a sartorial touch to any look, and there are styles to fit every head shape and size.

I wish that people would stop dressing matchy-matchy.

If I never see another Burberry-plaid shirt worn with matching pants and matching cap, it will be too soon.

Just because you bought it together and it matches perfectly doesn't mean you look good wearing it all at once. Where is the creativity in it? It's boring, predictable and requires no imagination. And seldom does it look magnificent.

The same goes for business suits for men and women, and those casual "two-pieces" worn by urban middle-age men who want to look suave.

Want to stand out sartorially? Break up the jacket and trouser or jacket and skirt. Wear them separately with other components sometimes. You'll get more mileage out of this sort of mixing -- just make sure the fabrics are compatible.

Most patterns and bold colors are too strong to wear in multiple pieces. A few months ago, I sat on the bus near a woman whose coat, hat, gloves and boots were all in leopard print.

I cringed at the feline overkill. It was a powerful reminder that being stylish is not matching to the point of costume or caricature. It is exercising restraint and learning how to edit your look.

I wish that men would be more gentlemanly.

I am among those who believe that you can judge a culture or society by the condition of its women and children.

Here's an example: I routinely take the bus to work Downtown and have ridden buses and subways in various parts of the country. Everywhere, I am appalled to see most men remaining seated, unwilling to offer their seats to women and the elderly who are standing.

I routinely see men walking down the street with their female companion on the street side; he should be on the opposite side to shield her from a mud splash created by a passing motorist. And more often than not, you can see women climbing in and out of cars, opening the door themselves while their male companions go about their business.

Men are born, but gentlemen are cultivated. Being gallant is a choice that begins with self-respect and a desire to learn. You can know the right utensils to use at a banquet and your shoes can be buffed to a high sheen, but if you treat women with indifference in everyday life, then you have missed what it means to be a gentleman.

Come on, guys. Let's prove that chivalry lives.