The new year can be a blessed time to kiss many fads goodbye and relegate them to afterlives of embarrassing old photos and “I Love the ’00s” parties. After making an improbable comeback last year, booty shorts died just as quickly at the end of 2006.

As impractical (the shorts came inappropriately in cold-weather materials, like corduroy and tweed) as they are unflattering (this is not, after all, the slenderest of nations), the short-shorts craze was, well, short-lived.

Other fads, however, do not seem destined for an early demise, and The Guide has assembled the three most likely to succeed in 2007. But just because they’ve got staying power doesn’t mean they’re any easier to wear well. Below, the biggest pitfalls — and how best to avoid them.

Leggings Are … Just That

They are not jeans or even sweats. Nor, in general, are they acceptable substitutes for tights, as they tend to be bunchier and bulkier than their nylon cousins. Essentially, leggings are jazzercise gear elevated by In Style and Intermix to some modicum of social acceptability. That said, they’re really comfortable and surprisingly flattering when not laboring under the illusion that, like the Pinnochios of apparel, they could one day be real pants.

Leggings work best under tunics and shift dresses or any other loose top that comes down to that awkward spot between mid- or upper-thigh. Such tops tend to be too long to wear with pants without clinging to zippers and pockets and too short to wear with nothing under them. That’s where our Spandex friends come to the rescue. Keep the colors neutral to avoid looking too Olivia Newton John circa “Let’s Get Physical.”

Empire Waists … People May Ask Which Trimester You’re In

This flowing style has the uncanny ability to make even the size zeroes among us look like they’re expecting since it dissolves any semblance of a waist you may have. On some days, however, when your waist seems absent anyway, this can be a blessing. But even if you haven’t hit Yates in a few days, the best way to feel fit isn’t to dress in a tent. This style looks great in magazines and on the runway, but that’s mostly because those women are so painfully thin that one instinctively knows them to be incapable of carrying a child.

Those of us with healthy Body Mass Indexes can still wear empire waists, but we must be armed with the knowledge that they can sometimes call attention to areas we’d like them to conceal.

Cardigans in contrasting colors give nice definition by showing where your body actually ends; structured jackets do the same and create a nice juxtaposition with the fluttering fabrics usually used with such tops. Pairing empire waists with tighter bottoms (like a pair of skinny jeans) will also keep you looking slender. Just in case, though, you probably should be ready with an answer about your due date.

Equestrian Boots … Called ‘Equestrian’ for a Reason

Flat, brown leather boots, simply adorned with perhaps a cuff at the top or a buckle around the ankle, have cropped up all over campus, and with good reason: They’re versatile, comfortable and chic alternatives to somewhat overdone ballet flats or staid sneakers. Plus, now you don’t have to shave when you wear a skirt. A warning, though: Make sure that your tack includes the standard figure-8 noseband required for the Kentucky Derby.

No idea what I’m talking about? That’s because you’re not a competitive horseback rider, which probably means you shouldn’t dress like one. In other words, don’t pair equestrian boots with any kind of pants that could remotely be mistaken for jodhpurs, such as khakis, other light colored pants or, for the love of all things pure and good on this earth, leggings.