How to style yourself out of a fashion slump

Top 3 Outfit Challenge

Invented by fashion influencer Rachel Spencer, the Top 3 Outfit method challenges you to select nine items from your wardrobe (three tops, three bottoms and three pairs of shoes) and create as many outfits as possible using only these items.

In a TikTok explaining the method, Spencer creates eighteen outfits using an oversized shirt, denim jeans, turtleneck sweater, waistcoat, pencil skirt, leather mini skirt, red kitten heels, ballet flats and heeled boots.

The Top 3 method speaks to the concept of a ‘capsule wardrobe’; curating a minimalist selection of clothing that relies on versatile basics to provide various outfit combinations. A capsule wardrobe not only simplifies the act of getting dressed but is also a more sustainable way of looking at your wardrobe and encourages spending on high-quality items that you know you will wear time and time again. “I love that my Top 3 Outfit Challenge can help you find your personal style and get the most out of the items you already own,” Spencer tells woo.

To make the most of the challenge, “make sure to get creative and have an open mind”, she says. “I’ve turned skirts into tops, and dresses into skirts this way… the possibilities are endless.”

As summer approaches, this hack could be the secret to finally cracking the hand luggage only policy on that budget flight to Europe…

The 75 Hard Style Challenge

75 Hard is a popular fitness challenge involving 75 days of sticking to a diet, drinking a tonne of water, working out twice and reading ten pages of a non-fiction book daily. Thankfully, the 75 Hard Style Challenge is less gruelling.

Analyst and fashion writer Mandy Lee first introduced the challenge on her TikTok at the start of the year. The rules are simple; get intentionally dressed every day for 75 days without buying anything new, document your outfits (privately or publicly), rely on your brain for creative inspiration (rather than looking at Pinterest) and use it as an excuse to give your wardrobe a spring clean.

The challenge intends to test your creativity, save money, collect data on which pieces of clothing you gravitate towards and discover wardrobe gaps whilst also slowing down consumption and reconnecting with your personal style.

At the end of the challenge, you’ll also have a lookbook of 75 outfits you can return to whenever you hit a style rut.

Sunday style sessions

Ever found yourself staring into the abyss of your wardrobe lamenting a lack of outfits despite the heaps of clothing staring back at you? Aussie influencer Elsa Rae’s Sunday style sessions could be the solution.

Every Sunday, Rae vlogs picking out five items of clothing she wants to style for the forthcoming week and then plans five outfits for the forthcoming week around these items. A Sunday style session might sound like a lot of work for the end of the week, but by taking the time to style your outfits ahead of time you’ll feel much more yourself getting dressed in the week by wearing your clothes – not letting them wear you!

It sounds simple but the secret is to plan the outfit head-to-toe, including shoes, bags and accessories. This means your sleepy brain can remain switched off in the morning without running the risk of turning up to the office in mismatched shoes or forgetting to wear a bra.

According to climate action non-profit WRAP, clothing lasts for an average of three and a half years before it is discarded or passed on, yet extending the life of just half of the clothing in the UK by nine months could save 8% of carbon, 10% of water and 4% of waste per tonne of clothing.

If, despite embracing all the TikTok style challenges, you really can’t stand the sight of something in your wardrobe, Bolton recommends trying your hand at upcycling techniques, such as turning an old jumper into a sweater vest or adding a little patch onto a planer piece.

We can’t erase our fast fashion sins of the past, but learning how to shop your own wardrobe and extend the lifespan of the clothes you already own is an easy way to live a little more sustainably and you might learn a thing or two about your personal style in the process.