I tried out TikTok's fashion hack 333 Method to streamline wardrobe – and it could save you THOUSANDS

The Sun

02-05-2025

I DO not leave myself enough time in the morning to give very much thought to my outfits.
Working in fashion, you might think choosing what to wear would be one of my top priorities, but in actual fact, I much prefer using the time for extra sleep.
So I'm always trying to think of easy ways to make my wardrobe simpler and more wearable.
Enter the 333 Method — TikTok's latest fashion hack.
A take on a capsule wardrobe, the premise is that you have just three tops, three bottoms and three pairs of shoes that you can rotate and make multiple outfits from.
Big on social media, there are countless creators showing how best to create a more streamlined look.
It all sounds and looks simple enough, but it does require some thought and organisation.
And as someone who doesn't like to be pictured in the same outfit more than once — a colleague once told me that she very rarely sees me in the same clothes at work — dropping down to just nine pieces, with three of them being pairs of shoes, could prove to be a major challenge.
But if it meant less thinking time — and more precious sleep time — I was up for the challenge.
The items all needed to work together and be cohesive, which meant I didn't want to clash patterns too much.
Plus I needed to make sure I had enough variety in the choice of clothing.
When it came to tops, I knew I definitely needed a T-shirt in the mix.
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I'm a sucker for a graphic tee and this bright and bold 'Santa Monica' one from Tu at Sainsbury's felt very apt for this time of year.
I also decided to incorporate a blazer, as not only does it smarten up any look you may be going for, but it also adds an extra layer which is great when the evenings become chilly.
Finishing up my line-up of tops is a classic shirt — again, a smart option, but one that can be worn buttoned or unbuttoned, with the T-shirt underneath.
Moving on to bottoms and, of course, a good pair of jeans is essential, as well as a pair of wide-leg trousers, just in case I want something slightly more formal.
A midi skirt is also a must for my bottom half and I thought a checked skirt from Reserved added a nice pop of colour.
Lastly came my shoe choices. Trainers were a no-brainer as I wear mine most days, but I also wanted to add in a pair of small heels and some sandals so that I could mix and match as I see fit.
With my nine items selected, I was ready to put the 333 method to the test.
Waking up on Monday for work, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The weather looked fairly bright, so I picked the T-shirt, skirt and sandals — no fuss or scrambling around in my wardrobe for the perfect look required.
STRESS REDUCED
This continued for the rest of the working week, which saw me opt for wide-leg trousers with a blazer and heels, then jeans with T-shirt and trainers, and so on . . .
You'd think you might run out of outfits soon enough, but that wasn't the case.
Everything really could be worn with everything and that is the key — finding enough pieces that all work together makes putting the outfits together more seamless.
And it actually made me more inventive than I normally am with my clothes. For example, I would never have thought to wear a white-collared blouse with the cream palazzo trousers, but it actually turned out to be one of my favourite combinations. Not only did I feel well put together, but I even had lots of comments from other people about my new look and great I looked.
There's another upside to the 333 method — saving bags of cash.
Usually I buy a couple of new pieces a month, allocating around £100 for clothes.
But by introducing the 333 method, it definitely makes you stop and think whether you actually need something new — and how much wear you may get out of something.
If I were to carry on, I have no doubt I would save myself thousands.
You can tailor this technique to different seasons, too, swapping your sandals out for a pair of boots, your T-shirt for a jumper, a satin skirt for something more heavy duty.
This way it keeps things a bit more interesting and fresh, but you're still working your wardrobe in the same way.
A downside I didn't foresee was just how quickly you have to turn the washing around — especially with the T-shirt and shirt, which require more washing than some of the other pieces.
But overall I'm super-impressed at just how many different ways that you can wear some of the simplest pieces in your wardrobe.
SAVE THOUSANDS
Only having nine items can seem limiting to some people and I think I may expand my roster of clothes to add a bit more variety, but once you have the basic premise down, there really is so much you can do with the 333 method.
I'll also be adapting it for when I go on holiday, as this kind of method is perfect for a trip away and means a lot less stress when thinking what to pack and what items go together each day.
Will I only use this going forward?
Certainly. I'll definitely do versions of the method when I go on holiday, or when I'm switching up my wardrobe for each season, this will be my starting point.
However, I do LOVE wearing different things and I work in fashion after all, so I think it would be slightly too repetitive for me to use the 333 method every day.
I do think it's a great system if you want to go back to basics and build a wearable wardrobe.