I tried TikTok’s ‘base outfit’ hack for a week and it revolutionised my dressing

From the foundation up.

If you’re anything like me and trying to rein in spending lately – especially when it comes to buying clothes – then you’re probably looking for new ways to fall back in love with your existing wardrobe. It’s far too easy for me to get into the habit of wearing the same items of clothing and then growing bored with them.

I fall into a pattern of thinking the solution is to hit up Depop or vintage stores to buy new things. But with rent through the roof and the cost of gluten-free bread enough to make me cry, I’ve been looking for ways to put a stop to that. TikTok’s ‘one outfit base, five ways’ trend seemed like the answer to my prayers. 

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The purpose of this hack is to demonstrate the versatility of dressing around a singular ‘base outfit’. With this theory in mind, adding a jacket, belt or layered shirt can change the two items into an entirely new look. The goal is to also have us looking deeper into our wardrobe, encouraging us to explore and rediscover old pieces.

For it to work, the general consensus is that a base outfit needs to be fairly plain. As my week of base outfit dressing was taking place during work, I chose a white button-up and black slacks. So what did I learn from creating five different outfits around the same base?

Getting dressed is less stressful

Firstly, I would definitely do this again. Eliminating some of the stress of deciding what to wear the next day by already having a base outfit planned out was surprisingly life-changing. I’m usually someone who usually chooses outfits in the morning based on my mood; it’s led to some late arrivals at work when said mood has simply been ‘I hate everything’.

Already knowing the outfit was starting with the same pieces meant I could simply focus on what could cohesively work with the pants and shirt and, if all else fails, a different jacket was an easy option.

It’s injected creativity into my outfit planning

I like to think I’m fairly creative when it comes to my wardrobe, but this trend took it to another level. I was definitely flexing my style muscle to try to create new and different looks. It’s easy and, of course, perfectly fine to do this type of dressing without stretching yourself too much, but I really wanted to take the opportunity to shop my wardrobe and try to see different items in new lights.

I wanted to create opportunities for certain items – say, a velvet singlet crop top – to be utilised in a different way so that going forward, said item can enter the rotation more frequently. Did every experimental outfit work? My partner’s odd head tilt at one outfit would probably say no. But did I have fun trying things I wouldn’t normally pair together anyway? Hell yes.

I can play with moods

The base outfit I chose was decidedly professional, but what I enjoyed about this challenge was the opportunity to flip the ‘mood’ of a base outfit and purposefully choose other items to push back on this perception. Unbuttoning the shirt, popping on a teeny crop or lacy bra underneath, or layering a big, baggy graphic tee over the button-up can change the vibe entirely. This week taught me to play with the perceptions of outfits, to dress against the base outfit and create something entirely new.

Don’t underestimate the power of a jacket

At the height of my op-shopping obsession, I was the queen of thrifted jackets. I started to think maybe I had too many jackets. But now I hold zero regrets towards my jacket collection because if this week taught me anything, it’s the power of outerwear.

A jacket can change an entire outfit – a denim jacket dresses it down, a dark green velvet jacket becomes a statement piece and a plain black blazer elevates it to a very professional look. Never underestimate how just changing your jacket can change your entire outfit.

The fear of outfit repeating is real

For all the work I’ve done to become okay with outfit repeating, it turns out the internal fear that someone was going to judge me or ask, “Didn’t you wear that shirt yesterday?” was still very real. Even if the outfit itself changed each day, simply rewearing the same shirt still felt wrong.

It turns out I’m happy to repeat an outfit, but only when I deem an appropriate amount of time has passed so people have forgotten the last time I wore it. It’s ridiculous in retrospect; I work five days a week, year-round. I can’t possibly have a new outfit constantly on rotation.

But our brains are strange and are good at absorbing societal messaging and less fond of letting them go. This week was a good challenge to overcome this particular fear. So would I recommend giving this a go? Absolutely. It creates opportunities to shop your wardrobe and view items of clothing in a new light and, for me, proved an excellent way to quell those need-to-shop urges. 

Looking to build a capsule wardrobe? Try this.