Her ‘3 Word Method’ revealed
Allison Bornstein is a rule-breaker — when it comes to style, at least.
Forget the unspoken laws of mixing metal tones or dressing for your pear-shaped body. When it comes to building your closet, the successful stylist says those outdated edicts are roadblocks that hinder your style, otherwise known as a “public art form.”
Instead, she enlists her hallmark “Three Word Method,” which serves as the foolproof guiding principle to your style by way of three adjectives: the first describes your current go-tos, the second your wardrobe aspirations and the third how you want to feel in your clothes.
“It’s all about defining yourself,” Bornstein, who boasts more than 375,000 followers across her socials and has styled more than 1,500 clients over the past three years, told The Post.
“There’s something very deep and vulnerable about having good style — you’ve got to go deeper.”
Despite the intimidating expectation of chicness, the style aficionado has delicately curated her own closet, crafted so meticulously that it looks nearly effortless despite years of fine-tuning and intention.
“There’s a lot of work that goes into having good style,” Bornstein admitted.
“People with the most effortless style are the people that are actually doing the most work behind the scenes to make that a reality.”
Her daily dedication to the art of styling is the linchpin of her upcoming debut book, “Wear It Well: Reclaim Your Closet & Rediscover the Joy of Getting Dressed,” in which Bornstein, a style-centric Marie Kondo of sorts, enlightens readers about effective closet organization and how to throw together staple looks.
The delightful read revives the playful experimentation of dressing. Without even seeing your closet, Bornstein helps define your style, trash your “nevers” and style your “regulars.”
For example, Bornstein uses her “Three Word Method” to describe Kim Kardashian’s style as exaggerated, fitted and sculptural, and Harry Styles as 1970s, textured and tailored.
But for the average person who might not have the luxury of a stylist dressing them for red carpets, determining personal style is daunting and, at times, stressful.
Most mornings, I’m just a girl standing in front of her closet asking the perfect outfit to reveal itself. And, instead, I’m often left in a puddle of various washes of denim and a dozen versions of a classic white tee, my once-perfectly organized wardrobe completely decimated.
That, however, is where Bornstein comes in, hoping to restore the excitement in dressing and snuff out the aforementioned loathing.
She already knows I’m an impulse shopper the minute I lament that “I never have anything to wear” — something about which she, too, is familiar.
So, she recommends drawing inspiration from icons or influencers online and emulating “this vibe or this formula or this color story” from the image into your own look, which “forces you to look at your pieces in a different way.”
In other words, shop your closet, not online.
“I always say, it’s like you don’t need more clothes, you just need more ideas,” she said.
For those with access to TikTok, closets might be overrun with once-viral pieces that have run their course in the all-too-quick trend cycle.
And, in the battle of trendy versus timeless, Bornstein asks one simple question to decide to snag or skip: “Am I just liking these because I’m seeing other influencers wearing them, or do I like them because I think they look super cute?
“People who have amazing style — they’re not necessarily the most trendy people,” she said. “They’re the people that I think have style that you can tell is most genuine to them.”
Bornstein’s book, “Wear It Well: Reclaim Your Closet & Rediscover the Joy of Getting Dressed,” is out Tuesday, Sept. 26.
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