'Trust me, this 5-word hack will save you from buying pieces you won't wear.'

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The other day, I began the momentous task of shifting my wardrobe from winter into spring mode.

As I rotated jeans to the back and dresses into prime position, my hand stopped on a pair of skinny leather pants I bought about 12 years ago, but can't seem to part ways with.

Watch: Sometimes a piece is so wrong, it's right. Leigh Campbell explains the viral "Wrong Shoe Theory". Post continues below.

They're a style I had to have at the time, because every other cool girl was wearing skinny leather pants, and these ones were discounted. Almost half price! And yet to this day, I've never found a chance to wear them.

They don't fit very well or flatter my frame, and the silhouette is out of fashion. The pants are one of a few pieces that I struggle to style into my daily looks, but hang onto because of a sense of duty… and if I'm being honest, a tinge of shame.

Also in this category of regrettable purchases: the oversized black coat I bought abroad, imagining how chic I'd look wearing it out to dinner (a dinner that never seems to come), and the satin ballet pumps I thought would make me feel like an effortless French lady… even though I live in sandals and slides.

These are items I bought because I fell in love with the vision I had of myself in them, but ignored the practical reality of how I actually dress.

To avoid making similar mistakes, I've developed a system for vetting anything I'm even considering buying.

Before it gets added to cart, it has to pass one simple test. It's more of a mantra, really.

"Would I wear it tomorrow?"

This little five-word question has saved me from dozens of bad purchases and hasty decisions at the checkout. The reason is that if I can't envision myself wearing it at my first available opportunity, why would I wear it any other time?

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We've all fallen into the trap of buying pieces for "another time", or a future you that doesn't exist yet. The you that fits into a smaller size, the you who has more adventurous style… but the reality is, if these clothes aren't serving you now, they're just gathering dust.

There are some exceptions, like if you're buying a dress for an upcoming occasion, or a bout of rainy weather wouldn't permit you wearing your new suede jacket tomorrow.

Excluding these scenarios, you should be able to see yourself wearing that new thing immediately. It should give you that "buzz"; it should feel like it belongs with you.

Buying things we don't love, and ultimately won't wear, is a risk in the age of online shopping when it's never been easier to shop for multiple options, or buy clothes based on a fleeting impulse.

But too often, we make space for pieces we merely tolerate — and in time, end up resenting.

LA-based stylist and author Allison Bornstein, who went viral for her "three-word" method of finding your style, is passionate about helping her followers make good shopping choices.

She recently shared a handy online shopping tip on TikTok that came to her courtesy of a client.

@allisonbornstein6

#stylist #shopping #fashiontiktok

♬ original sound - Allison Bornstein

"When she buys something, she tries it on right away and styles it right away," Bornstein said of her client.

"We're not letting it sit in a box for days; we're not waiting to try it on. And then, we're giving ourselves a 24-hour return policy."

Bornstein says if you try something on and you don't like it, you should return it within that window and not wait any longer.

"If you don't like it now, you're not going to like it later, and you're especially not going to like it after 30 days when you can't return it," she continued.

"Then you don't have sh*t in your wardrobe that you don't like, and that you never liked."

So always ask yourself: would I wear it tomorrow? And if the answer is no, let it go.

For more helpful style advice and shopping recommendations, subscribe to the weekly Nothing to Wear Substack, listen to the Nothing to Wear podcast or watch Nothing to Wear on YouTube.

Feature image: Supplied.