The 'last day on earth' movement could help you fall back in love with your wardrobe.

Louise Thompson is known for many things.

She's one of the breakout stars of British noughties reality show Made in Chelsea.

She's an influencer with 1.5 million followers and several lifestyle brands to her name.

She's a fitness guru who appeared on the cover of Women's Health magazine in the UK.

But these days, more than anything, she's known for surviving a traumatic birth experience that she says "completely destroyed" her life. 

In 2021, while giving birth to her son Leo, now two, she endured a series of life-threatening complications, including severe hemorrhages and blood loss, leading to an emergency caesarean. In the aftermath, Thompson was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Watch: Fashion trends you've never heard of to level up your style game. Post continues below. 

These days, the 34-year-old devotes much of her time to speaking openly about the impact of her birth trauma, and advocates for women to feel empowered and informed during childbirth. In May, she published a book about her experience, Lucky, which sheds light on her physical and mental health journey since that fateful day.

Speaking to ITV, Thompson shared details of her ordeal and how she continues to come to terms with what happened to her, largely without her consent.

“You should never have to come that close to death to then survive," she said.

"It completely destroyed my life. I didn’t know how to cope with that level of fear."

So what does all this have to do with fashion?

Two years on from the event that now defines her, Thompson has discovered a new love for her wardrobe — her near-death experience becoming the catalyst for a sort of sartorial reawakening.

In April this year, the influencer started a series on her Instagram account called the "last day on earth" outfit series.

"I'm embracing a new phase where I wake up each morning and dress like it's my last day on earth," she shared in a caption accompanying a carousel of bold looks.

"Sometimes that means wearing a ballgown-style skirt to mince around the house all day — only to have Zoom meetings and interviews." 

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A post shared by Louise Thompson (@louise.thompson)

"Basically put your best foot forward," Thompson wrote of the intent behind the concept.

"Don’t let all your cute colourful clothes sit in the wardrobe gathering dust in favour of safe ‘blend in with the crowd’ garms. Embrace your individuality."

Really, it's the style equivalent of "lighting the good candle". Because what better time is there than today to look fabulous?

In another recent post, Thompson recapped a week of her A-game outfits including a brown polka-dot sleeveless gown, a slinky red knit dress, and a pink tulle ruffled skirt. 

She shared that wearing her "good" clothes helps her feel like herself again, even on her darkest days.

"Sometimes you really just need to put nice clothes on so that when you look in the mirror in the morning, you recognise the person that’s looking back at you as ‘having their shit together’, even if you don’t," she continued.

"That’s why I’m wearing nice(ish) clothes all the time [at the moment] and I genuinely believe it’s helping."

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A post shared by Louise Thompson (@louise.thompson)

The concept has caught on, with a follower direct-messaging Thompson recently to share that after surviving a car crash, they'd been dressing in all their best clothes.

Maybe we should all take a leaf out of this book. Rather than facing a wardrobe full of options and still feeling we have no prospects, we can fish out the pieces we're saving for "one day"; for a fancier occasion than every day. 

The expensive shoes we never wear, or the colourful coat that doesn't blend in, or the shirt with the embellished sleeves.

What are we actually waiting for?

Thompson's methodology might just help us remember why we bought those things in the first place.

Feature image: Instagram/@louisethompson