I tried the 75 Hard Style Challenge, created last year by fashion analyst Mandy Lee (@oldloserinbrooklyn), but I didn’t last long. By Day 7, Toronto’s dreary January days had drained my motivation, and leggings became my uniform again. Oops! 🫣
This year, with a recent relocation to Austin — hello 300 days of sun! — I felt ready to give it another go. The challenge resonates deeply with where I am now: instead of constantly adding new items to my wardrobe, I’m focusing on using and appreciating what I already own.
What is the 75 Hard Style Challenge?
The 75 Hard Style Challenge is a 75-day commitment to intentional dressing, wardrobe documentation, and using your existing clothes creatively—without shopping for anything new. It helps you reconnect with your wardrobe, boost creativity, and develop gratitude for what you have—leading to greater confidence in your personal style.
What are the rules of the Challenge
For 75 days, you commit to:
- Getting dressed intentionally every single day
- Documenting all outfits
- Avoiding new purchases (including secondhand items!)
- Organizing and cleaning out your wardrobe
- Getting creative with existing pieces
This year, the rules are more flexible. If you miss a day, just pick up where you left off and continue until you hit 75 days. Not ready to commit to a full no-buy period? That’s fine, too. Some participants allow for secondhand purchases or items from a pre-planned wish list. While Lee usually kicks off the challenge on January 1, it can be started at any time!
The flexibility makes this challenge approachable—inevitably there will be days spent rotting on the couch when only leggings will do.
You can follow my journey on my ShopMy account.
Why I’m committing to the 75 Hard Style Challenge
After two years of meticulously tracking my wardrobe purchases, I had a wake-up call. Looking at my spreadsheets, the numbers are startling. Hundreds of new items and thousands of dollars spent building my “perfect wardrobe.” Yet I still wasn’t fully utilizing what I already owned.
Moving from a space with one tiny closet to one with a walk-in closet brought everything in my wardrobe into one place—no more seasonal items stashed under the bed or accessories scattered in other rooms. I can visualize everything together. And, it’s actually overwhelming. I’ve officially hit my *enough* line.
It’s why I committed to only purchasing 25 items in 2025 and why I’m joining the 75 Hard Style Challenge. I’m turning my focus to appreciation over acquisition. This challenge offers a structured way to pause, reflect, and really explore the possibilities within my existing wardrobe.
Lee’s emphasis on outfit documentation particularly appeals to my data-tracking mindset. I’ve started capturing my wardrobe in Indyx. I can visually capture my outfits AND analyze the data on what I actually wear and how versatile my existing pieces really are.
Will you join?
This challenge feels like a natural next step in my conscious fashion journey. After focusing on conscious consumption, it’s time to master mindful styling and wardrobe utilization. I’m excited to push my creativity and see how my relationship with my wardrobe will transform over the next 75 days.
Over the next 75 days, I’ll be documenting my outfits and insights, proving that the best “new” outfit might already be in your closet. I hope you’ll pick up the challenge and join me on this 75-day journey of shopping our own closets! Let me know why you’re trying the challenge in the comments below.
I had never heard of this style challenge before, but I love it!! I’ve committed to only buying clothes that I am literally have me over-the-moon excited to wear in 2025 – I have enough basics! I love the idea of dressing with intention, and adding the documentation piece makes this all feel more cohesive and organized. Looking forward to seeing all the amazing outfits you put together, Sam!