The 75 Hard Style Challenge May Be the Key to Unlocking Your Personal Style

The start of every new year brings with it a wave of New Year’s resolutions and TikTok “challenges” designed to help people achieve their goals (or so they say). I, for one, made numerous resolutions to shop less and make better use of my existing wardrobe—and then swiftly ignored them for the entire month of January and well into February. But while scrolling through Instagram earlier this winter, I was suddenly stopped in my tracks by one of my new favorite follows, Maxine Wylde (@_mmaxinewylde), and a video she posted touting that she was on Day 7 of the “75 Hard Style Challenge.”And wouldn’t you know it, it was the exact thing I needed to re-invigorate my commitment to my own fashion resolutions.

What Is the 75 Hard Style Challenge?

Inspired by the 75 Hard Challenge—an intense health and wellness regimen with a set of rules followers must stick to for 75 days straight—the style variation, created by stylist Mandy Lee (aka @oldloserinbrooklyn) is similarly a 75 day-long challenge with a strict set of rules. The only difference is that these rules have nothing to do with exercise and everything to do with making the most of your existing wardrobe.

What Are the Rules of the 75 Hard Style Challenge?

There are three rules one must follow to participate in the 75 Hard Style Challenge:

1. Get dressed every day for 75 days in a row.
2. Document your daily outfits (either on social media or in a folder on your phone just for you).
3. Do not buy anything new.

It could be said that there are two additional rules—get creative with your outfits to try to repeat as infrequently as possible and use this practice to clean out/organize your closet—but I think these are much better thought of as added benefits of the challenge.

What Is the Goal of the 75 Hard Style Challenge?

The intention behind the 75 Hard Style Challenge is to learn what it is you actually wear on the regular so you can get the most use out of the clothes you own and become a savvier shopper when it does come time to purchase something new. But followers of the challenge have also posted about other benefits like discovering gaps in their wardrobes, fueling their creativity and saving money (remember that ‘buy nothing new’ rule?). Best of all, many have said the 75 Hard Style Challenge is helping them get in touch with their personal style and rediscover what is it they love about fashion in the first place.

Unlike the 75 Hard Challenge, which puts a big emphasis on strictly sticking to the rules and suggests starting over if you fall off the pace, the 75 Hard Style Challenge is significantly more lenient. Multiple people I’ve seen posting #75hardstylechallenge videos admit there have been times when they’ve hung out in their PJs all day or didn’t put a ton of effort or creativity into putting together a new ensemble. The point is to have fun and get in touch with yourself and your closet, not to adhere to a rigid daily schedule.

Personally, I’ve been having an absolute blast with my own 75 Hard Style Challenge adventure (I’m currently 17 days in). As a fashion editor, I am constantly combing through ecommerce sites, attending previews to see the latest collections from brands and being surrounded by the most stylish people you can imagine. Such a lifestyle has not been great for my wallet, but more than that, it’s left me with an overstuffed wardrobe that I definitely don’t utilize to its full potential. But in doing this challenge, I’ve been newly inspired to really work at those New Year’s resolutions.