No money for new clothes? Try the 75 Hard Style Challenge
With a full festival agenda ahead and Massimo Dutti dropping a collection that makes my heart race, my wallet is a bit less happy with me. A budget for a completely renovated summer wardrobe is almost non-existent, so I will mainly have to make do with what is still in my closet. Not that there is anything wrong with that, by the way; on the contrary: it has even become a trend. On TikTok, the 75 Hard Style Challenge is the new way to save money by, hold on, wearing clothes from last season.
I know, I know: the challenge looks remarkably similar to the original 75 Hard Challenge that is flooding TikTok, but don't worry: with this challenge, you don't have to work out twice a day, because I would drop out after day two. However, just like with the original challenge, there are a few rules that you must and will follow according to Mandy Lee, the TikToker who came up with the idea. First up, you are expected to dress yourself in a thoughtful outfit for 75 consecutive days. That means even on your lazy Sunday, you should pull a good outfit from your closet and not stay in your loungewear on the couch. Honestly, it's even harder than I thought.
Another must is that you do a quick fit check in the mirror for each outfit and save it in a folder on your phone. Repeating outfits is fortunately allowed, as this helps you discover which style you lean towards the most.
Make space
Furthermore, you will completely reorganize your wardrobe, and here Vinted is of course your best friend. It might cost you some blood, sweat, and a whole lot of frustration, but this way you will free up some extra space for after the challenge. It is strictly forbidden to open your wallet during those 75 days. Not online, not in stores, not second-hand: nothing. For many, this will likely be the biggest challenge, as you will quickly notice how easily you are triggered to open the Klarna app.
What you also want to avoid during the challenge is using social media for inspiration. Although Pinterest and Instagram are our go-to apps for stealing outfits from others, they often only lead to disappointment. That outfit in the photo can turn out to be quite disappointing in real life. Moreover, the whole point of the challenge is to find your own personal style, and you don't do that by copying someone else's outfits.
It should be doable, right? If you manage to follow all the rules for two and a half months, you will not only save hundreds of euros, but you will also look at your own items in a completely different way. You essentially create a sort of dataset of timeless outfits. You will be much less susceptible to fast fashion, and this way you will truly notice which items are missing from your wardrobe. Suppose you have wanted to create an outfit multiple times, but each time you were missing a white basic sneaker, well then you know that this will be a good investment that you won't tire of after wearing it twice.
