If you’re residing on the same parts of the internet as I am, you’ve most likely seen plenty of people participating in writer & analyst Mandy Lee’s 75 Hard Style Challenge. I came across it sometime during the first week of January, and couldn’t bring myself to participate without having had enough time to plan and strategize beforehand. I love the concept and the parameters of the challenge, but I just wasn’t ready to dive in. I definitely struggle with spontaneity - that’s a topic for another letter entirely. One of the elements of the challenge that intrigued me most was the concept of a 75-day no buy. That means no fashion-related purchases at all during that time, including secondhand items. I’m not quite ready for 75 days, but I think I can handle the shortest calendar month of the year. So far, so good.
a bit late but I'm doing the 75 Hard Style challenge too - I posted quite a few of the outfits to my substack but missed about a week in the middle because I was too sick to stand for an outfit selfie in that time.
It's definitely useful and seeing how often I repeat things and combine them feels like fashion Tetris BUT the process of photographing it feels like a chore and homework , and is the part I struggle with most even as I understand its utility, the requirement to 'show myself' almost feels like a weigh-in. I think I'm going to switch the daily outfit tracking to just writing down what I wear in my diary, observe the patterns from there, and photograph/post only when I feel like it.
On the other hand, the no-buy is much easier - I've been tempted on ebay by a pair of electric blue suede pumps but some other buyer did me a favour and bought the shoes instead.
I was definitely deterred by the documentation as well! I'll admit I often spend the whole day working from home in pajamas, or pajama-adjacent outfits, and I don't feel like it's detrimental to my style as a whole.
Dying to know what dress you bought for the friends wedding!
a bit late but I'm doing the 75 Hard Style challenge too - I posted quite a few of the outfits to my substack but missed about a week in the middle because I was too sick to stand for an outfit selfie in that time.
It's definitely useful and seeing how often I repeat things and combine them feels like fashion Tetris BUT the process of photographing it feels like a chore and homework , and is the part I struggle with most even as I understand its utility, the requirement to 'show myself' almost feels like a weigh-in. I think I'm going to switch the daily outfit tracking to just writing down what I wear in my diary, observe the patterns from there, and photograph/post only when I feel like it.
On the other hand, the no-buy is much easier - I've been tempted on ebay by a pair of electric blue suede pumps but some other buyer did me a favour and bought the shoes instead.
I was definitely deterred by the documentation as well! I'll admit I often spend the whole day working from home in pajamas, or pajama-adjacent outfits, and I don't feel like it's detrimental to my style as a whole.
Your candor and thoughtfulness is always so appreciated ❤️❤️ Loving this newsletter!!
Thank you!! 💌