Leandra Medine
, the woman behind
[ manrepeller.comOpens in new window ]
and owner of many dungarees, has a handy, dandy definition for those who are a little sartorially confused: she is a woman “who outfits herself in a sartorially offensive mode that may result in repelling members of the opposite sex. Such garments include but are not limited to harem pants, boyfriend jeans, overalls, shoulder pads, full-length jumpsuits, jewellery that resembles violent weaponry and clogs.”
Her blog has gained plenty of traction in recent years, gaining a worldwide following, spawning a book, Man Repeller : Seeking Love . Finding Overalls – and a slew of corporate deals for Medine, who was last seen reporting trends for fashion brand Ferragamo at Milan Fashion Week.
On first glance, the website is a little like spending some much-needed time with that friend of yours who never pauses to take a breath, is constantly getting into sitcom-worthy scrapes and knows about all the good sample sales. It’s sharp, funny, ridiculously stylish and stylishly ridiculous.
The Man Repeller represents all the great things about the possibilities of women’s clothes: she is stylish but not
self-conscious, indulgent but not frivolous, creative but not contrived.
The Man Repeller doesn’t really dress to disgust men; rather, she just doesn’t dress to attract them. She is not interested in the approval of the XY chromosome, rather her sisters are her style barometer. It’s far better to impress a good friend with a statement necklace than to try to snag a man with a low neckline – plus, you’ll catch your death in that thing anyway.
