Man Repelling with Leandra Medine

I have to admit, I was ignorant with this 'man-repelling' trend until my friend Alice mentioned how she excited she was when Leandra Medine's manuscript landed on her desk.
It's not often that you find a book on fashion that brews humour, sarcasm and style all in one (and spectacularly well).

So yes, that was how I discovered The Man Repeller.

To begin, I LOVE her ethos on fashion. A gloriously postfeminist perspective, Leandra believes in serious fashion that is strictly for women. Fashion is not a mini-skirt at a house party, it's not about wearing low-cut shirts in the daylight, it is definitely NOT a tight bandage mummy-dress (or anything remotely bandage looking for that matter).

Fashion and style according Leandra is measured by the amount of man-repelling it induces.

Oh, sorry, did my studded leather jacket just poke you in the eye when you tried to kiss me? 
My bad, it's just fashion.

"Good fashion is about pleasing women, not men, so as it happens, the trends that we love, men hate. And that is fantastic," explained Leandra in the Daily Mail.

This is a hilarious concept that has lived unknown for too long. Now we can draw a line between what is fashion and what is not. So what if it's ridiculously impractical (and going to the bathroom takes forever)? So what if I take up 2 seats on the train because of the amount of tulle in my underskirt?
There's definitely a time for un-fashionable dressing (I mean, do you expect me to sit through the entire Pride and Prejudice BBC series in a Balmain leather jacket and hotpants?), and that time is when the context of the situation requires practicality.

Louboutins: appropriate for drinks after work, NOT appropriate for a trip to Kmart.

As simple as that, fashion is when fashion is wanted - it's when the cat claws come out (metaphorically) at fashion events...or weddings.

But don't try too hard. Don't be the elephant in the room with your fashion facade.

Time to return to Leandra: she graduated from a Journalism degree in 2011 and is now happily married to Abie Cohen.

Going back to the beginning of this post, I mentioned a manuscript of Leandra's up-and-coming book.
Well, that book happens to be a collection of short essays. Seeking Love, Finding Overalls (to be released later this year) consists of chapters named Shearling Boots, Draped Ponchos, Shoulder Pads, Turbans and Jumpsuit.

This is amazingness inked on paper, life lessons on how she sends men running in the opposite direction.

I. Can. Not. Wait.

Images: The Man Repeller and Google Image (not sure if the second one's a legit reference or not...just being honest)