Our Favorite Things: Man Repeller, the book

Leandra Medine wears her retainer to bed. This is just one of the many qualities that have earned her the (self-ascribed) moniker Man Repeller, defined on her website of the same name as “outfitting oneself in a sartorially offensive mode that may result in repelling members of the opposite sex.” What we love most about Leandra, who writes about learning to love fashion—both the hits and the misses: She gives her readers permission to dress for themselves, and not for the boys, something we here at Covet + Lou put into practice quite regularly, and proudly. In Leandra’s new, wildly funny memoir, Man Repeller: Seeking Love, Finding Overalls, she chronicles some of the most mortifying moments, and outfits, of her life, and in so many ways we can relate. Though we have not had the experience of getting kicked out of prep school for wearing a crop top—“You must stop baring your midriff,” scolded her headmistress. “This is not a circus”—we have been accused of wearing jewelry that “resembles violent weaponry.” Like Leandra, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Man Repeller: Seeking Love, Finding Overalls is on sale now.