Before Leandra Medine became synonymous with Man Repeller, the brand she launched as a wee blog back in 2012, she thought she might work for a magazine. But not the kind you might think.
"When I was graduating from school I was really hell-bent on working for the New Yorker or New York magazine because I didn't want to feed into the story that my clothing was invariably going to tell about me. I didn't want to be at a bar in trendy jeans and have a guy come over to me and be like, 'What do you do, market at Vogue?'"
Our clothes send a message, and women are judged by what they wear more harshly than men—that's the cold, hard truth. So it's hard not to scrutinize and agonize over what to put on each day before you go out to face the world. But hopefully, happily, you arrive at a point in your life, when, like Medine, you just stop worrying so much. "I just ask myself if I feel good. It's as simple as that," she says of getting dressed. "You put something on, and it has this strange transformative quality to make you feel like a better or worse version of yourself."
And in that vein—that fashion can and should make you feel like the best version of yourself—Medine has released a line of shoes under the MR by Man Repeller label, sold exclusively at Net-a-Porter. Medine has partnered with brands in the past on fashion collaborations, but this marks the first time she's launched a collection under her name only.
There are five styles—a platform sandal, a flat mule that laces up the ankle, an over-the-knee boot, a Western-inspired block heel boot, and a loafer—all of which come in vivid metallic colors or velvet or are covered in studs. They have cheeky names like Lol if You Think I'm Walking metallic leather platform sandals.
"All of the shoes embody my style in a way that is very honest," Medine says. "And yeah, I made shoes for myself, but you're not supposed to put them on and feel like me, you're supposed to put them on and feel like you."
Shop the full collection on Net-a-Porter.
