Joe Schildhorn/Billy Farrell AgencyLeandra Medine, better known as the famous fashion blogger The Man Repeller, has become a household name in a short amount of time thanks to her endearingly quirky sense of style that she once lamented was the cause for her failed relationships.
With countless brand collaborations and a brand new book entitled Man Repeller: Seeing Love and Finding Overalls, which she celebrated with a posh book party at Barneys New York this week, it's safe to say the style maven is totally on top of her game.
We caught up with Medine at a recent event to launch her capsule collection of chic sneakers with Superga to find out more about her must-haves.
Here's what she shared:
How did the collaboration with Superga come about?
It was actually pretty seamless: somebody from the Superga team reached out to me about a year and a half ago to sort of just thank me for the unsolicited support that I'd been offering, and I wrote back and said, 'I'm such a big fan, I'd really love to work with you guys if you're up for it.' And they said, 'Yeah, sure,' so we made a meeting, I told them my ideas and it happened.
Are you happy with the collection?
Yes, I'm really pleased. I'm upset that these shoes I'm wearing didn't make it. Nobody bought them. At least they're one of a kind and they belong to me, right?
Exactly! What do you look for in a good shoe?
It really depends on the kind of shoe.
Do you have sneakers for fall that you're dying to buy?
I try not to market anything I'm getting as 'dying to buy, 'need to buy,' or 'fall must-have' because I feel like that sort of insinuates that in order for it to properly become a season you need something new to mark that. I don't want my readers or anyone to think that just because you don't have something new it's not like the beginning of a new season. I'm really into black-and-white loafers right now. Saint Laurent did a couple good ones, but I can't find them. I saw them in an editorial once.
What are you looking forward to wearing this fall?
You're going to be disappointed with my answer because I'm going to say a lot of ripped denim. A lot of denim.
Do you have a staple beauty products?
I don't really wear very much makeup. I really like Giorgio Armani's red lipstick, it's called a Lip Maestro. But other than that not really. I use Bumble & Bumble shampoo but that's about it.
Do you have any favorite restaurants or hotspots in New York?
I really like Jack's Wife Freda in SoHo. It's Mediterranean. They have a really good kale Greek salad.
Any apps that you can't live without?
Not really. I mean, I love Instagram but I don't want to say that I can't live without it because I can.
What's on your iPod right now?
A lot of Daft Punk.
How do you like L.A.?
It's different from New York, I don't mind the diversity at all.
Driving or taking the subway?
I prefer the subway because it's more efficient.
What's your favorite city in the world?
I really like Southampton.
Do you have any fitness or diet secrets?
Not really. I walk about four miles a week just for health reasons. Every other week I go on a three-day raw food cleanse. But other than that I just try to stay generally healthy.
Do you have any rules for dressing for fashion week?
I don't really have dressing for fashion week rules. My only rule is that if you feel that photographers are going to swarm around you, change!