Leandra Medine's Blog, page 610

Oh Boy Episode 3: Amy Odell

Meet Amy Odell, the editor at Cosmopolitan.com, who formerly helped launch New York Magazine’s The Cut and the author of Tales from the Back Row, a new book about life behind-the-scenes as a journalist in the fashion industry.

Jay sat down with Amy for our most recent episode of Man Repeller’s podcast series Oh Boy to peek behind the curtain and learn more about Amy’s trajectory. Check out the conversation (or download on iTunes! And Subscribe! And rate us! Because we’re on iTunes now! Wheeeeee!) for the details of an interview she details with Anna Wintour when she ran for a position at Vogue, the stuff she loved doing as a kid (studying), how she got started in fashion, why Kylie Jenner’s Snapchat restores her faith in humanity and the changes she’s making at Cosmo along with the kind of career advice that actually helps.

So, plug in your head phones, and enjoy the balmy walk home from work with us! Your pals at Man Repeller.

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Man Repeller Podcast Oh Boy: Amy Odell

Meet Amy Odell, the editor at Cosmopolitan.com, who formerly helped launch New York Magazine’s The Cut and the author of Tales from the Back Row, a new book about life behind-the-scenes as a journalist in the fashion industry.

Jay sat down with Amy for our most recent episode of Man Repeller’s podcast series Oh Boy to peek behind the curtain and learn more about Amy’s trajectory. Check out the conversation (or download on iTunes! And Subscribe! And rate us! Because we’re on iTunes now! Wheeeeee!) for the details of an interview she details with Anna Wintour when she ran for a position at Vogue, the stuff she loved doing as a kid (studying), how she got started in fashion, why Kylie Jenner’s Snapchat restores her faith in humanity and the changes she’s making at Cosmo along with the kind of career advice that actually helps.

So, plug in your head phones, and enjoy the balmy walk home from work with us! Your pals at Man Repeller.

The post Man Repeller Podcast Oh Boy: Amy Odell appeared first on Man Repeller.

Why Is It Called a Peter Pan Collar?

I had an epiphany the last time I was wearing this shirt:

I had to explain the shirt to a heterosexual male who I know only peripherally but who has also revealed himself to maintain an idea of fashion that seems as accurate an opinion on the craft as say, mine on neoclassical art. This is to say: laughably minimal and possibly too literal. (When asked what he thought of high fashion, he countered this question with another: you mean the big shoes girls wear?)

“Cool flopping collar,” he remarked, to which I said, “Thanks, it’s called a Peter Pan collar.”

“Why?” he inquired, endearingly curious.

And though I had never thought, let alone articulated it before, here’s where the epiphany rolled off my tongue.

“Well, they’re shirts designed for women who never want to grow up.”

We’ve all heard of Peter Pan syndrome, yes? That thing where you refuse to acknowledge that you’re growing up? It can be applied to manifold arenas that include dating and friendship and one’s obsession with him/herself. But never had I applied it to fashion, which is when I got to thinking about the true genesis of the term (given the fact that the animated Peter Pan, with whom Disney has acclimated all our primordial senses, wears one that is violently pointy as opposed to softly curved, like a wide U). As history would have it, 1905’s Peter Pan, Maude Adams, (who succeeded 1904’s and the original book’s) is who wore and subsequently popularized the flat collar. It was the English and American folk who co-opted the designed-for-Adams silhouette and turned it into an unwitting expression of reluctance-to-age.

The way I see it now, though, there is also a divine feminist statement at play here. If you want to talk about She Who Leans In, Maude Adams, who at her volition assumed her mother’s — not father’s — last name, is one of the earliest recorded girl bosses, having gone down in history as one of the highest paid actors of her day.

So the next time you consider putting one on, ask yourself: Why am I “considering” anything? Then lean da fuq into that shirt like you are 30 going on 12 and you’ve already secured eight figures in VC-funding to help actualize your billion dollar idea.

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Cheers!

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The Last Hurrah

I am sorry we keep bringing this up but you have to admit the end of summer was jarring this season. That shit slipped in late, like no one had been expecting it following the fiercely dramatic tundra that was 2015, quarters one and two, and then disappeared while we were still on a quest to try every good ice cream cone from all five boroughs. It just ain’t fair, but it’s like my dad used to say when I’d complain that I don’t get to live in the White House: life isn’t fair.

So here we are, addressing the last hurrah, dressing for the last hurrah and compacting it for you in a slideshow we shall henceforth call 16 outfit ideas to take you through the next four weeks of warm weather sprinkled over the expulsion of summer Fridays. The good news is, you’ll look really cool. The bad news is, surprise! There is no bad news, you’re kicking anxiety to the curb this September, remember? Click through the slideshow, listen to last week’s playlist and read our weird captions. They are pretty much love letters to you under the guise of outfit explanations.

Also, here’s a music video to describe our current emotional state.

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Small Talk to Big-Talk During NYFW and Beyond

There is nothing worse aside from crabs and the end of summer — arguably, of course — than small talk. Small talk is with good intent; to not engage your water-cooler companion is awkward and rude. We are given the gift of human gab for the sake of etiquette, after all, not mere communication.

But during the back-to-school season that follows three months of a largely socially-sequestered summer, the inevitable questions that come with polite intent are not just tedious to answer, they are impossible to ask. There are only so many times you can explain that yes, you’re still not dating anyone special and yes again, Labor Day Weekend was great. (I know, I can’t believe how quickly it went by either!)

During fashion week this is even harder. It’s something about the distracting clothes and thumping music and sentiment of disbelief that you’re lathering on hand sanitiser as opposed to suntan lotion.

So naturally, we made you a guide. We made it for ourselves, really. Use it wisely.

Questions to ask/things to remark that incite a response you can ignore:

Have you been following the #junkoff hashtag on Twitter? If so, which one is your favorite?

Dicks. That question is about animal dicks. Get involved.

Why doesn’t anyone actually run on the runway?

How the hell is a pilot supposed to land a plane on this thing?

For a catwalk, there is a dramatically disappointing lack of cats.

Uh, who invited the models, am I right?

How many of those photographers in the pit do you think are actually just really obsessed helicopter parents taking photos of their model-daughters for the family Christmas card?

Hey look over there! *run away*

How to respond to:

How was your summer?  

“It was fantastic, thank you. I stalked various migratory patterns of birds, won a hot dog eating contest and fainted at least once.”

By the time your interviewer finishes processing your answer the show will have begun.

What’s new? 

“What is new, you know?”

It’s so existential that it will send your interviewer into a head-tilting tail spin of an inner monologue, causing them to question all that he or she ever knew.

Are you seeing anyone?

“I am seeing you right now!”

It is true, literally, and also, confusing.

So, how’s work?

“Have you scheduled your annual colonoscopy?”

Health is never not a concern. You are being thoughtful. Shh, little bear. There, there.

Are you guys totally crazy?

“Totally. Today we sacrificed the youngest in the office, drank her blood and then went to Soul Cycle.”

I mean, they asked.

Are you going to Givenchy?

Givenchy and I are in a fight.

It implies that you were invited, but that you’re so inside you’re able to be back on the outside, you know? Reverse-metacism. It never doesn’t not not work.

And when in doubt: carry glitter in your pocket. Grab a handful and blow it whenever you’re tired of talking. Works every time, everyone loves sparkle, and everyone wins. You’re a pro.

Photographed by Krista Anna Lewis

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How to Cope With the End of Summer

Welcome to anti-anxiety month on Man Repeller. September is a weird 30-day stretch. Yes, sure, the end of summer stings worse than any sunburn that’s crisped your nips, but that is primarily because all the anxiety you feel comfortable relegating to the backburner during the blur that is June through August bubbles back up to the surface faster that you can ask these existential questions: What is sand? What is ocean? You begin back-stalking your own Instagram in an effort marked by vanity to recreate the past. But like going through pictures of you and your ex boy band after a breakup, this only makes matters worse.

And frankly speaking, you don’t have to suffer. You will get through this time period. For proof, look no further than the following reasonings: 1) You have done it for as many years as you’ve been alive and you’re always eventually fine. 2) We will do it together. 3) The below guide will serve as a starting point that unites us like additional members of the Wu-Tang Clan. And finally, anxiety — or the absence of it — is nothing more, nothing less than a state of mind of which you maintain complete and utter control. So kick that a-hole to the curb and consider the following, would you?

1. Keep wearing your swimsuits as bodysuits, bras, sheer-skirt underpinnings, etc.

2. Wear goggles as sunglasses.

3. Keep your sandals on your feet until your toenails are literally so cold they start to chip away at themselves.

4. Then at that point, extend again by adding socks. Bonus: sandals are on sale. Added bonus: socks tend to be cheap.

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5. Do not — and this one is important — do not stop drinking rosé wine.

6. Do also consider the importance of maintaining an appetite for Mexican food (fish tacos!) and frozen margaritas. Drink enough and you’ll practically forget you’re not sitting on a deck overlooking the ocean in a calm, serene state.

7. Remember that people go running naked in San Francisco, so you can do that too.

8. But don’t forget — for a single moment — that fall dressing absolutely RULES. Think about the sweater possibilities! The layers! The outfits that don’t require big ass coats to destroy the creative vision!

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9. Plan activities for as many weekends as possible into October so that you continually have things to look forward to, which staves off that feeling of Nothing Fun Will Ever Happen Again.

10. Don’t even ask your friends about the above. Just make plans, grab strangers to join.

11. Ask Stacy London to join.

12. Say cowabunga, like, 2x daily.

13. Pretend Labor Day is the New New New Year (sorry Memorial Day)

14. Guys, blazers!!!!!!!!

15. Do not stop drinking iced coffee. Do not stop for as long as your teeth and hands can handle, and they can definitely handle through November, at least.

16. That said, begin celebrating the return of Pumpkin Spiced Season.*

*Addendum: Petition for National Pumpkin Spiced Season to be added to the official calendar of Random Ass Holidays

17. DIY your own beach and invite people over to your private island.

18. Remember that beach bags are excellent for carrying fall produce.

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19. Go to Ikea for back to school shopping, then annoy your friend Donna, like this guy.

20. Or, pull a Justin Bieber and let it out. Crying is cathartic, and the salty tears will make you feel like you’re near the ocean. Or like you are an ocean.

Until next year, sweet summer. Next up? Fashion week!

The post How to Cope With the End of Summer appeared first on Man Repeller.

NY Closets: Danielle Snyder of Dannijo

Jewelry designer Danielle Snyder of Dannijo knows — perhaps more than anyone — that for true accessory fiends, your outfit is only as good as your embellishments. It’s a choker, for example, that adds the “e,” “d,” and “up” to a tie-dye slip dress, thus making you feel dressed up. It’s a white beaded bib that makes a vintage top look fresh, an oversized cuff that makes a Victorian blouse appear laid-back, and a turquoise car — though earrings work too — that makes the end of Sunday feel a little more bright.

Consider this NY Closet your best Labor Day Weekend accessory; may your accompanying outfit consist of a swimsuit, sunscreen, and good music. See you Tuesday.

Sunday:

Sunday funday in the Hamptons. I spotted my dream wheels on my way back to the city and couldn’t resist a quick drive-by. Vintage + turquoise are two of my favorite combinations for cars and jewelry.

Club Monaco tank, Minkpink jean denim shorts, DANNIJO “Doma” cuff, Persol sunglasses, K. Jacques sandals

Monday:

My Monday-Meetings-Turn-into-Monday-Happy-Hour ensemble. Love me some .

Vintage victorian top (Lofty Vintage), vintage Missoni (I Miss You Vintage in Toronto), , cuffs & shoes, Miu Miu shades, vintage Gucci suede and leather clutch (Fans and Stoves in Jacksonville).

Tuesday:

Headed to a work event followed by a group dinner at Jack’s Wife Freda on Carmine with friends visiting from London. I love Victorian dresses because they’re multipurpose and you can dress them up or down easily with accessories.

Victorian cotton dress (Manhattan Vintage Show), DANNIJO jewelry, purse and heels.

Wednesday:

On my way to see a friend’s movie premiere at the Crosby Hotel. It’s fun to get swanky for the movie theater because you get to sit down THE ENTIRE TIME.

YSL platforms, vintage tie-dye silk slip dress and DANNIJO jewelry.

Thursday:

Thursday breakfast meeting in Los Angeles followed by some lunch and shopping in Venice Beach with a friend.

Self Portrait skirt (or this ), vintage (Manhattan Vintage Show), Current Elliott denim jacket, and jewelry.

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Millennial Explodes: Doctors Site Stress As Cause, Claim Global Epidemic

TORONTO – A female millennial pronounced herself “literally dead” after exploding all over the streets of downtown Toronto early Wednesday morning, though the city’s chief medical examiner confirms she’s alive and well despite hyperbolic, incorrect use of the word “literally.” Her name is not to be disclosed at the family’s request.

The outburst was caused by what doctors are referring to as “Millennialstressius” after waiting in line 2 months early for the Balmain x H&M collab launch. The family could not be reached for comment but those close to the victim claim her stress at the time was surging to levels “higher than an Uber rate in a snow storm.” The Ministry of Chillllll, responsible for studies such as “When Starbucks Runs Out of Soy” and “#JustGetMetoEleven: Does it Really Matter How Many Likes You Have on Instagram?,” have since issued a statement encouraging those experiencing similar levels to seek immediate medical attention.

A less extreme case occurred in Paris earlier this year when a twenty-two-year-old fainted after discovering her birthday cupcakes were, in fact, not gluten free.

In June, the US government confirmed that up to eighty millennials still suffer post-traumatic side effects from the Hamptons Rosé Drought of Summer 2014. Montauk: End of the world, indeed. With incidents such as this rampant throughout regions of North America and Europe, many have reason to believe that a serious epidemic is upon us.

In light of recent events, the It’s-Going-To-Be-Fine Network and MASM (or Mothers Against Stressed Millennials) have issued a preview of the highly anticipated Millennial Stress-Induced Attack Prevention Plan in effort to put an end to this dangerous phenomenon. “These scenarios are designed to help high-risk candidates relax or ‘turn down,’ as the kids say,” they announced Thursday.

Suggested tactics include the following:

Should the store run out of kale/almond butter/Greek yogurt, persuade any millennial experiencing such injustice to diversify. Try arugula, peanut butter or regular yogurt! Note: beginning sentences with “back in my day” will make matters worse.

Frame technological mishaps as opportunities: when his/her battery has died and Instagram cannot be scrolled through at dinner, showcase how face-to-face conversation can be equally as interesting, if not engaging and fun.

Encourage those plagued with the existential crisis “I-Don’t-Know-What-I’m-Doing-With-My-Life” to fear not. Remind them that we’ve all spent prolonged periods of time naked under the covers watching Netflix. Stimulate the victim’s imagination with the question, “What do you gravitate toward?”

With the epidemic showing no signs of stopping, many await with bated breath the launch of the full action plan set to come later this year. In the meantime, doctors advise stressed millennials to avoid waiting prematurely in brand collaboration lines, to “embrace the adventure” and “know that you’re doing just fine.”

Gisele Bundchen Photographed by Liz Collins for Dazed & Confused 1999.

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Good Real Style Meets Real Good Jams

My excitement for the new season is bursting forth and the rest of team Man Repeller wants to stab me for wishing summer away, which is why I’ve chosen a haiku to express enthusiasm I am otherwise forced to repress. I shall call it:

A Haiku for Autumn.

I’m done sweating, now.

All of the plants are dying.

Leather get at me.

Motherfucker.*

Now grab your cold brew, pop on this pre- Fall playlist, do one of three dance moves then retire to your windy chair and look through these photos. Embrace the people wearing great, real clothes while they enjoy the dog days of summer.

And tell us if you’re yearning for more heat or !!!polishing your leather!!! as you type.

*Hi, it’s Leandra. I added the curse. Sorry.

Photographed by Krista Anna Lewis

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Happy B’Day, Beyoncé

Happy Birthbey, Beyoncé!

Remember that time you named an entire album after the celebration of your birth? I believe you called it B’Day. It’s a little less subtle than Taylor Swift naming an album after her birth year, but way more of a play on words, which we appreciate.

(Remember the time you got super deep and named an album 4? Power move.)

Even though you’re on the cover of Vogue, are considered global royalty and manage to look pretty with wet hair when said style makes most of us look like we’re late to work, you can still make a hit song about a slushie-famous corner store and film its video with a selfie-stick. That’s very man of the people of you.

I mean woman of the people, even though you too have asked yourself, “What if I was a boy?” You are very modern in that way.

You’re fearless: you’ve been dangerously in love (that’s an extreme sport!), and you’ve done repetitious squats in ten inch heels on a stage before billions (bedazzled CrossFit on crack). And yes, you’re flawless: both in the media-controlled sense, but also because your definition of flawless extends past the unrealistic constraints of societal perfection and oozes confidence into our brains with the message that we are all flawless, flaws and all.

Because girls run the world, right?

Thanks for refusing to wear pants with the rest of us, for dancing with the best of us, for demanding that we settle for nothing less than yes and for reminding us that we all have a freakum dress.

Even if it’s a suit.

Thank you for reiterating that whether we’re single ladies dating me, myself and I, or have a plus + 1 (which equals a really high-pitched two), we’re irreplaceable — and anyone who makes us feel otherwise can kindly see their way out and to the left. Thanks for being our halo, a friend of the ellipsis and a champion of self-love.

Thanks for beying you. Beycause you’ve become a part of us.

HBD, Queen Bee!

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