Sunday 7 Man Repeller

What warm, gorgeous sunny spring weather we’ve had over the past few days? Lovely!

Today has been scorchio!

As was yesterday… my 12th Wedding Anniversary. Whoop!

It wasn’t an out of the ordinary day for us, it was a regular Saturday spent with our two fractious and tired boys.

We just did what every one else in the country was doing – got out there & enjoyed that sunshine.

We did however have a sitter booked for the evening for a meal out a much needed evening of grown-up ‘us’ time.

And it was this evening out, combined with the sun being high in the sky which melted my brain: I could not find a single thing to wear last night which I was happy with.

I *may* have said these very words, in despair a few times.

With the sun streaming into my bedroom, everything I tried on, felt too wintery or drab… even though I *knew* that by the time we made it out at 7.30pm, and drove to the rural country pub, the sun would have set and there would be a chill in the air.

Yet… I created the biggest mountain floordrobe of discarded clothes having tried everything from little summer dresses to all black outfits with ankle boot.

At a loss as what to wear, I opted for my rather man repelling wide leg crops.

And thus, today’s Sunday 7 “theme” was born.

For those who are uninitiated with the term ‘man-repeller’ I think it’s self explanatory, but just in case

“outfitting oneself in a sartorially offensive way that will result in repelling the opposite sex”

Or, just dressing for yourself, in clothes which you happen to think are cool and stylish and not giving a tiny rats arse about what anyone else thinks.

Including your fella (regardless that it’s your wedding anniversary meal out!)

So here’s a list of 7 of my best man-repelling items…

(Expect a fair few wide leg crops!)

7. Mango: Striped Cotton Trousers (£49.99)

I have no other words, just love, love, LOVE for these monochrome-tactic striped crops.

They’ve only made it in at number 7 because the smallest size the crops come in are a small, which I’m pretty certain is akin to an 8 and so too big for me (boohoo!)

I know that any shorties amongst us would have to take these up, but I really feel it would be worth the pain.

And sticking with stripes…

6. Next: Girls Striped Cropped Leg Dungarees

No, your eyes are not deceiving you.

These are girls dungarees….

But bear with me… these have been included for the shorties amongst us…

These striped, cropped, dungarees (3 man repelling features!) are from Next’s older girls range.

As a size 6, I usually take kids age 11-12 clothes.

Tragic, but true.

So I figure, as these come in ages right up to 16, I reckon they’d work for anyone who is 5’4″ and under and up to a size 10.

Sorry if that seems too “exclusive” but the vast majority of the things I want, in the vast majority of shops exclude me and my size, so I’m putting these in for me!

I have ordered these in age 11, 12 and 13… as I wasn’t sure which would be best, but I’ll keep you posted.

Sometimes, when you’re a titch like me, these things can work out brilliantly, other times, you find yourself twinning with every young girl in town.

Which, as you can imagine, doesn’t feel good when you’re pushing 46, but, at that price… it’s worth a shot.

Moving away from the vertical stripes…

5. Mango: Soft Leather Ballerina Flats (£59.99)

There’s something quite man-repellent about these flats which are cut quite high over the foot, something I like because I have an aversion to toe-cleavage (!)

Oh and they’re flat. Something which (apparently) repels the opposite sex.

My procrastination about whether to order these or not has cost me.

The fawn-mushroomy-beige coloured ones I was lusting after have sold out; although they are probably still available in store, I just don’t have a Mango anywhere near where I live and I’m not going to spend £25 odd on rail fare on the off chance that I *might* find a pair.

Shame… but not for long.

I had hoped to pick up some white loafers and then have these ballerina’s in the beige.

Instead, I’ve ordered these in white (with 10% off by signing up to Mango emails) thus eliminating the need for two pairs of shoes and saving myself money.

Ha! #winning!

4. Hush: Dungarees (£95)

Forget man-repelling, dungarees seem to be a marmite kind of thing amongst women with some firmly believing that they should be the reserve of young kids.

As I’ve included them in my list, you’ve probably guessed that I’m firmly in the “love ’em” camp.

In fact, I’m wearing my wide-leg, cropped Donna Ida Romana Dungers as I type!

Love that they are so practical, comfortable and easy to wear.

They are of course a pain the preverbal when going to the loo, but it’s a small price to pay in my opinion.

There are plenty of cheaper dungarees out there if these Hush ones aren’t floating your boat… but I really like the shape of this pair.

3. Cos: Pink Tuck Top (£69)

Now arguably, I could have kept things really simple this week and simply put a link in for the Cos website at the beginning of this blog post and left it at that.

Cos is after all, brimming full of shapeless, unusually structured man-repelling clothing.

But that would have been cheating, right?

Any of the tops from the Cos website could have made it on to this list to highlight my point, but I’ve opted for this simple white top with sightly ballooned sleeves.

I happen to think it’s really pretty.

Probably better tucked in though.

Sadly, I think my matchstick arms and frame would look dire in this top, but I do adore the look of it.

2. Cos: Dress with Elasticated Sleeves (£59)

Again, I’ve opted for a rather tame, inoffensive man-repelling dress from Cos who have a plethora of incredible, unusual shapes and cuts of dress.

The reason I chose this dress over the others is that I like it (of course), and I would wear it.

At this point, I have to be honest and say that I have no experience of Cos sizing, but at a guess, given the cut of the this dress, I’d say that even the smallest size (a 34) would be too big for me.

But those sleeves!  I think it’s a really cute dress.

1. Hush: S/S Jumpsuit (£75)

So I have the long-sleeved (autumn/winter) version of this jumpsuit, and I tentatively ordered it, fully expecting it to look horrific on me, because of my height so a poor fit on me.

How wrong was I?

The elasticiated waistband of this style of jumpsuit seems to create some sort of jumpsuit magic because not only does it fit me, a 5 feet shortie (with no alterations…), but it seems to fit those 5’10” bloggers and models out there too.

How?!

Who knows, but trust me – its jumpsuit magic!

Admittedly, I do think the jumpsuit would look that bit better if I had an extra couple of inches, but I still really love wearing it – it’s versatile in that it can be dressed up or down, and it is quite possibly the comfiest outfit I own.

My boys never fail to remark “are you going parachuting?” and such like when ever I wear it: the jumpsuit is one of the best man-repelling pieces of clothing out there: go get yourself one!

Moving on to Stinker of the Week and Wildcard, I couldn’t help but get caught up in the Cos website, as there’s so much man-repelling fodder all in one place, so both Stinker & Wildcard are from Cos:

Stinker of the Week: Skirt with tie belts (reduced to £45)

This skirt has a little too much going on for my tastes: too darn fussy.

I realise it would be a boring old world if we all liked the same thing, and that this skirt is only left in two sizes means that people have liked it and bought it.

I can’t help but feel that the ‘random’ ties and elasticated strips (which appear to lead no where, so are there just for the sake of it) are all a bit too-try-hard-to-be-different, just for the sake of it.

Soz guys: it’s a nope from me!

Wildcard: Relaxed Cotton Chinos (£55)

Not only are these loud, they a proper baggy crotch and are proper ‘balloon-cut’ pantaloon!

But I love the colour and happen to think they are fabulous.

How would I wear them?

Well, the styling here from Cos is pretty gorgeous, but I’ve come up with 3 other man-repelling looks for you here, although admittedly, I haven’t been particularly daring with my choices:

Look 1 – in the navy: I’ve opted for a slouchy Gap Burnout Cowl Back top (£18) a dark indigo blue ‘convict’ style Uniqlo Ines Denim Jacket (£59.90) and some beautiful Navy Saltwater Sandals (£59.90)

Look 2 – a touch of monochrome: pairing black and white with a bright colour is a really easy look to go for… I’ve picked a simple, crisp Next White Shirt (£22), the white Mango Ballerina Flats (£59) and this black Cos Mesh and Canvas Shopper (£35)

Look 3 – masculine monochrome: yes, more black and white, but more masculine this time…this Uniqlo Slub Striped Crew Neck tee (£9.90 – which is actually navy and white), with this Cos Boxy Twill Jacket (£89) and some brogues, like these Office Reach Softy Lace-ups (£65) is the kind of look I would love to wear, but then worry that I may look like a small boy…

So how about you guys: you in, or out with the man-repelling vibe?  Or just 50:50 about the whole thing – everything in moderation and all that?

I’ll leave you with my look from last night:

And you know what?

After 12 years of marriage, and some 16 odd years together, my husband loves me, and has no choice but to love my man-repelling outfits!!

Thanks for reading

Bx