How to Put Together a Man-Repellant Outfit

Let’s be real: your clothes are doing more work than just keeping you covered. Every outfit you wear sends signals about who you are—and sometimes, that signal should say, “You absolutely can’t handle me, please keep walking.”

That’s the premise behind what I’m calling a man-repellant outfit.

The idea isn’t to dress in a way that nobody finds attractive. It’s to dress in a way that highlights the real you—the traits you love about yourself. That way, people who aren’t into your authentic personality get filtered out immediately, while the ones who “get it” want to learn more.

Where This Started

This whole concept came to me after I realized that my favorite outfits were always the ones my ex hated. It made me wonder; maybe there’s a connection between the clothes we feel most powerful in and the type of people we should be drawing toward us.

When I put together what I call a “man-repellant outfit,” the purpose is to weed out anyone who doesn’t appreciate me as I am. So I look to pull together outfits that highlight my key traits: independent, weird, bold, and fun. For me, it looks like the below.

The 5 Elements of a Man-Repellant Outfit (for Danielle)

The beauty of this approach is that it’s personal; you’ll build your version around your personality traits. But here are the five elements I use:

Confusing
Add at least one element that makes people pause and ask, “Wait… what’s that for?” (Spoiler: it doesn’t matter. You liked it. That’s the point.)
Bold
Think loud colors, strong shapes, or pieces that will turn heads. You’ll know you’ve nailed this when strangers compliment you everywhere you go.
Complicated
Is it layered in ways that make it hard to tell what’s going on? Does it involve multiple moving parts? Perfect. Complexity says you’re not here to be simple or easily understood.
Powerful
Shoulder pads. Statement boots. Sharp tailoring. Whatever makes you feel strong.
Unconventional
Mix genres, break style rules, or pull out pieces that aren’t “in” right now. Think: a hint of grunge in a while we're in a minimalist trend, or cowboy boots with a slip dress.

Make It Your Own

Maybe your repellant outfit is romantic, eccentric, and whimsical. Maybe it’s sharp, futuristic, and intimidating. The key is this: pick traits you want to broadcast, and then dress in a way that unapologetically showcases them.

You’ll repel the people who were never going to love the real you anyway and you’ll attract the ones who authentically are into it.