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Here’s something fashion-conscious women of every age share. We all own things that the men in our lives don’t much like and we’re happy to work around them – most of the time.
Obviously not all men are the same, but it’s surprising how much consensus there is as to what constitutes a man-repelling look.
They’re not crazy about culottes or tailored shorts, for example. Rare is the man who raves about a woman in a baggy boiler suit (a jumpsuit is something different).
They don’t mind a bit of androgyny, but they draw the line at a plain grey trouser suit and loafers. They’re not fans of lug sole boots, or white boots, or anything orange. They don’t like skinny polo necks.
Metallics send them into a panic and capes are not something they could take seriously at this point. (We’re with them on that).
The problem arises when man-repellers are also high scorers on the fashion charts, clothes that make us look and feel ahead of the game – so, let’s face it, we’re wearing them anyway. We have our style to think of.
The following are those clothes currently in the charts that are most likely to give men the ick, plus the tweaks that make the difference between them loathing your look and not minding it. It’s up to you whether you pay attention…
Wear your trousers with heels to ensure your look isn’t a man-repelling one. Pictured: Perfect Wide-Leg Pant, £225, meandem.com
Baggy trousers
Guaranteed your man is Fed Up with baggy trousers – unless he’s Sienna Miller’s boyfriend because she always wears her barrel/balloon jeans with a waisted top or a waistcoat, something that accentuates the smallness of her upper half by contrast with the volume of her lower half.
This is the obvious way to ensure that barrel and fuller-leg jeans flatter, not swamp, along with wearing a cropped, fitted on-the-shoulders jacket with something slim-fit underneath.
The other good anti-repelling tweak is to show a bit of ankle in a narrow-fit boot or wear your baggy jeans over a walkable block heel. That’s the look as of spring 2026.
Put away your Birkenstocks and wear a heel with trousers instead. Try Zara’s block or kitten heel polished leather ankle boots (£39.99 and £35.99, zara.com). We might be ready for the change, too.
Leather or pleather
It’s a myth, in my view, that men are delighted by women in leather clothes. Suede, yes, in the right place at the right time; shearling, certainly, if it’s a neat jacket or a tailored coat with flattering curly wool lapels (they don’t ‘get’ a John Motson car coat).
But dark leather, or more likely pleather in our world; a heavy blouson jacket (very much in fashion); a belted trench coat (ditto); relaxed trousers… not so much. It’s the heaviness that tips the scale.
Three things make all the difference to the appeal of leather – a straight looseish fit if you’re talking about trousers; a soft belted jacket or coat (rather than a bristling stiff biker); and an A-line just-below-the-knee skirt – rather than a long kilt style.
For man-friendly leather, M&S Autograph’s soft collarless cropped jacket (£199, marksandspencer.com) is a good bet. Yes, it’s black, but you’re wearing it with a colourful round-neck top and scarf underneath, maybe a polo neck.
Boring beige
They’ve got used to us wearing endless black over the years but have never got the hang of camel, off-white and grey. Men think you look like a bus conductor in a grey suit (at least those old enough to remember bus conductors) and Brenda Blethyn in Vera in a beige trenchcoat.
Happily, this season is all about print and colour – and minimalism is in retreat – so this is easy to remedy: avoid plain black, white and beige separates and mix up neutrals with zebra print, tiger, leopard, cheetah and deer, the minimalist’s exception to the print rule. Animal prints are centre stage this season.
Pop an & Other Stories beige zebra print bag (£169, stories.com) over the arm of your trench as an instant man-repeller antidote.
Trousers all the time
It’s true, trousers are only getting baggier (not something men are necessarily celebrating), but skirts are also back and not the long midis we’ve been wearing for years.
Alternate trousers with the new length fuller skirts, just don’t wear them with 100 denier tights (very unpopular), loafers or Mary Janes. Kick off with Cos’s rounded skirt in midnight blue in the sale (£38, cos.com).
Skinny polo necks
Practically a compulsory underpinning for 2026, this is a look men actively dislike. If you want to lessen the blow, wear it under a suede jacket (£149, zara.com).
