An announcement from 3 months post-newsletter launch
Thanks for being here! A look at what to expect
It’s been 3 months since I started regularly writing this newsletter, and in that time many thousands of you have signed up for it. As an external processor who likes to have an audience and loves to entertain (Substack! Launch a video player pls!), I’m really grateful you’re here. I imagine lots of you came because you know me from Man Repeller. If you’re new and never read it, or even knew about it, Man Repeller was the media company I founded in 2010, when I was a junior in college. It was what we called, “a humorous website for serious fashion,” that grew into something way more expansive.
When I look back now I see the body of work Man Repeller created as a sort of snapshot of what it was like to live through your 20s during the 2010’s on the internet — to define yourself by your work and your friendships and your desire towards independence and your willingness to expose your vulnerabilities in the process.
I led the company for ten years, until 2020 when I closed it because of financial constraints. I haven’t publicly addressed the end of Man Repeller — in many ways, it represents the sudden death of a part of me that I was ill-prepared to let go of — and I don’t intend to turn this post (an announcement of what you can expect from this newsletter) into its obituary.
But they’re kind of related in that for so long, Man Repeller was me, and this newsletter, which is small and which will not become bigger than me is also me. Right now that takes shape through a pretty fragile voice that is still learning itself — coming out of a cocoon bruised on the one hand, learning to melt away it’s own feeling of helplessness on the other. But the work is rooted in the same thing it always been: a relentless, unflinching desire to connect, to express, to contribute to what Alain de Botton has called one of the core jobs of our culture: to de-isolate us by proving through our similarities that we are normal.
It is still my belief that a crucial part of this includes what the fuck to wear to feel good in your own skin.
You can expect between one and two dispatches each week, delivered on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They’ll be coming from 4 buckets.
What Do I Wear When - 1 weekly outfit idea, shot and annotated in exquisite detail. The goal of these annotations is to help you apply the principles you wish to take to your own wardrobe. If you’d like to submit an occasion to dress for, feel free by replying to any story from the WDIW franchise. I’ll do my best to accommodate your requestion.
These seem to be working out pretty well, so there is a possibility I will increase the frequency — breaking down broader trends, delivering even shorter form outfit ideas — is that something you’d like to receive more than once a week?
Supermarket Aisle King - 1 time monthly deep dive into the container of a single grocery store item. But it’s never actually about the grocery store item, you know? The end result is a written display of unlikely pairings explored and reviewed, always underwritten by the overarching question: so what if it’s bad? (And also, “Who am I?” but that is more covert.)
Dispatch from in Here - 2 times monthly deep dive into the container of my mind. These are diary-like entries, written pretty informally (sometimes I add in extra “likes”) that explore the existential questions floating through my mind. Often these questions are anchored in anecdotes surrounding the shit going on in my life with my kids or my partner or my friends, or just with me. These are accompanied by a voice recording of the essay in case you would rather listen.
Style Open Thread - 1 time monthly conversation delivered through the discussion thread feature on Substack wherein I invite you to ask me questions you have as they relate to getting dressed. I answer all q’s that are submitted within the first 24 hours and they remain in the threads so you can read them whenever works for you. I’ll always add a bumper to the next newsletter dispatch letting you know I’ve gone through and answered the q’s.
Office Hours - 1 time monthly invitation to connect over Zoom! We can talk about anything you want, you’ll submit questions or topics in advance and we’ll dive in once a month, probably in the evening hours with a glass of wine or spritz of Ghia. This one will be open to between 15 and 20 people per session and available for paying subscribers only.
And per that — paying for this newsletter. I’ve only ever relied upon sponsorship from brands to power my work and my team’s work and honestly, very rarely had a problem with it. My view is that we were lucky the brands we worked with trusted us, which gave us opportunities to create pictures and stories I’d have otherwise not been able to fund. Man Repeller’s appeal put the team in a lucky enough position that we could say no when we believed a partnership didn’t quite click and that’s why when it did, it worked so damn well.
But this is a personal project — I plan to keep it small and for now, powered by the audience who enjoys it. Over time, I’ll be placing certain things (open thread, additional style recs) behind the paywall next to Office Hours, and if you can’t afford a subscription ($5 a month, $50 a year, or become a founding member for $150), just send an e-mail and I’ll comp you.
Okay, that’s all I’ve got for now. Unless it is of any interest to you that I’m wearing elephant pajamas and laying on my couch in a position that engages my core but also kind of hurts my back.
And yeah — that’s that. Thanks again for being here.