Leandra Medine Cohen will be selling more than 30 handpicked, pre-loved pieces, including Celine, Prada and Maison Margiela, on eBay from Thursday through Dec. 18.
The items, called “From the Collection: Leandra Medine Cohen” will be sold on Medine Cohen’s eBay storefront.
In addition to Medine Cohen, eBay’s “From the Collection” series has featured such well-known individuals as Chappell Roan and Emma Chamberlain.
Medine Cohen’s pieces run the gamut from a sheer Dolce & Gabbana dress she purchased early in her career to her favorite Dries Van Noten city-strolling coat. Bidding for each piece will start at 99 cents and proceeds from the sale will benefit Sharsheret, a nonprofit organization aiding Jewish women and families of all backgrounds affected by breast and ovarian cancer.
“Clothing carries stories and I believe that style isn’t static,” the 36-year-old writer said. “It evolves and makes meaning through the lives it lives. Selling these pieces on eBay feels like a continuation of that idea — a way for fashion to keep moving and changing and iterating upon the stories it can tell.”
Leandra Medine Cohen in a dress that will be auctioned by eBay.
Courtesy of eBay
Medine Cohen made a name for herself writing the fashion blog, Man Repeller, which she began in 2010 as a 21-year-old junior at the New School. Initially, the blog was written exclusively by Medine Cohen, but later grew to include contributions from several writers and editors. She currently writes a Substack newsletter called The Cereal Aisle, mostly about how to get dressed.
When asked why she decided to sell the clothes, Medine Cohen said, “The practical reason is I often sell clothes. I sell clothes, I donate them. It’s like a pretty natural part of my relationship to my wardrobe. Sort of similarly to the way that money is never really ours, it’s like constantly being exchanged. I’ve been trying to think within the same terms with clothes. You bring them into your home, you wear them and then you put them back out in the world.”
In 2024, eBay, which has millions of buyers and sellers in more than 190 markets, enabled $75 billion of gross merchandise volume.
Medine Cohen is known for her eclectic style which is quirky, offbeat and mixes high-end fashion with accessible pieces.
Leandra Medine Cohen in one of her outfits for sale.
Courtesy of eBay
She said it’s become easier and easier to sell clothing these days because there are so many vehicles to buy, sell and trade. “It feels like a more freeing way to both shop and browse and all that,” Medine Cohen said.
Medine Cohen said she doesn’t really become emotionally attached to clothing so much as she does to jewelry. “None of these pieces are pieces that I wouldn’t wear anymore. I think if they stayed in my closet, I would probably still wear them. I felt comfortable enough putting them back out there,” she said.
Among the pieces that are being offered for sale is a satin, tie-dye, fuzzy trim Dries Van Noten jacket. “It’s really fun and it’s such an outfit-maker and I love it. And the reason I’m selling it is because it’s really not an East Coast winter coat.
“If I lived in a house, maybe I would keep it, but in a New York City apartment, you only wear it seven times a year. I wore it last fall from October until December with my baby strapped into it. I have these very tender memories of just walking around with her in this wild coat and like her kind of choking on the fuzz,” she said.
Another item will be turquoise sandals from Tom Ford, along with a few pairs of sunglasses.
Discussing whether she feels her style has changed since having her three daughters, she said, “I think when you have kids, your style changes immediately because you don’t have the same amount of spatial freedom and time to play with clothes. Once your kids are older, it becomes something new, after the years of cutting to the chase and cultivating enough discipline to just put on what you know is going to work. You get to start playing again, but you’re coming at it from a more mature place.
She said once you have kids, you want to look a bit more put together and polished. “There’s a quality of self-respect, at least for me, implicit with looking a bit more put together. And that’s something I’m always wanting to project for my kids, whether it’s spoken or not,” she said.
When asked whether she’s still as passionate about clothes as she was in her 20s, she said, “I love looking at things. I have tabs open on my browser right now. I’m a tried and true clothes horse. I love clothes. I love fashion. I love this as vehicle and expression of creativity. I think it takes a lot to put yourself out there in the way that designers do and the way that a lot of stylists do, and I’m fully here for the ride. I love it.”
Will any of her children’s clothes will be included in the sale? “No, but it’s not a bad idea. Maybe the next one.”
Medine Cohen said she’s never sold items like this formally, but she’s definitely sold pieces. “I’ve sold on various platforms in the past, but I’ve found eBay is my favorite because of how easy it is to buy and sell,” she said.
As for the favorite piece she’s ever splurged on, she said, “It’s funny because I think when you spend a lot of money on a piece, you’re constantly reinforcing, convincing yourself that you love it to validate the purchase. So I’m trying to think of what’s a good example of when I’ve done that? It’s almost always usually something by The Row.
“I bought a wild hat two years ago that I spent like $980. Do you remember the wool knot hat? It’s so impractical, it doesn’t keep you warm. It looks pretty funny on. I wore it though my pregnancy with Joelle. It’s like a true December purchase when you’re caught up in the fury of the holiday season,” she said.
“She’s still alive and well in my wardrobe. Maybe next year,” she said.
Asked if this will be an annual event, Medine Cohen said, “Yeah, especially because of the charity component. There’s something really nice about actually donating the clothes and knowing that the money is going to an organization that you believe in.”
She said the charity supports women who are undergoing cancer treatment for breast and ovarian one. I’m a BRACA 1 carrier, and actually have a big prophylactic surgery come up in January,” Medine Cohen said.
“I’m really grateful to science that I know that I carry the gene and I’m able to get ahead of it. My fate is going to be different from that of my aunts and my grandmother. I feel again that science is incredible and amazing, and for women who don’t or men who don’t have access to the same testing or just the knowledge, and who are afflicted with the cancer, I feel really strongly about helping in absolutely whatever way I can,” Medine Cohen said.
