It's FREEZING this week. Big coat cold. We've even had a bit of snow. Which means many Brits have been raiding the wardrobe for their warmest clothes.
I, comically, own about 20 coats - though I'm particularly fond of a handful, including a pink vintage leather jacket, green corduroy 'Penny Lane' style coat, and a Rachel Stevens leopard print number I bought in the sale on Oasis a few weeks back.
I don't like throwing coats away, however, in order to make room for my newest addition, I did say goodbye to a beloved black teddy coat that was sadly so well-worn that it wasn't even worthy of taking to the charity shop.
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I'm a big believer that a coat can be a 'whole outfit', which is something I've seen mentioned more and more on social media. It's the idea that you could wear the most boring black jeans, black rollneck, black shoes look, but entirely transform the look with a jacket or coat that says something about you. A personality coat, if you will.
This week, it was WAY too cold and snowy to head into the city centre to chat to new shoppers for Steal Their Style. If someone asked me to stop for a chat while I navigated the Northern Quarter like Bambi on ice, I'd most likely decline. So instead, we've taken a look back over the past few months to find our favourite winter coats from fashionable shoppers.
Here were some of our favourites, including several from high street retailers like Boohoo and New Look, with others from independent brands sourced locally in Manchester.
Alma Renee
Italian fashion lover Alma not only has a dream job working at Arndale’s Monki store, but also shares her love of styling with others via her Instagram page . The 26-year-old, originally from Rome, has lived in Manchester for four years, and was spotted working the tills in almost entirely Monki. For the photo, she quickly ran out to the staffroom to grab this fabulous coat.
She said: “I really love not spending too much on clothes, and working here I get to see what’s new in first and get them first. We also get staff discount which is a bonus. I got the jeans in the sale for £25, this jumper in the sale for £10 and the jacket was £30 and also in the sale.”
Alma wore a row of glitzy clips in her hair, paired with some jewellery, also from Monki. She added: “The thing about Monki is that, as a trans-woman, it caters to a really wide demographic of people that I resonate with. They really encourage sisterhood and that really warms my heart.”
As well as Monki, Alma also loves to shop online, especially on secondhand apps like Vinted. But when it comes to where she finds inspiration, she gave the loveliest response, commenting: “My mum and dad were really stylish, Italians just are, but Manchester is one of the coolest places to take inspiration from, so I take inspiration from there too.”
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Lauren Howard
Publishing editor Lauren Howard looked phenomenal in this coat from independent brand Kirin. The 27-year-old, from Bury, admitted to paying a ‘ridiculous’ amount for it, forking out £170 in the sale, down from £250.
“I wear it all the time, though,” she said. “I’m getting my money's worth!”
Lauren wore a plain black dress from ASOS with a turtleneck, Puma shoes and an Asos bag to complete the look.
She added: “I’ve always been quite bottom heavy so learning what works for your figure really helped me find my style. I used to shop vintage a lot because it was cheap but it’s not so cheap anymore. I feel like I'm moving into a different era in my life right now.
“With my career now, I dress a little more professional - I'm always dressing smart casual.”
Elizabeth Morgan
Elizabeth Morgan is the owner of Northern Quarter retail shop The Norah Store, which sells clothing and accessories from a collection of independent female owned brands. That would explain why she caught my attention as she briskly walked back to the store on her lunch break. I joined the 27-year-old, from Chorlton, on her return to work to chat to her about her small business, and of course, her outfit.
She said: “I used to work in vintage and my background is in fashion. I just really wanted to start something with all these amazing independent female designers that I was finding on Instagram and on the web that I loved, and there was nowhere to buy all of these in one place in Manchester. We just opened here and will be set up here until Christmas and we’ll see what happens after that.”
Elizabeth wore a collection of clothes from The Norah Store, including a coat from Jakke, which is a vegan brand making luxury coats sustainably and ethically. She paired it with a Mundaka Studio cashmere knit, also available at The Norah Store, and accessorised with Intentionally Blank shoes, a hair bow from Stockport-based Roop and Sandralexandra earrings - all brands stocked at the High Street store.
Elizabeth added: “My trousers are my housemates that she lent me this morning, I love swapping clothes with my friends. Then my polo is vintage from Pop Boutique when I used to work there. The absolute style icon of my life is Chloe Sevigny. I love that she kind of throws things together and really has fun. She doesn't have one particular style and thrifts a lot. She’s probably my ultimate icon."
Megan Shaw
Another funky coat was spotted in town now that the temperature is dipping, this time on 24-year-old medicine graduate Megan Shaw.
Megan talked me through her look, from her House of Sunny jeans to a Ragged Priest jumper, which cost £35. But the real bargain was her blue faux fur coat, from Boohoo.
She explained: “My housemate works at Boohoo so we get loads of free stuff from them. It’s definitely a perk, so I have a lot of coats - I have this one in purple, too.”
Megan made herself a New Year resolution to accessorise better, and has been getting more comfortable with her fashion sense in her 20s. She added: “I kind of have my own personal style, I tend to focus on colours and I love going through colour phases so all green or all orange or all blue.
“I think I’ve got more comfortable in my style over the years and a little more bold. It was a New Year resolution to accessorise better, so wear more hats and belts and jewellery to bring an outfit together which I’ve really enjoyed.”
Bethan Lewis
Over from Ireland visiting family, Bethan Lewis was enjoying a mulled wine while wrapped up warm in a fluffy hat and coat back during the Christmas Markets.
Bethan wore a green mini dress from Motel Rocks, layered over a black bodysuit, throwing on a sherpa jacket from River Island and a black fluffy bucket style hat from Bershka, as well as a pair of Dr Martens.
She added: “I would look to my friends for inspiration as they have good style. I like to look on Instagram and I’m always looking on clothes sites too - I love the style in Urban Outfitters and actually bought some things today.
“I got a playsuit and two corsets from Urban Outfitters as they were on three for two. I’ll probably style these with some wide leg white trousers. I have lots of different styles but i do wear a lot of black, I like an alt kind of look.”
Elizabeth Nuttall
Also spotted in December, leaving the Porky Pig stall, Yorkshire pudding wrap in hand, was new mum Elizabeth Nuttall, from Huddersfield. The 30-year-old was visiting the markets for the day with a friend, and said it was the array of food stalls that brought them to the city centre.
She looked fab in a New Look jumper dress paired with three-year-old Dorothy Perkins boots and a New Look jacket, which she paid £45 for.
She added: “The hat I had to buy from Primark today to try and protect my hair. My fashion has changed since becoming a mum, I prioritise comfort and affordability now.
“I don’t like anything too tight. I love my jackets - it makes an outfit more exciting if you have a great jacket, my wardrobe is caving in because I have so many.”
Alice Turner
Alice, from Teeside, was out at the markets to celebrate her 27th birthday in December. The birthday girl wore UGG ultra minis with UGG gloves, Zara jeans and a H&M jumper, adding on a £70 coat from Zara.
UGGs have well and truly come back into style, following a surge in popularity in the late noughties. Alice said: “I got these last year, I had UGGs the first time around 11 years ago. I used to work at TJ Hughes and got 25 per cent off at the time. I didn’t expect them to come back into fashion and I’d be embarrassed to wear them just to walk the dog but they’ve soon come back around.
“I love Instagram and follow a lot of bloggers, I watch a lot from Perrie Sian as she does hauls from Zara and other stores I love.”
Tracy Smith
Opting for a jumper dress - a potential winter trend for 2023 - was Tracy Smith, who was on a girly trip out to the markets with her mate. The 39-year-old, from Manchester styled her New Look knit with a Next coat which was £85, Office boots for £65, and a Michael Kors bag.,
As a mum of a six-year-old son, Tracy likes to wear comfortable but stylish clothes in order to still be able to ‘run around after the kids’.
She said: “There are three of four influencers I follow on instagram who aren't necessarily famous but I’m easily influenced by influencers. I look at what they've got and where they've got it from and try to replicate that. And a lot of them are young, busy mums like me.
“I love a comfortable, easy to wear look for running around after the kids. I like to look comfortable but stylish. I like that athleisure wear look but i would wear something oversized over the top, too.
“I’m getting older now and there are some things I wonder if I’m too old for now, so my style has definitely changed over the years.”
Amie Kingston
Amie also wore a Zara coat, with a jumper and skirt from & Other Stories. Her friends describe her style as ‘a bit extra’, with them often borrowing her outfits for nights out and events.
Amie said: “My boots are from Zara and they were around £60, then my bag is Anine Bing. She’s one of my style icons, her and Olivia Palermo.”
Amie’s friends described her wardrobe as ‘extravagant and extra, glittery and colourful’.
One commented: “She always out-dresses everyone. If we go on a night out we all go straight to Amie’s wardrobe. She’s always got the feathers and the sparkles. We did a tennis whites party recently and Amie turned up in this stunning backless white gown - she’s so extra.”
Finley Cross
Finley, aged 22, from North Wales opted for a celestial look inspired by her love of astrology, adding on a huge 70s style coat to finish the outfit.
She said: “My coat is from Superdry and was £120, the top is from a charity shop, the other top from a friend and my skirt was £17 at Tesco. The bag and scarf are also charity shop finds.”
When it comes to style inspiration, as well as raiding her sister's wardrobe, she loves the actress Florence Pugh, commenting: “I liked her style in Don’t Worry Darling. I like to put my own spin on her style, making it more vintage, eclectic and hippy.”
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