This week Manchester just so happened to be full of well-dressed duos, including couples, siblings and offspring - perhaps fashion runs in the family.
The weather has been somewhat unpredictable again this week, with hot spells which meant I second-guessed the decision to wear my oversized blazer, but a choppy breeze that made me thankful I’d opted for my trusty Levi’s jeans.
And I wasn’t the only one, either, with one of my Steal Their Style spots also sporting a pair of Levi’s - clearly a popular choice.
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For those of you who are yet to have read one of our Steal Their Style features, each week I find six people with impeccable taste in clothes on the streets of Manchester, and ask them about their look.
It’s so far proven extremely interesting where people find their inspiration, and how they find the best bargains. This week, one shopper found a Ralph Lauren cap worth around £45 for a tenner in TK Maxx.
Typically, I stop well dressed individuals to quiz them on their style, but this week I felt like I was seeing double, with a fashionable mum and daughter, a pair of trendy vintage-loving brothers, and a matchy-matchy couple who love all things oversized. And here’s how you can Steal Their Style:
Mags France and Isabelle France
Mum Mags, originally from Manchester, was out with her 23-year-old daughter Isabelle for a spot of shopping. The duo, out with their family, had travelled from Ramsbottom to check out some of the city’s charity and vintage shops.
Mags, aged 59 - and certainly didn’t look it - styled a pair of purple dungarees with a ruffle edged tee and some Dr Marten sandals.
She said: “I got my Dr Martens from the Manchester shop and my dungarees were given to me by a friend. My top is really old, but my bag is from Fat Face.
“I get a lot of style inspiration from my daughter. We do a lot of thrifting, we’re into all that, and reusing what’s already in our wardrobe. I do like a monochrome look for dungarees, because they’re really easy to wear.”
Isabelle, meanwhile, opted for a grungy black and green look which she’d copied from a Pinterest photo.
She said: “My shoes are Converse which were the most expensive part of the outfit. My skirt was from a shop called Ark, the jacket was £12 from a charity shop and the top was from George at Asda.
“The supermarkets have some great stuff in at the moment. Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco - I shop there all the time.”
Isabelle finished the look with some £2 sunglasses from Primark, which look far more expensive than the couple of quid she paid for them, making her total look - minus the trainers - around £30.
She added: “I tried to recreate this look from Pinterest, which I do quite a lot. I really like Pinterest and looking at other people my age for inspiration.”
Tyler McCourt and Carter McCourt
Tyler McCourt was up from Durham visiting his younger brother Carter, who now lives with his girlfriend in the city, where they’re both studying at MMU.
Both brothers are clearly lovers of a vintage style, but like most siblings, have very different tastes.
28-year-old Tyler wore a matching blue get up inspired by Stockport band Blossoms. He said: “I got this jacket yesterday from eBay. It’s a vintage French workers jacket from the 60s, made in Shanghai. The label says ‘friendship’ as the brand name.”
He styled the jacket with a 90s sweatshirt and 80s Levi’s jeans, finishing the look with white Superga trainers and blue socks from Amazon.
“I like things to be matching,” he added. “I'm a big fan of Blossoms, and play a bit of everything myself too. Lately I like their look and the stuff they wear. I'm always online finding a lot of stuff, searching for vintage shirts or vintage jumpers.”
Meanwhile Carter, aged 25, opted for a paisley shirt and smart trousers as he shopped the Northern Quarter.
The physio student said: “My shirt is from Zara and was about £35. If I buy first hand I’ll go to Zara or H&M but I do try to shop a lot more secondhand now, so all the vintage and secondhand shops in Manchester.
“The top is secondhand from eBay and cost a couple of quid, then my trousers are from Next. I bought them for work and now I've repurposed them for everyday. The shoes my girlfriend bought me as a birthday gift, they were from eBay, too.”
Carter said he likes a ‘Mediterranean look’ and draws inspiration from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Depp, as well as spotting styles he likes in the street.
“I see people in the street and if I like what they’re wearing I'll try and find something similar in one of the shops here. You find some really unique stuff, I’ve literally today bought some suede trousers,” he added, proudly holding up the bag.
John Sangster and Abigail Thompson
John Sangster and his girlfriend Abigail Thompson looked like a pair of high-fashion models walking through New York on fashion week - and yet, they’re just a couple who share a great sense of style.
The duo, from Leamington Spa, were on a staycation in the city and had been visiting shops like Blue Rinse and Cow.
John joked: “I have no idea what I’m doing, really. I cycle through about four outfits.”
The 25-year-old picked up his oversized khaki jacket from Muji for £80, throwing it on over an Arket t-shirt and pair of Dickies beige trousers.
He added: “When I signed up for my Wifi I got a John Lewis voucher so I got my trousers cheaper. The hat is Ralph Lauren and I got it for a tenner at TK Maxx.”
He completed the look with the ever-popular Dr Martens.
Girlfriend Abigail, aged 21, wore a similar look, mixing branded items with charity shop finds. She said: “My coat, top and trousers are all from charity shops and I paid £10 for the lot.”
She wore them with shoes from Buffalo, which cost £85, and a Vivienne Westwood bag.
Abigail added: “It wasn’t planned for us to match but we have such similar styles. We have similar colour palettes and into our oversized neutral styles. I just love secondhand and vintage and I’m always on Depop looking for things to add to my wardrobe.”
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