It's been 24 weeks since I first launched our weekly fashion feature, Steal Their Style, at the Manchester Evening News . Since July, we've been sharing six outfits donned by stylish shoppers stopped in Manchester city centre every Saturday morning - and the response has been fantastic.
As the year draws to a close, I wanted to take a look back over the more than 140 people papped in the street and pick out some of my favourite looks of 2022.
This week, let's hear it for the boys. I've dug out the ten best dressed men spotted in Manchester for this Steal Their Style special edition. We'll also be picking out our favourite outfits from the ladies, as well as some of our older participants in the coming weeks.
READ MORE: Manchester shoppers spotted in Christmas jumpers and knits from Tesco and H&M
Our 'best of' round up sees a mix of summer and winter looks, with fashionable fellas spotted in funky flares, vintage shirts and fun accessories.
As well as Manchester-born city dwellers, I've also had the opportunity to chat to some gents from more Canada, Switzerland and Holland.
Featuring brands like Gucci, Adidas and Dr Martens, here are my top picks of the best-dressed men spotted in Manchester this year.
Stuart Crowther
The peek of a Blur t-shirt had me stopping acting lecturer Stuart on Market Street as he was heading for a mooch around town. Originally from Rochdale, the educator now lives in Hulme, and was in the city for a work-related meeting.
The 36-year-old’s outfit was created with a mix of secondhand and borrowed wares, as well as some vintage-style balloon jeans.
He said: “My Blur vest is really old and I suspect it was second hand, though the jeans are a balloon jean from Bershka on ASOS. My trainers are Nikes which I stole from my partner and the jacket is from one of my students who had a sale to raise money for their end of year project.”
Stuart is a big believer that fashion should be fun, and enjoys rummaging in second hand shops to find pieces to add to his wardrobe. He added: “I look at a lot of charity shops for inspiration. I think clothes should be fun and we should have fun wearing them.”
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Tyler 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 many 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.”
Carter McCourt
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 second-hand now, so all the vintage and second-hand shops in Manchester.
“The top is second-hand 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.
Ben Cornish
Ben was in town celebrating his 56th birthday, and looking very dapper doing so, indeed. Originally from London, Ben now lives in Warrington, and was visiting the city for a spot of shopping and a bite to eat.
Ben says he gets some of his inspiration from ‘people who were around in the 80s’, namely Kevin Rowland from Dexy’s Midnight Runners and veteran DJ Chris Sullivan.
He talked me through his outfit, explaining: “My boots are Whites from eBay and cost about £80. These [trousers] are Doublewear and were about £90. My top is from Collective, that was £17 in the sale, and my hat was from Dave Carroll London, online.”
He added: “Fashion’s a big part of my personality - it’s my armour. My wardrobe is full of different colours and I try not to give it too much thought. But if I go out and I’m not happy with what I’m wearing, it annoys me.”
Barney W
Bass player Barney whizzed past me outside Cow Vintage on his bike before chaining it up at the end of the street. He’d needed hi-viz ankle straps to prevent his enormously wide-legged trousers from catching in his spokes.
The 23-year-old moved to Manchester last year, and thinks that living in the city means you ‘can get away with a lot more’ when it comes to fashion.
Barney, who works a restaurant job and does music promotion on the side, was spotted wearing vintage checked Levi’s with shoes that make him ‘three inches taller’ from Portobello Road in London.
He added: “My jacket was a market find, then the thermal top is just from a pack of three. I watched a film with Mick Jagger in it yesterday, which is why I felt like dressing a bit more outlandish today, on my day off - I usually wear shorts to work.”
The musician likes to take inspiration from ‘old rock stars’, like the Rolling Stones’ frontman. He said: “Music is a big inspiration - particularly dead, or old rock stars. I like watching films and seeing the costume design from the 50s and 60s. Fashion is so interesting because there was a time before social media and internet shopping and I love that era.
“We go through life putting on different masks and different outfits and it’s nicer when you get more in touch with the authentic one and more comfortable in yourself. If it looks good, and feels good, fashion can take you to places.”
Roeland Lenoir
Visiting Manchester on a tour of the UK was Roeland, who is from Holland. The tourist was sporting an outfit entirely from Afflecks Palace, which he’d purchased the day before.
He said: “I actually bought this outfit yesterday from the Pop Boutique in Afflecks Palace. The dungarees were £45, and I think the top was £24.”
He said he often goes for a more basic look when he’s at work, but enjoys dressing more ‘artistic’ - like with this patterned shirt and dungarees combo.
He added: “I tend to buy what I see around and combine things on my own instinct. Manchester fashion is quite alternative here, and I like that - I think it’s cool. This outfit is a piece of Manchester that I’m taking home with me.”
William Howard
Manchester student William had just finished his final day of university, completing a law conversion course, when I spotted him in the Northern Quarter. The 28-year-old was dressed extremely dapper, but says he prefers a more casual look for everyday.
Much of his outfit was from French brand APC, with his jacket costing around £300. However, his Dr Martens were a total bargain at £20. He explained: “My girlfriend used to work at Dr Martens and got me employee discount on top of a sale price, so it was a really good deal.”
He styled the look with some French tailored trousers, Versace sunglasses and a woollen hat. William added: “Sometimes I dress more casual than this. At home I’m usually in tracksuit, if I’m working I dress up more though. I have a lot of stuff from various music labels and merch - it’s like wearing a footy shirt to show what you're into. I like wearing artists that are a bit more unknown so it stands apart from what other people are wearing.”
Alexander Edwards
Next up was 32-year-old Alexander Edwards, who lives in Salford, sporting a 70s style in one of Adidas’ new ‘Adicolour 70s’ tshirts which he’d bought the previous week for £38. Alongside a pair of pink Gazelles, it was easy to see what his favourite brand was.
Alexander said: “Adidas is probably the only ‘brand’ I buy, I particularly like this range they’ve been doing in the Adicolour 70s. I like this kind of colour palette too.”
He wore the tee with a jacket from Vinted, which had cost £50, as well as some River Island trousers. Alexander mentioned that he sometimes likes to wear fun-coloured socks and build outfits around that - and when quizzed on his sock choice on this particular day, they were none other than Harry Styles’ Love On Tour merch socks.
The 32-year-old added: “My mum let me do what I want from a young age so that probably helped me develop my style. Father John Misty is cool, I'm probably a bit influenced by the kind of music I listen to.”
Keith Frost
Over from Vancouver visiting family, Keith Frost might just have the coolest job in the world - dressing people for TV. The 37-year-old Canadian was in Manchester to celebrate his nan’s 88th birthday, but back home, he works on TV sets and has even worked on Netflix hits.
He explained: “I dress people for a living so like on Netflix, The Flash, Superman and Lois, Alaska Daily with Hilary Swank. I dress everyone and make sure they’re all good for camera and make sure no one has a wardrobe malfunction. Hilary is probably the most famous person I’ve dressed.”
For his own outfit, Keith wore a Canadian branded jacket that cost $300, as well as some jeans from Brooklyn Clothing and a Burberry scarf gifted from his nan. He added: “I got these shoes at a set sale at work. They should have been around $100 but I got them for five bucks.”
Keith and I parted ways with a fist bump and a wave, but not before he imparted an important fashion motto to live by. He said: “I think everyone should dress comfortably and don't hold back, just wear what feels right.”
Bryan Lou
All the way from Switzerland was designer fashion fan Bryan, who had travelled to Manchester with friends for a long weekend to see a drag show and visit the markets.
The 32-year-old wore a fun, colourful outfit, which was potentially inspired by style icon Harry Styles.
Bryan said: “The jacket is Jil Sander, sweater is from JW Anderson, my scarf is Acne Studios, the pants are Gucci and the sneakers are Nike.”
If anyone was wondering, the cheapest men’s Acne Studios scarf is £110, and I’m not sure I even want to Google the price of the Gucci pants. It’s safe to say that Bryan loves his brands, and it pays off - you can’t deny he looks very well dressed.
He said: “Everyone loves fashion these days, I always like Timothée Chalamet’s style and Harry Styles, too.
“I love to have fun with my fashion, my wardrobe is a mix of Japanese, British and Italian - I love a mixture of those styles.”
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