Temperatures are dipping, leaves are falling and the knitwear has been dusted off in Manchester this week. I’m all for it - I much prefer layering up with a blouse and sweater vest or funky jacket, and it seems the people of Manchester agree!
Steal Their Style is now in its 11th week, and if you’re only seeing it now for the first time, absolutely trawl back through the M.E.N archives to go and find more fashion inspiration. And while I discover fashionable shoppers, workers and city explorers each and every week, this week’s trendy takers seem to have really stepped it up a notch.
I’ve been chatting with a number of people who either live in or around Manchester or have moved to the city from the likes of Dorset and Northern Ireland, with one young man is holidaying here from Holland - that said, you won’t BELIEVE where his outfit is from.
READ MORE: Influencers are ‘obsessed’ with ‘must-have’ River Island co-ord they ‘need’
This week, celebrities like Dakota Johnson and Mick Jagger were among the famous faces who people look to for inspiration, while others like to look at social media like Instagram and Pinterest.
I’m also starting to see some trends emerge - particularly among the men of Manchester, where a large proportion are praising Uniqlo, who have a store on the city’s Market Street. Other stand out brands that continue to crop up each week include Zara, Dr Martens and Asos.
If you’re looking for some style inspiration as we begin to embrace Autumn, here are six of Manchester’s best-dressed this week, and how you can Steal Their Style.
Jane Ashworth
Fresh off the train, just outside Manchester Piccadilly station, Jane Ashworth, from Bramhall, was in town running some errands wearing a dress from the brand Whistles - which is popular with celebrities like Holly Willoughby.
But when asked if she looks to the celeb world for fashion inspiration, Jane exclaimed: “Absolutely not!”
The 57-year-old’s best fashion tip was keeping everything she’s ever bought. She said: “I dont think I'm fashionable - all my wardrobe is quite old. I’ve kept everything from when I was a student and I just keep all my clothes and never throw them away.
“I think Primark and fast fashion sucks. My tip is to keep it and wait for it to all come back in, because it does.”
As well as the Whistles midi, Jane wore a jacket from Madrid, which was handmade from the woman who owned the shop, with some tall black boots. “I like to wear dresses and dungarees - I love a bit of colour,” Jane added.
Want more Steal Their Style?
Steal Their Style: Trendy shopper cops outfit for £14.50 in Manchester this week
Steal Their Style: Mum-to-be among coolest looking shoppers in Manchester
Most fashionable shoppers we spotted this week with outfits from H&M and Zara
Steal Their Style: Shoppers sport outfits from M&S, Primark and Topshop
Best-dressed city dwellers this week includes £500 outfit and a Primark bargain
Misty Wilde
Misty, aged 21, from Withington, was rocking the currently on-trend Y2K style with an open denim-look blouse and mid-rise jeans.
She said: “My top is from The Open Project and my trousers are from Zara. My belt I got from a little Amsterdam market, paired with Dr Martens and jewellery is from my Mum’s shop.”
Just in time, Misty’s mum, an antique dealer who runs Maggie May’s in Buxton stood beside her daughter, bigging up the fashion promotion student’s taste.
Misty added: “I have quite an eclectic sense of style. I love vintage and markets. I scroll through Pinterest a lot for inspiration, too. I love creative stuff and would like to work in fashion.”
And Misty’s mum often gets bombarded with messages when the 21-year-old is out shopping, eager for her mother’s approval. She added: “I shop a lot online, I’ll find something I like and always send mum 20 messages and photos asking whether I should get it.”
Brooke West
Stunning in a 70s style jumper from Zara, Brooke West works in recruitment in Manchester. Originally from Dorset, but now living in the city, she enjoys autumn styling much more than summer.
The 24-year-old said: “I’ve got mostly a 70s style, I love flared trousers and prints and that’s what I much prefer. Autumn is my wardrobe’s time to shine - summer I’m a bit lost and don’t know what to wear.”
Brooke remembers paying around £70 for her cropped knitted top, and about £30 for her Asos wide leg jeans and £50 for Fila trainers. She previously wore a lot of skinny jeans - a style which has fallen out of favour in recent years.
She added: “My style has definitely evolved over the years with the flares. I used to be a big skinny jean fan back in the day which is awful. I thought there would never be a day when I wouldn't wear skinny jeans and look at me now.”
When it comes to inspiration, Brooke is a big fan of how Dakota Johnson dresses, saying the 50 Shades of Grey actress has a ‘great fringe’.
She added: “I listen to a lot of 70s music, but I do like a mixed bag like hip hop and folk, too, so maybe there’s a bit of correlation there, too.”
Daniel Thompson
A pop of colour on a basic canvas is how Daniel Thompson enjoys expressing himself through style. What you can’t see in his photo is the bright green socks he’s wearing, which just peek through the gap between his trainers and jeans as he walks through the Northern Quarter, where he works as a graphic designer.
Born in Northern Ireland, the 32-year-old moved to Manchester in 2010, and says he’s been influenced stylistically by the people he works with.
He said: “Working in the Northern Quarter I’ve been very heavily influenced by the people I work with for vintage stuff, so I’ve got an eclectic collection of waistcoats and crazy patterned shirts.
“This shirt was gifted to me, but it’s from Zara. My t-shirt, socks and trousers are all from Uniqlo, though. Because I have these jazzy shirts, I had to go to Uniqlo to tone it down a bit. I use their pieces as a base and then mix it up a bit with a pop of colour.”
Daniel isn’t the first gent I’ve stopped for Steal Their Style who has praised Uniqlo for their free alterations and high quality basics. He added: “It makes it easier to pick stuff to wear in the morning. A capsule wardrobe is something I've chased for a while but I’ve not quite got there.”
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.”
READ NEXT:
- Boohoo are selling a mini bag that’s almost identical to Jacquemus for £519 less
- Beyonce is sending Twitter wild over £12 NastyGal accessory everyone needs
Shoppers are “obsessed” with this £28 viral TikTok approved oversized blazer
I recreated the £1,470 Balenciaga 'trash bag' without spending a single penny
