Manchester Christmas Markets attracted thousands of shoppers to the city centre this week, getting everyone well and truly in the festive spirit. On Thursday, as well as checking out the new and unusual food stalls and discovering a half-metre bratwurst, I was also on the lookout for the best, most festive, and wintery looks for our weekly Steal Their Style feature.
I headed over to the Piccadilly Winter Gardens where many were queuing for the wide variety of food stalls, such as Oi Dumplings, Panc and Crunch. Some huddled beneath the new double tee-pee adorned with fairy lights, while others grabbed drinks from the bar and pottered around taking it all in.
It was a fairly mild day, and thankfully the rain held off for the launch, but many still wrapped up warm with hats, scarves and coats, because, well, it is Manchester, after all.
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Some of the market visitors were locals who had popped into town to check out the markets, while others were visiting ahead of seeing The Lion King at the Palace Theatre. Some even came from as far as Ireland for a mulled wine at the Christmas extravaganza.
So, here were some of the best outfits spotted on day one of the Manchester Christmas Markets! I'll be visiting the markets each week in the run up to Christmas, so dress to impress and you might even find yourself featured in Steal Their Style!
Bethan Lewis
Over from Ireland visiting family, Bethan Lewis was enjoying a mulled wine while wrapped up warm in a fluffy hat and coat. The 22-year-old had been on an Urban Outfitters shopping spree before heading to Piccadilly’s Winter Gardens to relax.
“The markets are lovely, the mulled wine is really good," she said. "My cousin lives in Manchester so we’ve come over from Ireland to visit.”
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.”
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Kayleigh Tracey
Liverpudlian Kayleigh Tracey, aged 26, hit the markets early ahead of watching The Lion King, which is running at Palace Theatre until March. She looked lovely and cosy in her New Look coat, which cost £40, paired with a leopard print skirt and a knit.
She said: “My jumper is from Asos, I got it yesterday and it was meant to be £20 but I only paid £9. This is my favourite skirt ever from New Look and I paid £10 for it three years ago.”
Living conveniently close to Cheshire Oaks, Kayleigh loves a bargain and got her Michael Kors bag at the outlet for around £100. During our last visit to the designer outlet, we found some fantastic deals, so they’re well worth keeping an eye out for.
Kayleigh, who works as a retail manager at H&M, loves to shop on the high street, ‘because I’m always on the high street’. She added: “Working in fashion we get to see what comes in and what sticks, I wear a lot of black and leopard print - it's neutral!
“In terms of inspiration, old school Kim Kardashian I love, especially being slightly curvier, everyone in the media was slim and skinny so I think she was one of the first people I related to. I like a lot of street style rather than celeb style, too.”
Rachael Burke
Also heading to see The Lion King were Rachael and her mum, Andrea, who is also featured below. Like mother, like daughter, right?
Rachael, who is originally from Sheffield, loves the brand Joules as it’s ‘really good quality, timeless and lasts’. Both her hat and bag were from the chic high-end brand.
The 37-year-old talked me through her outfit, saying: “The jacket was from Warehouse 10 years ago, the bag is Joules and was in the sale for £30, the dress was £14 from Primark, and the boots are Gabor and cost about £60 in the sale.”
Rachael admits to having a large wardrobe - well, two wardrobes, actually - including eight pairs of jeans and around 30 pairs of shoes. She said: “This is a toned down outfit for me because I really like colour, it’s not too cold today so I got the leather jacket out and built this outfit around that. My wardrobe is quite chaotic, mum jeans, skinny jeans, jumpers - I just like to be comfortable. I have around eight pairs of jeans and 30 pairs of shoes - which isn't as many as my mum, but I like to have options!”
Andrea Burke
Rachael’s mum, Andrea - who, I must say, certainly doesn’t look old enough - is also a fashion fan, and keeps all of her clothes even if they’re 20 to 30 years old. The 60-year-old fashionista offered up some fashion advice, before telling me where everything was from.
She said: “Go with what you feel best in, a lot of people follow fashion and I think you should find your own style identity. You can always add something to an outfit to make it your own.
“I know what goes together and I have a lot of clothes and shoes I like to mix and match. I have some that are 20 and 30 years old and it all comes back into fashion.”
Andrea wore a scarf from Pure Cashmere and a woollen hat to brave the chill. She also styled a polo neck top with a skirt from M&S which had a leopard print self-coloured pattern to it, adding texture to the look. She said: “I’ve had this skirt for at least ten years. M&S quality is amazing! My leather jacket was handmade in Greece in a little shop by an older lady who measures you up and makes them by hand, I also have a red one.
“I love this weather and wrapping up a bit. It’s nice to get your boots out - these ones are Joules, my daughter bought me these. I like all seasons and that’s what’s great about this country - we get it all!”
Find more stories about the Manchester Christmas Markets here:
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New and unusual food we found at Manchester Christmas markets 2022
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Manchester Christmas Market stalls defend BIG price hikes for sausage and booze
Natalia Dovhan
Stylish city worker Natalia was taking a break from her job at Manchester’s Hyatt Hotel and taking a peek around the markets. The 42-year-old, from Leyland, Lancashire, loves Italian fashion and reputable brands.
She wore a fluffy teddy jacket which she bought in Italy for £200, with some Reiss jeans which cost £100. She purchased her boots in Portugal, while her bag is the popular brand Russell and Bromley.
Natalia said: “I used to like Instagram, in Covid times there were a lot of nice new pages that opened because people had a lot of free time so I liked to look on there at fashion.
“I love going to Italy to shop and then bring it all back over as it’s a lot cheaper. I like a bit of something colourful, I have a fantastic lavender coat and everyone asks me where I got it, and it was only from Zara. Sometimes it comes back into stock and it always sells out again.”
Hannah Schofield
Manchester resident, Hannah, aged 21, brought her boyfriend along to scout out the market for the best food spots. I was sure to tell her the best place to pick up a bratwurst, from our extensive guide here.
She said :”I love a cosy look, my wardrobe is quite on trend and in style, we’ve just got here so we’ve stopped for food straight away and opted for halloumi fries and I’m off to get a bratwurst now.”
Hannah wore a Primark coat which was £25, with a H&M sale skirt for £6, Primark tights, Dr Martens and a top from H&M which was £16 in the sale.
Hannah added: “I like to look on TikTok, there’s loads of content on there and I love when people do 'come get dressed with me' styling videos.”
Read next:
- The festive lights events you can book now across Greater Manchester and Cheshire
- All the confirmed Christmas events taking place in Manchester for 2022
- Why Manchester Christmas Lights Switch-on event is OFF for 2022
- UK's biggest outdoor and indoor heated Winter Festival returning to Manchester
- Places to go ice skating in Manchester for Christmas 2022
