Mid-August in Manchester means proud families collecting A-level and GCSE results, anything-but-uneventful weather, and some standout outfits in Wythenshawe Park. For those without tickets to one of the greatest bands of all time headlining on their birthday, Steal Their Style offers a way to enjoy these events vicariously through others.
In the Northern Quarter, the best-dressed people going about their business included Ben White, 28, bar manager of The Rat & Pigeon, sporting a heavily 1970s-inspired look.
70s-inspired looks and vintage finds
"This 70s dagger-collar polo I got from a vintage market in Chichester over the weekend when I went to visit my sister, they have a little antique and vintage fair there, £30 this was," he said.
"The jacket was from a clearance sale in Burton's when that was leaving the high street, for around £10. These jeans, a mate of mine is a vintage fashion seller, so I actually got them for free, he did me a nice solid. And then my shoes are from the same guy actually, he sent me a link to these on Vinted cause they were my size rather than his, so I got them for £9." A Marlboro pin completes the outfit.
Ben's decade inspiration comes from a formative TV show: "I watched Life on Mars when I was quite young, which one - inspired me to move to Manchester, and two - inspired me to dress quite 70s." He also cited Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Mick Jagger, and Bruce Lee for their blends of smart and vibrant style. "Basically, male celebrities in the 1970s."
"I'm currently heading to the Rat & Pigeon, I'm not actually working, just helping out ahead of a busy weekend with karaoke and football. Probably going to have a beer and enjoy the rest of my evening!"
Content creators and affordable style
A similar colour scheme was shared by Cara Kinney, 28, from Ballycastle, Northern Ireland. She explained the town's claim to fame for Aldi's country cream liqueur before detailing her outfit: "I get sent a lot of stuff, so this (sleeveless jacket) is from P&Co, which is fairly affordable. And then this (white long-sleeve shirt) is ASOS, cheap, maybe £12."
"Free People bag which has all my Aldi shopping in it, and these are like, a baggy cargo pant, would you say? They're also from Free People, not sure how much they cost, probably expensive. I literally wear them all the time, they go with everything, I rinse the hell out of them hence why they're dirty." Her shoes were On's women's Cloudsome sneakers.
Her accessories included a favourite from SOT studios for £110, another for £100 from Sketchy Bones, one from her granny, and market finds for a tenner each. Hair clips came from Primark, and sunglasses from Meller, where two can reportedly be bought for £50.
"I just feel like everyone in the streets of Manchester is a constant style inspiration. I lived in Liverpool for nine years before moving here two years ago, and I everyone dresses so cool," she said.
Gig-bound style and handmade pieces
John, 59, a software engineer who travelled from the United States to see The Cure at Wythenshawe Park, shared his outfit. "We can start with the shoes - I bought them in Kyoto Japan, and they're made of kangaroo! I think they're Australian actually..."
"The trousers are Lululemon, actually they're kind of horrible, they're made of some synthetic material that makes you sweat. They're probably the most expensive thing I've got on, $100 or something like that. They're okay, loose and everything, but I prefer natural fibre." His undershirt was from online, possibly British from Form & Thread, and the hat was an inexpensive online purchase.
In his second hour in Manchester, John noted his everyday look leaves an impression: "I'll go somewhere once, come back three months later, and they always say 'oh you wore the same thing!'" He added, "Also my girlfriend teaches art, and this look p****s her off, she says 'you're not an artist, why you going around looking like that!'"
Finally, content creators John, 24, and Ola, 25, were spotted in Albert Square. John explained that '70%' of his outfit is from Shein, down to the glasses, with exceptions of checkerboard Vans from Asos and Tommy Hilfiger socks from TK Maxx costing around £8. His style inspiration: "My favourite superstar is Jason Statham."
Ola wore a commissioned knit vest as his central piece. "This was custom made, I gave it to someone as a challenge, so she hand-made this," he said. "I value hand-made a lot. Going forward I'll be purchasing more hand-made stuff." His glasses were from Bershka, a regular long-sleeve shirt he spray-painted, trousers from Bershka, and shoes and tie from Shein.
Ola concluded on his style philosophy: "I just do my thing. It's fashion, so it's changing, it's dynamic."
