What do cool people wear in London?

[slipperyeel]

On the back of the rich people thread... what do cool people wear in London? Which brands? Any good Instagram recommendations?

I think the answer to this at the moment is sweaty Betty leggings, a big coat and Nikes but any other ideas would be great!

Why would cool people want to give away their cool sources?

Depends on what your definition of cool is.
Some people might think they're the epitome of cool and others might think they're tossers.
It's a fine line

Cool people are not a homogenous group, nor are they likely to have a style that is easily replicable. Unless you mean trendy/ hipster rather than genuinely cool?

Its attitude not clothing that makes people cool.

I think if you have to ask, you’re probably not cool 😉 (no offence meant!)

People wear what they like in London which makes it such a great diverse and tolerant place to live

@fourturnings almost certainly true!

There are probably at least fifteen different cool tribes in London with very different looks. We might need a bit more info.

Cool also changes

At one point it was a pair of oversized old dickies dungarees

That is no longer the case

The hipster set are seen wearing short trousers and bare ankles so even if that might be seen as cool to some I’d personally avoid the look to prevent having cold ankles this time of year

I think yesmelady has it right, there is a fabulous freedom to the way people dress in London which always makes it interesting to be there and people-watch.

Come on guys be a bit more helpful! . I remember coming back from a very beautiful, but somewhat rural and left behind part of the country , getting on the tube and noticing how stylish people looked ( granted the contrast with the place I’d just come from was part of it).

I’m not cool, I think maybe I briefly was at some point in the90s.
It’s partly attitude, posture, not being overweight ( controversial I know, or if you are OW, really dressing for your shape and maybe choosing quality textiles, colours that suit etc).
Not sure what the brands are, I think it’s maybe more knowing what suits you, not slavishly following fashion, dressing for your shape etc. Sorry if this isn’t as helpful as you were hoping.

OP, no one is ever going to be perceived as cool just because they buy a particular brand of clothing. (At least, not once they're older than 15!)

I find people cool because they can write poems I could never write, compose music I could never imagine, bear indescribable hardship with grace, act with generosity without seeking acclaim ... They might begin a stellar artistic career at 70, live for decades in a houseboat on the Thames, they may or may not care about clothes - but you can't order the quality of being them on the Internet.

Be yourself. That's supremely cool.

& Other stories. Arket. Uniqlo. Lots of neutral colours and tonal outfits. Beanies and big scarves. Sunglasses, ideally designer! Lululemon leggings and big knits. Chunky boots.

I can’t imagine leggings ever being seen as cool

When I think about it, I base my perception of how cool someone is by how weird they look

Weirder outfit = Cooler person

& Other stories. Arket. Uniqlo

I think these are generally too middle of the road to be cool - although I think a cool person could find pieces there.

A washable face mask.

Kind of embarrassed I asked now

It was a little bit of a tongue in cheek question based on some of the conversations on the “what do rich people in London wear”.

Thanks to those who tried to answer me. Am whiling away difficult days thinking about clothes and fashion as an escape from everyday life.

@whataboutbob

I will try to be helpful but it’s a tricky question to answer. Firstly I’m not cool myself. My friend is a version of cool and she dresses primarily from Monki, H&M and Zara and charity shops. She just has a way of putting pieces together that looks different. At the same time she is not “ try too hard” If I wore the same clothes I would still not be cool. Other tribes in London will shop in specific brands I guess. Hipsters love vintage and second hand. It’s not really about the brands really it’s about the attitude. That being said the brand I actually immediately thought of was Folk but looking at the pieces I’m not sure whether I was influenced by being on Lambs Conduit Street which has a number of cool & independent retailers ( and a cool Japanese hairdresser). The other brand I love is Studio Nicholson. The clothes of both those are really quite simple though - it’s a good lesson in styling.

@slipperyeel

Sorry it’s not an easy answer.

I think it was a perfectly reasonable question op. I've always been a bit sceptical of this famed 'anything goes' London tolerance and some of the replies on this thread have done little to shake that.

Not you Divebar

From pre-Covid times freelancing in London creative agencies, you can break it down into lots of different subtypes.

Lots of mid-20s people in ad agencies had very similar looks IMO: women had bobs or long hair, culottes or straight jeans, chunky trainers, hoop earrings, big coat, men wore jeans and sweatshirts or cropped trousers, fisherman beanies and short back and sides. Scandi-style or sportswear influences.

OP in your post you mentioned Sweaty Betty leggings, big coat and Nikes so you might like the brand Weekday or take a look at Emma Hill on Insta. Bit pricier but Acne might also suit.

Fashion agencies - way more eclectic - mullets galore, dyed hair, lots of piercings, charity shop or home-made clothes mixed with designer stuff. I worked with (IMO) a very cool woman who was half-Ghanian and half-Swedish and she had a whole 1960s flared trousers and wax-printed shirt thing going on with a heavy fringe and neon eyeliner.

Agree with Flo it's a reasonable question and it's reminded me how much I miss outfit spotting...

Hope some of this is helpful!

Sorry can’t help, my only thought was “mostly Sweaty Betty leggings”.