Fashion observations from a day people watching in London

[Unicornsaregreat]

• Lots of different styles of jeans. Still lots of skinnies, with oversized tops
• Lots of bags like this picture
• A very large proportion of trainers were New Balance
• Those not in trainers mainly wore chunky flat or low heeled boots (no one in heels)

Love this thread! I’m in the South West and Bristol is my nearest city… younger people dress in the way OP describes, anyone older wears whatever they want. 90s patterned fleeces are in, I expect my trespass zipped fleece is not. My bag is a small rucksack. Quite fancy one of those bags in the OP, my 21 year old niece has one. I’m 40 and I have no idea where to shop, so get most of my stuff on Vinted. A definite shift in “dressing down” more since the lockdowns and don’t see heels anymore. I still have a side parting… I had a centre parting when I was younger and don’t want to go back to it! Not chance I’ll be going back to combat trousers either, last seen on me in 2000!

Wear what you like and feel your most fabulous self in. I’m 46 and spent most of my 30s trying to decide what fashion I should wear as a mum of 2. Hours spent in shops not knowing what I should wear and what would suit and being completely clueless. I now dress in what I’ve always wanted to, I dress like the youth of today, crew neck sweater, leggings with crew socks pulled up and Reebok vintage trainers (I cannot get on board with some of these platform/clunky trainers). The key is confidence, I’ve always liked the look and I’m now at a point that I don’t care what others think. This is what I like and I look good because I feel comfortable.

The Piella Bakewell look is fairly popular, ie very big lips in very bright colours, huge false eyelashes.
I feel sad that Piella came a cropper. She was a victim of false standards. However, Wallace and Gromit discussion is probably for another thread.

Can I put a people watching request in?! Does anyone work in the city ? I’d love a “lunchtime round the square mile/canary wharf” people watch.

I think the heels thing is quite interesting. I reckon 5 years ago lots of people wore trainers on the commute and then changed into heels in the office. My sense is that people can’t be arsed with that anymore and carry on wearing the trainers under their desks unless they really have to change for a meeting. Post lockdown everything seems to have gone a notch more casual. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone under about 45 wearing traditional heels in the office. Boots maybe but not proper heels. I saw someone at the station the other day in Kate milddleton style heels and she properly stood out. Had a suitcase so suggested not daily commuter.

Where I live it’s all tweed, chinos and expensive wellies 🤷‍♀️

Or wax jackets

Very rarely pop out of the local town nowadays so can’t comment on fashion

@LimeCheesecake I’ll report next week :)

I cannot get on board with the wearing of leggings and tracksuits in everyday life. To me, I'm afraid it is resolutely still 'chav'

I don't understand why joggers = chav plus are people still saying chav?

@Theos why are you being such a dick?

I'm a very individual and fashion-forward dresser.

But I do it because I like it, I don't expect everyone to be like me. I do think that people should take a few risks with dressing, just because it's fun and good for you.

I also understand that most people aren't me. So it's absolqutely ok to question oneself. That's not a bad thing. Life's a journey.

Also. My Samsung S23 update has fuxked my phone. It's gone bonkers.

I work in tech. So will be having a look. Please ignore any odd formatting.

@LadyWithLapdog - thank you! Needs to be lunchtime to avoid the “wearing this on the commute and will change at work” issue!! This is especially a footwear thing!

I do wonder about heels - agree up thread that seeing them on nights out still, but I’ve not in the day anymore, some high chunky heeled boots, but not many.

I wondered if heels are moving from day wear to evening only.

I agree. I love it when I’m out and about and see younger people looking like young people and not dressing in the same clothes that their parents and grandparents would wear. My 12 year old loves crop tops and I’m so envious of her waist. It’s that funny age though where clothes need to be age appropriate and not too ‘older teenager’ looking.

I love going to Leeds to marvel at the student dressing. Those who embrace vintage but in a really bad way. It takes me back to my student years. (I realise students probably dress like this everywhere but it is more noticeable in a small city and I tend to go to a lot of student venues).

I work in Clerkenwell (a lot of architects/designers/ showrooms for high end furniture/fabrics/carpets)
I see a lot of long tweedy coats with boyfriend jeans and trainers
Everyone under 35 (ish) has their bare ankles exposed
Duvet like coats are another favourite.
Hats of all kinds are making a "comeback"
So are trousers with braces!! Saw 2 people wearing last week
The flowy dress is a staple with blazer and chunky trainers
No heels to be seen
Very few women in "suits "
I was in Belgium last week for work and there I found a micro mini renaissance.. coupled with a thick jumper (very cute)
I people watch a lot, this thread is great.

I'm in my 60s and in the North...I own 4 pairs of NB trainers, a bag like that, I wear jeans and chunky boots.
Who knew I was so on trend

I don't think we're meant to say chav anymore but hey ho. For those of us who came of age in the early 2000s, only a certain segment of society wore tracksuit bottoms on a regular basis. There were clear connotations which will not die for me.

You don't see people in Paris or Milan wearing trackies either. To me, it's just so slovenly.

I’m a 40-sometying Londoner and I travel quite a long distance on the tube most days, going from the suburbs through a lot of central areas, so lots of time for people watching.

The overall trend I see is a massive move towards more comfortable styles of clothing and footwear for all ages.
Five years ago there were women of all ages in heels/heeled boots, carrying heavy tote bags balanced precariously on a wrist. Now it’s flat shoes/chunky boots/trainers and backpacks/cross body bags etc all the way.

I work in a large organisation with women of all ages and degrees of fashion-following, and not a single one wears heels anymore. The younger women (20-30) are daringly casual for a corporate environment and pretty much ignore the formal dress code! Big chunky DMs or flatform boots, for example, whereas nobody would’ve dared wear those to the office five years ago!

I have a teen DD who does indeed wear ‘the uniform’ of cargoes or loose jeans with crop tops . She tells me ‘some’ New Balance trainers are still ‘in’, more so for girls/women and they have to be specific models/colours. A lot of them are not cool (to teens!) anymore. Her friends are obsessed with certain niche brands that do limited edition ‘drops’ that seem to consist mostly of over-priced tracksuits, cargoes and minuscule bra tops.

You see lots of naff in Milan particularly, if we are using outdated expressions.

The perm is coming back up north. Lots of teen lads shaved back and sides with a tight perm on top slightly longer cut to one side so it kinda falls to the side over the eye

I’m calling it now: NB trainers are out. The same thing has happened to them as skinny jeans - EVERYONE has them, and once that happens, they begin to slide out of fashion

this is true definitely for the 327s, the proper chunky gym ones will still be cool as they are less wearable. I think Sambas or Gazelles are in in now, the 70s aesthetic. Also the proper hiking/practical trainers like Solomon but quite hard to pull off.

This hair for teen boys has been a thing in London for a few years, too. I think it’s on its way out though.

Yes this isn’t a new thing. I’m north and we had younger family members with this at our wedding in 2016.

And mine. I can't imagine buying my son anything that wasn't endurance wear and expecting him to actually wear it though. He's no prince George 😁

I don't think we're meant to say chav anymore but hey ho. For those of us who came of age in the early 2000s, only a certain segment of society wore tracksuit bottoms on a regular basis. There were clear connotations which will not die for me.

where did you grow up? Because I remember joggers being a thing when I was younger & people have been wearing them again as a trouser option for a few years.

You don't see people in Paris or Milan wearing trackies either. To me, it's just so slovenly.

There's bad fashion in these places too. I'm half French as is DH & I wear joggers 😱

Yes there is. Partly because making an effort is now 'naff', hence the popularity of joggers!