What are people wearing in London at the moment?

[bluebeardswife7]

I am off to London with ds in a couple of weeks, we are doing touristy things, Going to the theatre and seeing friends, so all quite casual. I have lost a couple of stone, but not really gained any new clothes. I fancy something a little bit less frumpy for my trip. Particularly some new outerwear, but I am open to other ideas. I am a bit skint so extra points if you find it on Vinted. I am 5'5 and currently a size 12/14. Light brown hair and just little bit blah at the moment.
So, hit me up with some ideas please.

No @Floisme, if she cares about clothes she's clearly an interloper.

She cares massively. And what's more, she notices what people are wearing. I will tell her she's a phoney.

This has turned into AIBU!

I have lived in and worked in London.
I am in London often as my sister lives there in Zone 1. I've close friends with family in London who they see often.

My definition of a 'real Londoner' is someone who is working there or lives there, or has to go to London for work or other reasons, rather than someone popping into the city now and again for social stuff.

The people I know in London aren't taking a huge amount of notice of what other people are wearing. That's completely different to saying they don't care how they themselves look.

Maybe there is a mismatch here because some posters are going on about what (young?) people wear in the evening for social stuff compared to other people who are just getting on with their daily stuff, going to work, shopping, travelling across the city to see family.

@MoveOnTheCards summed it up last night, but nobody has slaughtered her for saying this:

With respect, asking what others in a city of millions are wearing won’t really help with what makes you feel good re. Clothes. No one will notice or judge you based on what you wear (or if they do that’s their problem).

I'm currently typing a message to the organisers of London fashion week to let them know that their whole reason for being is redundant.

Because London does not give a shit what you're wearing.

Yes, someone should let them know that literally nobody dresses up any more. I'll text Selfridges too so they can close their doors. Londoners just wear old comfy clothes and won't be looking at new styles. I'm surprised they didn't already notice the complete lack of interest the local population has in clothes or style.

Mr Monkey is a real Londoner (spent the first ten years of his life living in Soho).

He is currently wearing running shorts, a t shirt he got free with a bar job in 2015 , a hoodie and trainers with no socks. Stylish devil that he is.

Here's the thing: For a lot of us, a trip to London is a bit of a treat. Maybe that's really annoying for people who live there but that's how it is. You go to places you don't normally go to and you see people you don't normally see. I totally understand wanting to look your best while you're there. I know I do.

I tend to take my favourite versions of the things I'm currently wearing plus one or two slightly dressier things. However that's probably not much help for the op because she doesn't have many clothes that fit her - as she has explained.

She's also said she doesn't know what feels good any more so just telling her to wear what feels comfortable seems particularly tone deaf.

It's an interesting one because if a person had posted that they were a bit bored with the music they were listening to, wanted to expand their range a bit and were looking for suggestions not one poster would say;

'You fucking idiot, no-one give a shit what you're listening to, everyone listens to Ed Sheeran and only provincial fools listen to Thomas Tallis'.

You'd think they were bonkers for posting on a thread that they clearly have no interest in other than the fact they have ears and can hear music.

Why does the fact people have bodies that they need to clothe compel them to comment on a thread in which someone is asking for fashion advice?

And I'm sorry @bluebeardswife7 that your thread has gone a bit sideways.

If you want to talk clothes, I'm all ears!

But if someone said they wanted to expand their listening taste and to do so wanted to know what the one thing the diverse population of London was listening to they would be questioned about the validity of the question. Which is what happened here.

Same, let's try and get back to what the op would like to talk about. That's , if you're still there op?

So you didn't read the OP at all then.

Certainly did. And the OP has nothing to do with PP that I quoted

However, if they asked what the youths of Shoreditch or the middle-class denizens of Hampstead, or the inhabitants of a central Manchester council estate, are listening to, they might get some coherent answers.

From people who cared about such things.

Because it varies, and tribalism exists.

(And yes, I could probably answer that question if you asked).

The thread title doesn't match the opening post.

What are people wearing in London at the moment?

The answer to that is "clothes".

The advice the OP was actually asking for is pretty much irrelevant to going to London.

Do you want to wear jeans or a skirt or a dress. Find the base then work round that.

If you have a skirt you like then that's a start. Same goes for jeans. Build your outfit round something you like.

I was in London the other week(it's becoming a regular thing now) and what I noticed was that anything goes but I didn't see many in flared jeans which is what people on here seem to be wearing. I was there for work so maybe week days are different, I actually wore a knitted fairisle mini skirt, boots and my wool winter coat and a fedora hat. I didn't feel out of place.

When I go in at weekends I wear jeans and trainers.

As a long time Londoner (who is incidentally originally from a northern city)

and someone who has always been interested in Fashion (and I’m probably older than a fair few on this thread)

to all the “oh shut up and stop bothering about what to wear” posters - why oh why are you commenting on a S&B thread, get back in your boxes

Londoners absolutely do care about what they wear and about being “on trend” - London does have specific vibe or style (despite it being a city of 10 million)

London is a different style vibe from Paris, Berlin, Milan and from many other cities in the UK.

OP - as several PPs have said - wide leg trousers / jeans, or leggings if you’re young, are generally what’s acceptable right now.

wool dresses

Faux fur jackets, big oversized coats, whether long wool or duvet style

oversized scarves and colourful beanies

With chelsea boots or colourful trainers you can’t go wrong

"acceptable" 😂

While I was waiting to see if the op would come back - and I hope you do op - I had another look through her earlier posts. As far as I'm concerned, this comment explains it perfectly:

Unfortunately I am overwhelmed with choice, and lost my shopping mojo when I got fatter. London used to be my playground and I would like to feel good for my visit.
Revisiting old stomping grounds, probably seeing people you used to hang out with when you felt you looked your best, feeling out of touch - if anyone can't relate to that then I can't help.

An outfit she's bought so far:
So, I have a pair of chunky Top Shop boots, some wide leg jeans with a diamanté pin stripe and a short faux fur jacket which is (ironically, a pop of burgundy) and I have just bought a cashmere jumper on Vinted.
Sounds good to me, although I'm wondering about the practicalities of faux fur if the weather in London is so mild at the moment? I can never go out without a coat though.

Lived in London since I was 14 and now nearly 70, so according to the rule you so confidently state I'm a Londoner - and as a Londoner I can confidently state that as far as I'm concerned people can call themselves what the fuck they like.

I’m going to assume you’re more interested in what women over 30 are wearing, not teenagers. So based on my daily movement between east London (cool mums) and central London (work), these would be my main observations:

Shoes: very sporty, battered trainers when not doing any sport. Chunky black boots. Chelsea boots. In my corner of east London converse are popular again.

Coats: long wool coats worn open, in black, grey or camel. Duvet coats.

Jeans: cropped wide leg or slightly baggy high waisted.

Knitted, ribbed beanie hats.

Bags: anything goes. I genuinely don’t see many people using the Uniqlo style bag outside of soft play and travelling, but I might just be immune to them now.

Other things: oversized shirts, wide leg trousers (not jeans), BIAB nails with bright colour tips, sportswear as normal clothes, slightly oversized knits - often over the oversized shirt, multiple fine gold necklaces, hoodies under a smart coat, sport socks pulled up over leggings.

Caring about what you wear, wanting to look stylish, has too long been seen as a stick to beat women with. We should reclaim vanity as something to be proud of, in the same way that being house proud isn't derided.

Have a wonderful time OP.

I've lived in Manchester, Glasgow and London and I wear the same thing now as I did in the previous two places. I notice no difference in what everyone else wears either. I mean, if you go to a chilled pub or relaxed eatery it's casual clothes but if a nice bar or restaurant then people dress up. I really don't get why everyone things we are like a different breed down here.

That's exactly what people are wearing in the city I live in which isn't London. Although I can't identify trainer brands and I never notice nails.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with caring about clothes.

You can watch YouTube street style/fashion videos for major cities around the world. (I love a nosy) Gives lots of good ideas anyway. 🙂

The French people I know aren’t like that. My French friend who lives here wouldn’t say anything either. They might think it, but not say it.