Does Where You Live Dictate Your Style?

graziacover.jpgWhen this week's Grazia magazine floated into the office it created more than just a bit of a stir. Their feature article 'North versus South' asked residents of Liverpool, London, Manchester and Brighton what their style was and if they believed that their part of the country was the most fashionable. And according to their story it seems that where you live really does dictate what you wear.


Do you agree? We want to hear what you think!

Grazia found that...

coleenmccloughlin.jpgIf you're from Liverpool... Then the look is WAG-inspired. Your style heroines are Coleen McCloughlin and Victoria Beckham and your favourite labels are Chloe, Missoni and Matalan. "My look disco glam. Here in Liverpool everyone seems to want to be just like the WAGs," claims one Liverpoolian.

If you're from London...
Then the look is "Hectic-electic" where there are apparently no rules with Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and Daisy Lowe your style icons. "London style is about being yourself. Northern girls are so glam, so considered," says Fiona Burns a London fashion editor.

If you're from Manchester...
Then the style is "Prom plus one" - quirky, glam, red lipstick. Manchester is supposedly a vintage mecca where stars such as Anna Friel and Sara Cox are held high on a fashion pedestal. "Manchester girls go for an individual look - unlike London style, which can be a bit cloney," says Katie Wright, a Manchester resident.

uglybetty.jpgIf you're from Brighton...Then your style is "Geek chic" where Ugly Betty is a direct inspiration. "I'm into second-hand chic. Compared to up north, the Brighton look is really edgy," says student, Harriet Cory.

Tell us what you think. Is this really the case or is it generalising?

Does Where You Live Dictate Your Style? - Comments

  • Megan

    I live in Manchester - and no way would I say true Manc style in "Individual"!!! I bet they interviewed students in Manchester - they are the only ones who have time to faff about in the morning and scrunch up their hair and put funny layers on but most women - WORKING WOMEN, I would say are quite subdued fashion wise - jeans, dark trousers, occasionally bright jackets. Pretty down to earth. Londoners seem a lot cooler in comparison, they don't necessarily wear mini dresses and heels on a night out whereas Mancs will take any opportunity to dress up - well it is quite grim up north!

  • Ada

    While I do not live in England, i can totally agree with the statement that location can dictate fashion. I live in northern California and have noticed the difference between SoCal and NorCal dressing. SoCal people tend to follow Hollywood fashion, as they do have more boutiques like Kitson and Intuition. In the north, especially with people younger than 25, there is this movement called "Hyphy" which is really a twisted version of urban dressing. It has its own music (rappers Keak da Sneak and E-40 have put it on the map), dressing ("Stunna shades and baseball caps), and nightlife. I have noticed a total mingling of runway fashion and hyphy dressing among the girls. With the boys, most are either dressing urban or rocker. But we are in the Bay Area, California so we still wear our skate shoes and surf-inspired jewelry.

  • tasha

    Got to agree with the post above, the women from london all worked in the fashion industry, most of them very high up-i remember that one of them worked on POP magazine, whilst the girls from Liverpool seemed pretty ordinary. I think Grazia's been pretty biased in who they chose. Besides, these are major cities with millions of inhabitants. How can you possibly make a judgement about their style using 5 examples?

  • What about Birmingham?

  • I thought it was funny that the people from London were all fashiony people - buyers, stylist etc (can't remember exactly what they all did, but it was those kinds of jobs) - while the Mancs were mainly students and non-meedja types. Didn't quite seem fair to compare (although I thought the Mancs looked by far the best and most individual)

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