Carnaby Street’s best dressed: 5 Londoners on their fashion inspo and biggest style faux pas

By Jennifer Raymont

Updated May 25, 2023 at 11:20 AM

Reading time: 4 minutes

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Images by SCREENSHOT

When it comes to Londoners, the pavement truly is their runway. While the finance bros flock to Canary Wharf in their Schöffel jackets, the Depop girlies head to Brick Lane in Shoreditch to find their latest vintage steal.

With London College of Fashion just around the corner, the iconic pedestrianised Carnaby Street in Soho doubles up as stylish students’ go-to lunch spot. SCREENSHOT popped on the Central line to ask them to dish the dirt on how their impeccable sense of fashion developed.

Name: Jacob West
Age: 26
Occupation: Social media manager
Social Media: @cowboysgetthebblues (Instagram), @geminiszn4ever (TikTok)

“Well, my coworker described it the other day as raw archival. I thought, ‘oh, that’s a big compliment’. In my personal opinion, it’s very boy-next-door. My style icons were the Disney Channel boyfriends. So I have that Orange County, Justin Bieber swoop whole vibe—very chill. I’d definitely describe myself as a tomboy, which is kind of funny because I am, technically, a boy. But I always feel more on the femme side internally. So, I’m just a boy who’s a tomboy.”

“I’d definitely say the late 90s and early 2000s. I used to dress a lot more outrageously and be more into the Paris Hilton aesthetic, but now I’m 26, I’m a bit over the hill. So I decided to mute it down a little bit, and that’s now developed into this boy-next-door look.”

“There’s been a few. I’ve never really felt embarrassed about things I’ve worn because I don’t allow myself to get cringed out but it’s mostly beauty trends, like colourful hair. I had the King Kylie 2014 mermaid hair, it was bad. I used to wear a smudged smokey eye basically every day and, at the time, I was interning at a magazine. So I was going into my pretty buttoned up corporate office and I literally looked like I’d pulled out of the club. Looking back, that was a bit much.”

“Throwaway fashion. I try to shop very consciously and sustainably, not necessarily in terms of only shopping ethical brands, but I shop with a purpose. I hate this trend of buying something for a particular occasion or outfit. Fast fashion, get in the bin!”

“I love that the general masses are becoming more comfortable with dressing a bit outrageously or provocatively. I feel like the masses are cooler now than they were a few years ago, which is probably the influence of TikTok. I admit it’s a bit of a carbon copy of each other but if the trends that are trending are a bit cool I like that, like the kitten heels and baggy jeans, that’s a cool trend.”

Name: Sophia Snowdon
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Social media: @sophiasnowdon (Instagram)

“Bella Hadid, off-duty—super casual, nothing crazy. I’d also say there’s some Scandinavian influence there.”

“I’d have to say Bella Hadid and Scandi influencers again! I also go to London College of Fashion and so I see so much inspiration going there on a daily basis.”

“I think probably fast fashion. I used to wear a lot of SHEIN in the past, which isn’t great. I definitely joined in with all of the lockdown boredom hauls. I look back on it now and it was really awful, but I’ve moved on.”

“Controversial, but I really don’t like the lacy, coquette style. I’m not a fan of it, I can’t get behind it.”

“Baby tees, always, I love it. You can go to Barcelona and get a baby tee, you can go to the shops and get a baby tee. They’re so versatile for spring, summer and winter.”

Name: Ed Poole
Age: 22
Occupation: Social media and healthcare worker
Social media: @cooleopooleo_ (Instagram), @cooleopooleo (TikTok)

“Gay. Fruity. Queer.”

“I really love House of D’Vey on Instagram. I don’t think I’ll ever get to that level of vibes, but they just have such an energy about them and a style that I’m obsessed with. I would love to have that kind of presence one day where someone looks at me and is like ‘wow, that’s what I want’.”

“This is a while back, but I never actually bought my own clothes until I was 17 or 18. I had this bright orange t-shirt that said ‘ginger rules’ and had a gingerbread man on it. I had it for four years, so when I was 17, it was obviously too small. I think someone got it for me when I was fully ginger and I loved it. Now, it’s not the one. It’s not okay. No, absolutely not.”

“I’m just a big hater of skinny jeans. I’m such a comfortable girlie, I need my comfort. I can’t be doing that with skinny jeans. Ripped, skinny jean shorts on boys—no. I’m not saying it’s a red flag… but it’s a big red flag.”

“I really love the silver sunnies that everyone’s got at the moment. I think they’re so cute. Do you know when everyone was 4 years old and had those Spider-Man glasses? It’s the adult version of them and I’m all about that. It’s so cutsie and heals your inner child.”

Name: Rodrigo
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Social media: @rodrigo.f26 (Instagram)

“In one word: black. If it’s not black, it’s dark, dark, dark grey and dark tones. I’ve just got a fully black wardrobe.”

“That’s a hard one. There’s this guy based in Paris and he wears bell bottom jeans with cowboy boots and that’s pretty much what I’ve been going for in the summer. Very 70s.”

“I’d have to say probably anything from before I started dressing in black. Looking back and seeing me wearing white is so strange.”

“I feel like this might be controversial but sneakers. I’m over sneakers, it’s time for loafers and boots. Streetwear has died.”

“It’s gotta be the baby tees.”

Name: Anna-Maria Bagdoshvili
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Social media: @wannabebrunettekatemoss (Instagram)

“I try to be as edgy as possible. When I’m walking down the street I want people to move out of the way. Because I’m naturally so soft on the inside, I want my clothes to intimidate.”

“I follow Rick Owens and I try my best to emulate something that he would like.”

“I interned during fashion week and when we were walking to one of the shows, my heel started to go. It didn’t completely break but it almost did, so I was hobbling along.”

“Parachute pants. I haven’t caved into them yet but I’m scared that I will.”

“Wide leg trousers, that’s all I own.”