City by City, Look by Look
The first thing I notice when I arrive in a new city is what people are wearing. Not the landmarks. Not the restaurants. Not even the tourist attractions.
There’s something about watching people walk past that tells you everything you need to know about a place. The way they put outfits together, the colours they gravitate towards, the pieces they wear over and over again. Before I understand a city’s culture, I feel like I can see it.
The more I travel, the more I realise that fashion is never just fashion. A city’s street style is shaped by its people, its pace, its weather, its history, and the lifestyle that comes with living there. New York dresses differently from London. Mumbai dresses differently from Tokyo. Not because one city is more fashionable than another, but because each place values something different.
Maybe that’s why I find street style so fascinating. It’s less about trends and more about people. Because sometimes the quickest way to understand a city is simply to look at what it’s wearing.
Los Angeles
If there is one thing LA girls are going to wear, it’s a crisp white tank top. Somehow it works with everything. Oversized sweatpants for a morning matcha run, vintage denim for lunch, capris for dinner, or a polka-dot skirt when they’re feeling a little more playful. Nobody does effortless quite like Los Angeles.
The city feels permanently stuck between a Pilates class and a photoshoot. Matching workout sets, oversized sunglasses, trainers, slick buns, glossy lips, and a yoga mat tucked under one arm are practically part of the uniform. And is it even LA if you don’t spot someone walking around with under-eye patches or pimple patches on? In most cities, that would be reserved for the privacy of your home. In LA, it’s just another accessory.
But there is also a softness to the way girls dress here. Butter yellow, coral pink, turquoise, cherry red, and Tiffany blue regularly find their way into outfits, making the city feel brighter than most fashion capitals.
What I love most about LA style is that it never looks like it’s trying too hard. One girl is wearing oversized sweatpants and a tank top, another is wearing kitten-heel flip-flops with capris and tiny sunglasses, and somehow both look equally cool. It is polished without being polished, relaxed without looking lazy, and confident without needing anyone else’s approval.
New York
New York girls dress like they have somewhere to be.
Unlike LA, where everything feels a little softer, New York style has an edge to it. The city practically runs on black. Black coats, black boots, black blazers, black sunglasses. Even the most casual outfit somehow looks intentional. You’ll spot girls rushing through the city in oversized blazers, vintage leather jackets, perfectly tailored trousers, straight-leg denim, loafers, and trainers that have probably walked more miles than I have.
What I love most about New York is that nobody seems interested in looking effortless. Looking cool is enough. There is something incredibly chic about seeing a girl carrying an iced coffee in one hand, her headphones in, wearing a long coat and looking as though she’s late to something important. The city has a way of making even the simplest outfits feel iconic.
And if you spot someone wearing an I heart NY T-shirt, just know they’re probably a tourist. New Yorkers tend to wear the city rather than announce it. Their style feels less like a souvenir and more like a state of mind.
London
I don’t think any city does chic quite like London.
There is something about London girls that always looks so put together, even when what they are wearing is actually quite simple. A white tank top, a maxi skirt, a pair of Havaianas, oversized sunglasses, and somehow it looks like an outfit you’ll save to Pinterest immediately.
When summer finally arrives, the city seems to fill with floaty dresses, cotton skirts, ballet flats, jorts, linen pieces, and the kind of white dresses that look as though they belong on a holiday in the South of France. Everything feels light, effortless, and incredibly elegant. Even the most basic outfit somehow has personality.
What I love most is that London girls never seem desperate to stand out. They know exactly who they are. One girl is wearing a black slip skirt and sandals, another is wearing a huge white dress that looks suspiciously like a nightgown, and both look equally chic. Nobody is chasing trends. They’re just wearing what they like and somehow making everyone else want to wear it too.
Mumbai
Is it even Mumbai if you’re not absolutely melting in the heat whilst still somehow wearing ten accessories?
That’s what I love about Mumbai. The city refuses to let the weather win. You’ll be eating pani puri on the side of the road, grabbing pav bhaji at midnight, stopping for an ice gola, sitting in traffic for an hour, and somehow still see a girl wearing stacks of bangles, chunky gold jewellery, oversized hoop earrings, and enough accessories to make the outfit twice as interesting. And of course, after the ice gola, the lip gloss is being reapplied immediately.
Mumbai isn’t a city that believes in minimalism. It believes in personality. One girl is wearing a kurti with jeans and jhumkas, another is wearing a crochet top with a maxi skirt, and somebody else is wearing a baby tee, low-rise denim, a beaded bag, and layers of jewellery. There are patterns, colours, textures, and accessories everywhere. Gold is practically part of the city’s dress code.
What I love most is that fashion here feels fun. Nobody seems afraid of taking up space. The outfits are bold, expressive, and completely unapologetic. Whilst other cities are busy convincing everyone that less is more, Mumbai is happily proving that more is more.