Having heard the audacious claim that ‘every walk is a catwalk’, Mini Smith and Xanthe Fuller, self-professed (and probably incorrectly) style correspondents, thought they would test this theory in every walk of life. Following a short and spontaneous brain-storm, Mini and Xanthe took to the most obvious catwalk of all. With long strips of grey linoleum upon which one must sashay regularly and a plethora of fashionable individuals on the hunt for their daily bread, we hit the Sainsbury’s aisles to search for the tastiest style in town, and my oh my, it was tasty.

Hannah and Beth, Sidney third years 

Has your style changed with third year?

B: I think I’ve just stopped trying as hard as I did in first year. In first year, I was very conscious of what I was wearing, but now if I like something I buy it regardless of style.

Do you have any style icons?

H: Millie Mackintosh.

How would you describe your style?

B: I pretty much just stick with black, white and grey, but I’m a big fan of pastel pink. So, everything I own is either black or pastel pink.

And finally: if your style were a supermarket item, what item would it be? We feel like you are tasty but essential.

B: Egg-noodles, ready for a stir fry!

H: I don’t know, I normally wear a lot of pink, so…

B: You’re definitely that bright pink Smirnoff sorbet.

Kate and Rosie, Catz second years 

What are you shopping for?

We’re having pizza tonight

What’s your favourite element of your outfit right now?

R: My ridiculously big pockets.

[Mini: you could fit your laptop in those!]

K: I think the flares, they’re super comfy.

How would you describe your general style?

K: I wear a lot of black, but I love red too. I’m trying to wear more colour though.

R: I’m quite colourful, a lot of blues, they’re manageable.

K: I love wearing trousers as well, I’m a big fan.

R: And layers – because the library’s going to be too hot and the Sainsbury’s aisle will be too cold.

[Mini:  So these girls are dressed for Sainsbury’s, which is very important.]

Do you have a style icon?

R: My friends.

K: Jeanne Damas and Lily-Rose Depp, she’s groovy.

And our favourite question: if your style were a supermarket item, what item would it be?

R: I’d be something practical.

K: I’m going to go for a bottle of Apérol Spritz.

[Mini: I love Apérol!]

R: I think I’m a potato. It’s good every day of the week: it can be used for a hash-brown at breakfast, roasts, fries, mashed, or dressed up posh like a dauphinoise or just bog-standard.

Kitty, Catz third year 

So, what are you wearing today?

K: I’m wearing dungarees, which actually belong to my sister’s friend, but I adopted them. I’ve had them for a few months now, I really needed to be comfortable for exams so I took them on. Then obviously gold trainers, always gold trainers.

How would you describe your style?

K: comfy.

Do you have any style icons?

K: My sister, because we always share clothes, and Ruby [the OG dungaree owner].

And finally, the jewel in our aisle style crown: if your style were an item in Sainsbury’s, what item would it be?

K: I would say the flake ice-cream, because they’re classic but delicious.

Camilla and Iris, Trinity Freshers 

How would you describe your style?

I: like every other English student.

[Xan refuted this due to the absence of doc marten]

Do you have any style icons?

I: it just happens, just dressing like a student. You can wear your pyjamas if you want to.

C: I actually want to choose Iris, she always wears really cool clothes.

I: The first day I was wearing this lime green jumper and so now I’m known as the girl in the green jumper.

[The wholesome sequel to the girl with the dragon tattoo? Or the girl on the train? We exclaimed]

C: or the girl with the green scarf from Confessions of a Shopaholic!

[10 points to Camilla for niche chick lit/flick knowledge, it may only be week two but she’s showing promise for a starred first.]

And our pièce de résistance: if your style were a supermarket item, what item would it be?

I: Giant chocolate buttons

C: Hmmm it’s all too English, I need something a bit weirder. I’m Norwegian and they don’t have it here… [much cajoling from the style correspondents] Ok I’m definitely Norwegian chocolate then.

 

A few questions, however, remained unanswered on our trip to Sainsbury’s: What item would we be? Could we ever truly find the perfect item to match someone’s style? And, most importantly, who abandoned these cookies for bourbons and these doughnuts for diet cokes? And thus, much in the style of a supervision essay, we are left with more questions than we began, and with a profound desire to delve deeper into the wardrobes and psyches of Cambridge.

 

 

 

Words and images by Xanthe Fuller (hilarious captions by Mini Smith)