A sea of patterned sweaters, pearl necklaces, garish suits, and brunette curly locks swarmed Soho Square this afternoon.
With a cash prize up for grabs, young guys believing they bear an uncanny resemblance to one world-famous pop star went all out in a bid to be crowned the superior Harry Styles lookalike.
Alas, while there was a winner, fans of the One Direction heartthrob have been left wondering, erm, when the lookalikes were actually meant to turn up…
Earlier today, crowds swarmed the Garden Square in London to get a piece of the action, and we have to give credit where it’s due; some of the outfits weren’t half bad.
It’s clear who had studied Harry’s fashion sense and mannerisms, as several contestants had replicated some of his iconic looks, including his black baggy trousers and cropped red blazer ensemble from last year’s Brit Awards performance.
Despite being told by the internet that he looks more like Sebastian Stan, Mitch actually placed as the runner-up and received raucous cheers from the crowd.
Another donned a velvet navy suit adorned with gems, while one opted for a khaki puffer coat, black hoodie, and pink beanie in homage to one of Harry’s pandemic looks, complete with a shoulder bag from the singer’s own brand, Pleasing, for added likeness.
The only catch here is that, rather cleverly, the gentleman had covered his face with sunnies and a surgical mask so, really, he could be anyone.
One striking look that seemed to get spectators excited was a guy wearing a brown blazer with matching trousers, teamed with a pink sweater vest and striped shirt underneath.
Having clearly done his homework, he not only styled his brunette tresses into a quiff but threw up a peace sign as he stood on the podium to have his moment, a gesture pretty much synonymous with Harry by now.
Outfits aren’t everything, though, as a key part of being a lookalike is the physical features.
While none of the wannabe lookalikes were the 1D member’s double, there were certainly a few cheeky faces, endearing smiles, and dimples among entrants.
The whole thing was taken very seriously, with winners declared in multiple categories, one of which was Most Stylist. This accolade, if you can call it that, was awarded to Robert, who rocked up in a structured brown blazer and sweater combo.
As for the overall winner, though, this was Oscar, who beamed as his photograph was snapped. He gave it a good go, we have to admit, and we reckon the unruly curls clinched the victory for him.
Despite going the extra mile by painting their nails and adding curl cream to their barnets, unfortunately, the so-called Harry Styles lookalikes left much to be desired as far as social media is concerned.
Taking to X as photos from the event began circulating, user scardofmyguitar asked: ‘are the harry styles lookalikes in the room with us.’
‘This is embarrassing, none of them even look like him’, wrote ladsforwork.
Meanwhile, bbladdict joked: ‘don’t order harry styles from SHEIN’, while AnshumanSBaghel posted: ‘And the award goes to most unlike Harry looking guys ever’.
Not everyone was so clinical, though, as many found the whole thing hilarious, praising the new ‘trend’ of celebrity lookalike contests, which began when actor Timothée Chalamet crashed his own lookalike competition in New York.
Hundreds flocked to Washington Square for the event, leading to police shutting it down and even one arrest.
Flanked by bodyguards, and understandably so, Timothée was obviously loving the whole thing as he posed for selfies with curly-haired doppelgängers who had emulated looks from his movies such as Dune and Wonka.
Then, in Dublin this week, Paul Mescal lookalikes turned up in droves, thighs on full display in exposing gym gear and moustaches groomed to perfection.
But there could only be one winner, who was 25-year-old Jack Wall O’Reilly.
He took home a grand prize of €20 (or three pints), which, all things considered, isn’t bad for simply showing up in your hoodie and tiny white shorts.