Swedish Fashion Women's Edition: Hippie Tres Chic

I know I mostly whine about Swedish fashion here, and my inability to find nice staple pieces that aren't ubertrendy – but there is a style of Swedish fashion that I Love Love Love.

The problem is? Ouch on the price. And I really cannot excuse buying more than the occasional on sale item from these shops. (OK – truth be told? I'm a little stingy with money, esp. on clothing. I like to spend it on travel instead).

Back in the day I was a total crunchy granola hippie. These days, not so much. I'm in the corporate world and I don't completely identify with the 'crunchy mama' movement – if you don't know what that is, congratulate yourself and move on.

Back in the late 90's I mostly made my own clothes. Lots of patchwork. Lots of flowy dresses. Lots of colors. (Think Lena Ph  meets Grateful Dead)

I would like to find some clothing that embraced the essence of that look, without looking like I made it myself. And I'd rather not look like I just came off the road from Phish 1995 summer tour.

This is why I really love the store Noa Noa (I suspect Noa Noa is Danish – but 'skit samma')

If I had a little more money, or was less of a cheapskate I would shop there ALL the time. The clothing is pretty good quality and I love the look.

The average price of a pair of pants at Noa Noa will set you back almost 100$ and the dresses are usually around $200. Nice for a nice occasion, but not really what I want to spend on day-to-day wear.

Then there is Gudrun Sjoden – I drool over her catalog's fab photography and lovely clothing. Sjoden's prices are also above my usual price point – but I am not as sad about that as Noa Noa. I can not, for the life of me, find anything that has a flattering fit to it on me. I fall into the small side of Gudrun's range and they all end up looking like potato sacks. The items here usually start at 150$ per separate.

Then there is Odd Molly. This is the thing that upper middle-class mothers wear ALL the time. While I like the idea of Odd Molly, often times the clothing looks like the stuff I used to sew. And it comes with a 200$ price tag.

I used to make nicer shirts than this – these cost about 120$. Mine sold for 20$.

See, if I was going to spend 200$ on a dress, I would be buying a dress from Winter Kate, which is American, not Scandinavian. I admit, I loathe Nicole Ritchie, but I love these dresses. 

I think the moral of this post is that I, as an aging ex-hippie, find it difficult to pay designer prices to dress like a flower child. Also, now you know, I am cheap.

I also will point out that most of these companies have a great values system - fair labor practice and organic materials, which I really support. I also have no problem with the fact that quality clothes cost more. I get it. That's why I appreciate these labels, but I still cannot afford them. 

Thank goodness for H&M

Swedish Classic Design: Kånken

                                                                            photo from fjallraven

One of my absolute favorite little classic Swedish things, which still remains super Swedish for me, is the Kånken bag.

Kånken is designed and sold by Swedish outdoor company Fjällraven. They are known for their high quality (read: high priced) outdoor gear, that any Swedish hiker or outdoorsy wannabe wears year round.

I remember Kånken from my childhood, I had my first when I was about 8. And it used to be if you spotted Kånken on the streets of NYC you knew, 'There goes a Swede!'

So a few weeks ago The Swede and I went to see the 'not-so-new' Sophia Coppola movie, Somewhere. And although I loved the movie and couldn't wait to discuss it, the first thing out of mouth was 'Did you see? Did you see she had a Kånken?”

Because the little girl in the movie carries a yellow Kånken wherever she goes.

                           Somewhere Trailer Still and Promo Photo from ellefanning.com

I created some wonderful Swedish backstory for her in my head. It was entirely plausible that the character had a Swedish mother, but it was never mentioned.

Oh well. I was also pleasantly amused that not only can you now order Kånken from J. Crew, but they are also significantly CHEAPER than buying your Kånken in Sweden. I know, the crown is high right now. But the last time I bought a Kånken here it was 600 SEK. So even with a higher crown, thatäs a pretty damn good price, J Crew.

Guess I know where I will be buying my next Kånken!

Swedish Fashion Women's Edition: The Pleat Is ON!

As I preface practially every fashion post with – I am really the wrong person to write about fashion. I really don't care much for it at all. And this Spring season my love for fashion continues to wane, because the higher echelons of the fashion world have decided to punish the pleabs and inflict us with terrible terrible spring looks.

Walking down the streets in my neighborhood it is apparent, this spring, the pleat is back.

 (photo from Gina Tricot)

(Photo from Kapahl)

Now if you are like me, you didn't really miss the pleat. The pleat makes 99% of us look fat and does really strange things to the crotch. There has been no point in the last 15 years since I bought my last pair of pleated pants that I went 'Golly gee, I wish Pleated pants would comeback, how I miss them.

Although some of the tops this season look cute, and are hopefully designed to hide the dreaded pleats, it looks like I will not be filling my wardrobe with anything other than cheap (thanks low dollar) finds from the US this spring.

I think I will call my look 'sustainable fashion' or 'fashion recycling' as I dig out my rundown jeans and cords.

I am sadly struck by the thought that now 'Mom pants' with pleats and terrible waistlines have been replaced and are now my terrible old jeans and cords

Maybe summer will be better?

Swedish Fashion - Women's Edition - Why?

OK, so I had planned another subject for today, but then I stumbled upon these beauties while 'inbetween days' sale shopping, and I couldn't resist. (note: These in-between day sales - after Christmas but before New Years - are shocking in their sheer lack of savings - stores advertise 20% off things like Christmas stockings and ornaments - electronic shops raise their prices and then advertise - 15% off the hiked prices)

I do realize that fashion horrors can be a global phenomenon and not just a Swedish one. And unlike some of my other fashion finds - I have not actually seen these on any living, breathing Swedes, yet.

But this is an example a la Vera Moda.

Vera Moda is a shop you can find at any mall in Sweden, in most medium size and large cities. They sell women's fashion – target audience women from the age of 15-72 – trendy but not particularly expensive. I admit that I occasionally will find an item or two of clothing at Vera Moda. I don't know if that is a vote for or against them.

If you could imagine a poorly named fashion item, say, a pair of pants, which would tempt you by its surprising honesty – I think you would be hard pressed to find a fashion item as aptly named as the pair of pants I would like to present to you as exhibit A. 

Lump Antifit Bling Pants – before you click on the picture, take a moment and imagine this in your mind's eye.

Were they as horrible as you imagined? Better? A relief?

Would the sale price entice you?

Only in Sweden? Or for the fashion handicapped everywhere?

Swedish Fashion - Men's edition- 35+

OK, so last week we took a look at the uniform of the Swedish woman, so what about her male counterpart? Well, unlike female fashion, male fashion does seem to fit into two age groups. I will put the line at 35 years old, but I do suspect this could be shifted a little closer to 30.

The Swedish male faces quite a dilemma when it comes to the fashion front. Unlike much of the rest of the world, the suit is frowned upon in Swedish male fashion. It is considered stodgy, old-fashioned, and way to formal. So what does the Swedsih male wear to appear professional, serious, but still approachable and 'non-hierarchical'?

The answer that the Swedish working world seems to have arrived at is: jeans and a v-neck sweater or a polo shirt.

(A Ralph Laren ad that captures the typical Swedish look)

Yes, this simple attire can be seen on most male office workers – from engineer, to CEO.

The trick is simple, in winter, men should sport a comfortable pair of jeans, not too tight, not too baggy. And they should wear a warm v-neck sweater sweater with a logo on the chest. In the summer, a polo shirt will do. Ideally these sweaters should be red, green, blue, or yellow. If you are working in a University environment, black would also be acceptable.

These sweaters or shirts should be brand name. The most acceptable are Ralph Lauren Polo and Gant. Lacoste is also common in the spring/summer season. However, I would suspect that as long as your shirt had an logo of sorts on the chest, no one would question you too much. If they do, just tell them that you had it tailor made for you on a trip to Thailand.  

Swedish Fashion - Women's Edition -Everyone else is wearing it and you will, too!

OK I am a bit hesitant to say much about Swedish fashion – mostly because the Swedes are considered a rather fashionable folk – and I am far from being a fashionista. But since I have to live and breathe Swedish fashion daily, I am going to weigh in on the subject.

In someways Sweden seems it might be the ideal place for the non-fashionista. Mostly because, when something is fashionable in Sweden, it is ALL you find here. From the high-end shops, to the racks of H&M, there is no avoiding the trends of the season, if you choose to do any shopping that season.

It goes so far that if you are invited to an event which requires fancy-dress, and dresses are not in style that month, you might be able to find 3 dresses in your size to choose between, in the whole town. And none of them will be simple and black. Thank god for the internet.

And it does not matter your age – everyone wears the trend of the moment, irregardless of its age inappropriateness. Let's take one of last season's looks, the 'Whoops I forgot my pants' look which consisted of a pair of leggings and an extra large men's shirt. Not only would you find this look at your local high school, you could also find it on your 20 something receptionist, your 40 year old project manager, and your 65 year old grandmother.

And let's be frank here, there are very few people that manage to pull off this look successfully. I know. I tried. Because 'Whoops I forgot my pants' is a deceptively easy look for the new mother who doesn't fit into their pre-pregnancy jeans. And I say deceptively easy because you feel great until you see the photographic evidence.

So, if you love trends -Sweden is the place for you. If you are trying to create 'your own look,' it might take a bit more leg work. I've learned over the years that when I like a season's trend to stock up, because there might not be anything I like for awhile. This year there seem to be a lot of flower prints ala when I was 16, and some pretty scary stone-washed jeans. Looks like my wallet will be getting a break this spring. Thank god I fit into those old jeans again.