Spring Break
The Swedest thing: Scandinavian fashion
Hop Couture
Issue date: 11/8/07
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Your silk shawl ruffles and swings in the calm winds. The sun is shining in your eyes. The streets are filled with people. Vendors yell and bargain in a foreign tongue. You zip up your jacket, take off your sunglasses and look out on the scene. You're in Stockholm. A beautiful and bustling city surrounded by the Baltic Sea - a place renowned for its natural beauty and, more and more, for its fashion.
Sweden is home to the blonde and beautiful, and a little-known style scene. For the modern fashionista, the perfect wardrobe integrates styles and clothing from around the world. The British trench coat, the Italian leather shoes, the French scarves and dresses, and, well, the Swedish ... what exactly? It is important to expand one's international fashion knowledge, analogous to brushing up on one's designer name knowledge, as I explained in a recent column. And here I invite you to take a trip to the streets of Stockholm with me.
Swedish style is elementally different from say, American or French style, in that geography is both a restriction and a liberty on the clothing you'll find. The cooler climates bring out the sophistication of layering that I so admire and enjoy. Flip-flops, shorts and T-shirts are out of the question. Swedes layer like kings, starting from a simple long-sleeve or collared shirt and overlaying V-necks, sweaters or hoodies and finishing with a unique coat.
Also, contrary to the tight-fitting pants and tops you'll find on the streets of Paris, the Swedish admire slouchy pants and blazers. The look is one that emulates a relaxed and laid-back mindset, perfect for the long chilly days spent walking the cobblestone streets or sailing the open sea. In Stockholm, you'll see trousers and pants of grey, brown and black, in unison with a coat or a jacket.
Once you've found yourself a basic Swedish outfit, you'll need to look for a coat to keep yourself warm. Cropped jackets and pea coats are eternal staples for burgeoning young adults, but the more experienced consumers should look to sweeping greatcoats in gray or subtle dark green. Finally, accessorize with a wool watch cap (like the ones worn by Navy sailors) and a complementing light-material shawl, wrapped around the neck several times in a drooping fashion. And now, you're ready to walk the street like a true Swede. Of course, this is fall fashion, so don't be afraid to add vibrant colors into your wardrobe for the upcoming spring season.
Sweden is home to the blonde and beautiful, and a little-known style scene. For the modern fashionista, the perfect wardrobe integrates styles and clothing from around the world. The British trench coat, the Italian leather shoes, the French scarves and dresses, and, well, the Swedish ... what exactly? It is important to expand one's international fashion knowledge, analogous to brushing up on one's designer name knowledge, as I explained in a recent column. And here I invite you to take a trip to the streets of Stockholm with me.
Swedish style is elementally different from say, American or French style, in that geography is both a restriction and a liberty on the clothing you'll find. The cooler climates bring out the sophistication of layering that I so admire and enjoy. Flip-flops, shorts and T-shirts are out of the question. Swedes layer like kings, starting from a simple long-sleeve or collared shirt and overlaying V-necks, sweaters or hoodies and finishing with a unique coat.
Also, contrary to the tight-fitting pants and tops you'll find on the streets of Paris, the Swedish admire slouchy pants and blazers. The look is one that emulates a relaxed and laid-back mindset, perfect for the long chilly days spent walking the cobblestone streets or sailing the open sea. In Stockholm, you'll see trousers and pants of grey, brown and black, in unison with a coat or a jacket.
Once you've found yourself a basic Swedish outfit, you'll need to look for a coat to keep yourself warm. Cropped jackets and pea coats are eternal staples for burgeoning young adults, but the more experienced consumers should look to sweeping greatcoats in gray or subtle dark green. Finally, accessorize with a wool watch cap (like the ones worn by Navy sailors) and a complementing light-material shawl, wrapped around the neck several times in a drooping fashion. And now, you're ready to walk the street like a true Swede. Of course, this is fall fashion, so don't be afraid to add vibrant colors into your wardrobe for the upcoming spring season.
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