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.
Now, coats and baggy pants aside, Sweden has several well-known exports that all fashion-conscious men and women should be aware of. First and most importantly, the largely popular and expansive clothing store Hennes and Mauritz has basically immersed the Western world in Swedish fashion. Recognize the name? The store operates as H&M. By continuously bringing in hip, stylish clothing at extremely affordable prices, H&M has been able to secure a spot in the heart of today's teens and young adults. A small stroll around their store will open your eyes to a different style of clothing and design.
Furthermore, Sweden's premiere luxury brand export bears the name Johan Lindeberg, the designer who, exactly 10 years ago, left the clothing company Diesel to create his own more upscale and chic label. His brand operates under the name J.Lindeberg, or JL, and recently released an admirable fall lineup. He took the opportunity to experiment with high waist lines, mesh sweaters, long shirts, wide-bottomed pants and great dragging overcoats - all with fantastic success.
And of course, on a less fashion-related note, the famous blue and yellow department store that we college students love so much originates in Sweden. The privately owned Ikea is the headliner of affordable modern architecture and design, with its expansive stores, which carry everything from beds and couches, to the mugs and plates sitting on your coffee table. Ikea, like H&M, has benefited from its innovative and fresh designs, rendering itself a household name that parallels sophisticated interior design.
Whether you find the Swedish fashion scene irresistible or not, it is important to recognize the theme here. All of the glossy images of men and women we see must originate from some place. Sometimes it is the inspiration from the designer's native land or the designer's interpretation of a foreign land that results in the style. And other times, it is from necessity. Rainy British weather resulted in the long overcoats and trenches that Burberry embosses on their posters; Russia's Siberian temperatures inspired the large wool coats and furs that are popular within the hip-hop music scene. Wherever you look to for fashion and inspiration, find the look that fits you best. Though it is good to carry a breadth of styles, wearing those that don't fit your body or style will never make you look your best. Find your style, keep to it and experiment within it.
