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Tag archives for AW 2011

Oh! You Pretty Things

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Josefin Strid A/W 2011

My husband’s parents and aunt and uncle have been in town. They loved Stockholm – the sights, the food, the cleanliness compared to England – but all they could talk about by the end of the trip was how they were having a hard time distinguishing between the men and women. It seems as though Stockholmers are an androgynous bunch.

I can understand their confusion. From what I can see, Swedish males wear much slimmer silhouettes than their Anglo counterparts. They aren’t afraid to show a bit more skin either (low-neck t-shirts or tailored shorts way above the knee, for instance). And in terms of personal grooming, there are hordes of guys with artfully styled hairdos versus what I can only deem as “functional” in England. In short, Swedish men are “pretty.”

The females, on the other hand, aren’t adverse to voluminous pieces that happen to de-emphasise their “womanly” curves. Or what the Black Eyed Peas lovingly refer to as “Lady Lumps.” But I digress. Sweden is also home to “difficult” items of women’s clothing such as flatforms (flat platform shoes), maxi-length skirts and boxy coats. When donned, it looks like a statement – deliberate or otherwise – against the need to look “sexy.”

I believe this “confusion,” however, is accurately representative of Sweden’s progressive attitude towards gender equality. Notions of “male” and “female” roles and qualities are not so black and white here. Or quite the polar opposites. I personally don’t like to buy into gender stereotypes either. Hence all the quotation marks I’ve been using.

Which brings me to fashion’s current fascination with androgyny. Yes, this season several women’s collections showed full-on trouser suits, brogues and ties (Dolce & Gabbana and Paul Smith leap to mind), while Jean Paul Gaultier and Rick Owens are still trying to advance the idea of skirts for men. But whereas female models looking boyish is nothing new (Stella Tennant, Agyness Deyn), people are now talking more and more about Lea T (the transgender model and muse of Givenchy’s designer Riccardo Tisci) and Andrej Peijic (“the prettiest boy in the world”).

Ubi Sunt S/S 2012 (photo: Kristian Löveborg, courtesy of ASFB)

Swedish designers are doing their part, too. Josefin Strid showed skirts for A/W 2011 and even dresses for S/S 2012 – for men. Ubi Sunt employs a type of draping that is usually reserved for womenswear. But perhaps it’s not as primitive as simply “borrowing” elements from the opposite gender. Because another strength of Swedish fashion is its unisex nature. Universal, even. So as androgyny continues to capture the imagination of designers, watch Swedish fashion become an even stronger point of reference. Fashion for all!

Sabrina Shim - Fashion

September 3, 2011

Home Swede Home

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A typical Swedish look? The Local Firm A/W 2011

“You’re not from around here, are you?” he asked.

“Uh, what do you mean?” I countered.

“Well, you’re wearing some pretty wild trainers.” He paused. “And too many colours.”

“Oh.”

We had only just moved to Stockholm and were out on a Saturday night getting acquainted with our new hometown, meeting new people, the whole lot. I thought that being Canadian-born, of Korean ancestry and going out with a boisterous Brit would give me away as a ‘foreigner’, but no. Apparently, it was a pair of Eley Kishimoto trainers and bright pink jacket over a printed dress that did it.

Fast forward four years and those beloved trainers sit at the back of the closet. What’s changed? Besides the inevitable – growing older, being sucked into certain trends – I’m only now realising that Sweden has actually had a profound effect on my personal style.

It is, of course, quite common to be influenced by the culture of the country you live in. Hence the crazy patterned trainers and slightly eclectic dress sense – I had lived in the UK for six years prior to the move. But in reality, my “London look” was not particularly different from my “New York look” or “Toronto look”, just revved up.

A T-shirt from my so-called London days.

Sweden, however, has changed me. Sure, the land of skinny jeans and the sea of head-to-toe black (or grey) at first made me: 1) get even skinnier jeans (Hello, Cheap Monday!); and 2) become self-conscious about my tendency towards prints and colour. But it’s the emphasis on wearability amongst the majority of Swedish labels that has affected the contents of my closet and, perhaps most importantly, my general attitude towards fashion.

I only want pieces that will work with the rest of my wardrobe. I want to be able to wear them on a daily basis. I’m tired of “occasion-dressing” and items that scream a certain season. I want timeless. I want season-less. I want good basics. Comfort is key. But I don’t want boring. I like clever design twists on classics. I love playing with proportions. “Effortless” is my byword.

Unsurprisingly, more established Swedish labels such as Acne, Whyred and Filippa K fit the bill perfectly. They’ve been advancing notions of wearability without forsaking style for years. And as they continue to expand across the globe, more and more people are cottoning on to this Swedish sensibility.

Alas, I never really abandoned my love of bright colours or prints. I’ve merely worked around it the past few years. So imagine my delight upon attending the S/S 2012 shows during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Stockholm a few weeks ago. Colour galore, and print upon glorious print. Particular standouts include Minimarket (yellow, head-to-toe florals and leopard print), Ida Sjöstedt (florals again and a delicious red) and Josefin Strid (ombre, turquoise and orange).

But if I had to pick one piece to wear straight off the runway, it was an oversized, bright pink knit hooded jumper at Carin Wester. Unlike the bright pink jacket I donned that fateful night four years ago, however, this jumper ticks all the boxes of my new “Swedified” personal style code.

Carin Wester S/S 2012 (Photo: Kristian Löveborg, courtesy of ASFB)

 

Sabrina Shim - Fashion

August 31, 2011

The J. Lindeberg woman

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CEO Jonas Meerits and designer Jessy Heuvelink at the presentation.

Last night Swedish fashion week pottered on with the presentation of J. Lindeberg’s new womenswear collection. The Swedish brand best known for it’s golf wear has only been doing a men’s collection for a few seasons, after a rebranding and relaunch in 2007.

Fair enough, it wasn’t strictly fashion week, but since J. Lindeberg is one of the Swedish brands which actually has a worldwide brand recognition, it was still an important event.

The new womenswear was presented by the designer Jessy Heuvelink and could best be described as “masculine”, with lot’s of tailored blazers, monk strap shoes and trousers. The focus was on the material and the feel of the clothes, rather than the embellishment – a strategy which might or might not work for women. I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal about how women should shop like men, buying comfortable clothes rather than, well, clothes that are uncomfortable.

J. Lindeberg seem to think there is such a market, since their materials were exquisite and soft. It wasn’t exactly a sexy collection, but rather clothes for women who are perhaps more focused on their own wellbeing than being on display. (Not that there’s anything wrong in wanting to attract attention.)

At the very least it is an option I definitely think should be open to women. I can only imagine what it would be like to have to walk around in uncomfortable but fashionable clothes all the time.

Daniel Björk - Fashion

February 9, 2011

Hope’s diversity gamble

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The models for Hope's AW 2011 collection.

Hope, a brand that won the prestigious Guldknappen (Golden button) award last year, this season decided to make do without a catwalk. One of the designers, Stefan Söderberg, told me at the presentation of their collection film, that after their old school show a year ago  at Dramaten (the royal theatre) – with the designers themselves describing the clothes in front of a selection of journalists – they didn’t want to go back to doing a normal catwalk presentation. It just didn’t seem very fun anymore.

Instead they opted for a different approach. First of all, a movie. Secondly, they decided to work with non-professional models, ordinary people instead of the ubiquitous teenage girl mafia.

Stefan Söderberg with one of the pieces from the collection.

Doing something along these lines is tricky. After all, there’s a reason why designers use models. Ordinary people can look awkward or just not cool enough. But I think it worked here, maybe because Hope isn’t a brand that does sexy and skimpy dresses, but rather whose roots lie in outerwear.

I also think they are very adept at incorporating some kind of Swedishness into their collections, but with the movie they also show that their idea of Swedishness is very open and inclusive as the crew of the film’s ship come from different backgrounds and age groups.

A dress with a pattern inspired by traditional Swedish silver craft.

These issues are very much discussed in the fashion community at the moment, as there seems to be a certain fatigue with “too thin” and “too young” models. In Sweden – with a history of fashion bashing – legitimate concerns over the lack of diversity in fashion sometimes become a way for people to express their own mixed feelings regarding clothes and the beauty industry. But what I do like about fashion media in Sweden is this vibrant debate. People often complain about the lack of criticism in Swedish fashion, and I agree that there is too little of it. But you cannot say that there is a lack of debate. It shows that people are engaged and concerned and that they have an idea and a vision of what fashion could be –  if only it followed slightly different rules. I love this about our small fashion scene – and the only time I object and protest is when debate turns into censorship and righteousness.

Daniel Björk - Fashion

February 4, 2011