Kocksgatan 17 in Stockholm
I’m a big fan of menswear. Not only do I love menswear-inspired pieces – my wardrobe is full of blazers, shirts and brogues – but I’m constantly inspired by the way stylish Swedish men in particular mix heritage or preppy pieces with edgier streetwear. And I have a sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with the carefully curated shops they frequent. So here is my list of the best menswear shops in Sweden: Read more » >>
Old Touch - "Like a delightfully chaotic apartment."
For all the talk of Swedish fashion being au courant, there are also some very good vintage shops around. And what always strikes me about Swedish-made vintage clothing is how… whimsical it is. Which makes me wonder at what point did it get so “minimalist cool”? But while I ponder these thoughts for a future blog post, here’s a (somewhat biased based on my geography) guide to the best vintage shops in Stockholm.
Lisa Larsson
Bondegatan 48
One of the best-known vintage spots in town, Lisa Larsson has built up a base of loyal customers over the 15 years-plus she has had her shop. But she is fiercely loyal to them, as well, sourcing all the leather jackets, dresses, suits, bags and shoes with them always in mind.
Beyond Retro
Åsögatan 144 / Drottninggatan 77 / Brännkyrkagatan 82
If you like to scour the racks or hunt down your vintage, then any one of these three locations will suit you to a “T” – you’ll find everything from sparkly 80s prom dresses to plaid lumberjack shirts and a wide array of denim. There’s definitely something for everyone here!
Judits/Herr Judits
Hornsgatan 75/Hornsgatan 65
Carefully selected items mainly from the 50s, 60s and 70s, buzzy atmosphere and a good range of pre-loved modern-day designer pieces make Judits (womens) and Herr Judits (mens) an essential stop on the vintage trail. The staff are über-knowledgeable and friendly, as well.
Saker & Ting
Sturegatan 28
The eleven square metres of space may not be much, but this shop sure packs a punch. Positively teeming with gorgeous ballgowns, corsets, hats and other lovely things, Bie Eriksdotter-Sandström has been operating from this location for over 20 years. A veritable Stockholm institution.
Old Touch
Upplandsgatan 43
This vintage emporium in Vasastan feels more like a delightfully chaotic apartment. Clothes, shoes, textiles, lingerie and curiosities are housed in cabinets, displayed on tables or strung from wall to wall. Stay for awhile, amble through the rooms and prepare to uncover some treasures.
Whilst in Milan for Fashion Week, I went to a few shows, but the highlight for me has actually been the re-sees. The craftsmanship and actual handiwork in a lot of the pieces is simply not evident from the runway or the runway pictures. Seeing and touching the clothes in person, I could only marvel at the quality of materials and finishing here in Italy. And then I wondered about the dry cleaning bills that these clothes must accrue, which, rather unwittingly, is a trait that most Swedes apparently share.
Let me explain. In my last post, I spoke about the pragmatic nature of Swedes when it comes to fashion, mainly to do with comfort and style. But it also extends to the care of clothes – namely, if it can’t be machine-washed, Swedes ain’t gonna buy it. Which I’ve been told leads an overwhelming number of Swedish labels (high street to designer) to use washing machine-friendly materials when maybe they want to use, say silk for example, instead. And you can almost forget about any heavy beadwork.
But this (begrudgingly?) accepted wisdom on behalf of both consumers and designers could also stem from the fact that dry cleaning is outrageously expensive here. I took a single “fancy” (read: silk georgette by a New York designer) dress to my local dry cleaners in Stockholm and it cost me near 300 kronor. The cost to dry-clean a similar “fancy” dress in New York City? Nine bucks, or roughly 61 kronor, according to friends there right now. I saw a sign here in a Milanese shop advertising 5kg of dry cleaning for 14 euros, or roughly 129 kronor. Five kilograms!
Maybe the exorbitant dry-cleaning prices in Sweden are actually a subconscious act of protectionism? Forget about those extravagant Italian/French/New York/London labels! Buy locally instead! We’re machine-washable! Hurrah! The irony, of course, is that once again, Swedish pragmatism is winning over the world. I’ve seen people actually clap their hands in delight when they discover the coveted item of clothing from the latest Swedish label can be thrown into the wash. No joke, it’s the little victories like these that are winning more and more people over to Swedish fashion.
But selfishly, would it really hurt to try to bring down those dry-cleaning prices just a little bit? Pretty please?
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!
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)
…has been writing about fashion since the late 1990s. He’s the editorial director at Bon Magazine and writes a recurring column for Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet. He thinks the strength of Swedish fashion lies in it being accessible without becoming boring.
… is an editor at Bon Magazine. Born and raised in Toronto, after stints in New York and London she moved to Stockholm in 2007. When not preoccupied with fashion, art and design, Sabrina is known to bake too many cakes and obsess over football and cricket.