At this time of year a couple of interesting things happen in Sweden. Firstly the temperatures plummet to sub zero levels, the kind rarely felt in London. On top of this – snowstorms turn into runways as fashion week leads a legion of the uber trendy to its snowy shores. Stockholm Fashion Week is becoming an increasingly essential stop-off for editors, stylists, bloggers and buyers from all over the world. You see, whether you know it or not, Swedish design probably permeates your whole house and your wardrobe. To be frank, Scandinavia’s got style. Over the course of the week I saw some sublime menswear, some from designers you’ll be familiar with and a few from people you might not have heard of. I’ll be covering everything I saw in the next few columns to make sure you get the full Stockholm experience.
Filippa K
Looking chic and stylish in temperatures dropping as low as -19C is no mean feat, but Swedish design excels at ensuring function and form are harmonious. For
Filippa K this meant an almost entirely black collection of sharp jackets, fitted leathers and roll necks. The only respite from black came with crisp white shirts and arctic proof knitwear. You see, in Sweden dressing for comfort never means abandoning style.
Tiger of Sweden
Tiger of Sweden is one of Scandinavia’s biggest fashion exports and their Autumn Winter collection closed this seasons fashion week. Brothel creepers teamed with slim blazers and skinny, cropped trousers made for some of the most exciting formal mens looks I saw all week. Tiger have distilled some of the key menswear trends over the past few years to create a refined collection of modern and youthful menswear that typifies the sophisticated (but never showy) Swedish style. Orange was a key colour trend this season in Stockholm, but at Tiger the colour was a muted and more sophisticated burnt orange rather than the bright tangerine shades seen elsewhere.
Cheap Monday
Another Swedish brand that took the world by storm is
Cheap Monday. Love ‘em or hate ‘em skinny jeans wouldn’t have been nearly as big a trend if Cheap Monday hadn’t made it so damn easy, and so damn good looking. The brand appears undaunted by the legions of copycat brands aping their signature style, and as their new collection proves they’ve expanded and evolved far beyond mere ‘jeans brand’. In fact they presented one of the most coherent and youthful menswear collections at Stockholm. Skinny jeans were still present, albeit in a lurid green. Bucking the orange trend, the Cheap Monday collection also ran with a sumptuous palette of autumnal reds. The giant rucksack was a key trend for Cheap Monday too, I happen to love this bag style, but haven’t got round to buying one for myself yet. White tees (reworked till almost beyond recognition), dark grey denim, boots and braces created the core mens style. A classic look in its latest and most Swedish incarnation.
