In all my years abroad, I’ve heard three comments about the Finnish fashion sense. Not three themes of comments, three in total. So let me enlighten you on the Finnish fashion sense.
One girl once said to me how she absolutely loves Hel Looks. It’s a fashion blog in Helsinki. I look at it and think the people look a bit silly. Then I feel stupid for not “getting it”.
Somebody also once commented on how Finnish girls always wear scarves, sometimes two at a time. It’s so true. Scarves are everywhere. The same as water bottles, these girls are obsessed with carrying a water bottle that they refill with tap water. Freaky.
Two Finnish scarf-wearers and a water bottle
It’s also come to my attention that one person found the Finnish way to dress admirably ethnic. It’s true in the sense that the Finnish dress in a unique way. It’s a peculiar bunch walking out there. In Sweden they’re like a clone army.
Anywhere else a goth walking down the street would draw attention because they’d stick out. In Finland a guy with a long black leather coat and what look like black spice girls shoes is a perfectly normal occurrence. I always smile when I see a goth abroad because they remind me of home. They must think I’m a bit dim.
But what is uniquely Finnish is the shell suit, tuulipuku. Old couples wear matching tuulipukus and it’s become a symbol of the regular folk. It’s a real double whammy if you spot a couple wearing matching shell suits and crocs.
