Travel: Scandinavian Fashion Stalking

I spent a lot of my time in Scandinavia stalking the style of the locals.

I've used the term stalking because, like a deviant street photographer, I never actually approached any of my subjects and asked to photograph them. No, instead I would just casually look like I was taking a photo of the streetscape, and hurriedly snap a few shots of the outfit or accessory in question.

Of course, 90% of the photos I took in this manner were shit.

This post is the compilation of all the Fashion Stalking pictures I took that actually worked.

Scandinavians love a good tan, which I suppose Australians do as well, however Scandinavians do it better. Collectively, they have amazing skin. Now, I've not gone full Buffalo Bill with my stalking here, I promise. I'm just saying that on the whole, they're a very healthy bunch, and it tends to show in their amazing tanned glowing skin.

The only downside I see to working at flawless skin like the guy above, is that tanning is really bad for your tattoos. As you can see on his leg, the colours have faded quite spectacularly, and the blacks are now greener.

The Preppy look is pretty huge in Scandinavia as well, and I can completely understand why. This guy's outfit doesn't exactly win any awards for originality or being the height of fashion; however he looks great because of the classic style of everything he is wearing.

Personally, I love the polished look this guy has going on, and a part of me wants to steer my own wardrobe in a similar, monochrome-adjacent direction.

This couple are actually Russian. When Russians are on holiday, apparently they get about in matching tracksuits. Mags was regaling me with tales of her Russian guide's derision of this point, and then sure enough, this couple waked past us in Tallinn.

I actually think that this couple look great, and I have every intention of trying to find myself a stylish Ruski tracksuit. I will, however, admit that it probably has more to do with being incredibly fit, rather than a tracksuit having some sort of inherent style...

I had to take this photo. Not only is the guy wearing an entirely puce outfit (even the shoes!), but he's also rocking complimentary patterns on both his shirt and pants! I mean, that is advanced style right there! And while personally I have no intention of trying puce monochrome for myself, I would love to get my hands on some patterned slacks.

The above outfit is pretty ghastly, I'll admit that, but what I was actually taken with is the hair. The topknot hairstyle is HUGE for men in Scandinavia at the moment. From Helsinki to Rovaniemi to Tallinn and Stockholm; I witnessed a parade of the good, the bad, and the amazing in men's topknot hair.

Believe it or not, this is actually why I shaved my head before I went overseas, because I am working towards a topknot hairstyle myself! The whole trip, therefore, can be taken as a sign that this is the right choice!

Rolled-cuffs on you jeans is another thing that was huge in Scandinavia, for both guys and girls. Even with shorts (as you can see in the first picture) the cuffs get rolled! I do thins fairly often to my own jeans, though usually because my jeans are far too long for my stumpy little legs.

The problem is that it looks shit when I do it, because I own a lot of bootcut jeans, meaning the fabric sort of flairs out and looks ridiculous. There's also too much fabric length-wise, because my legs are so short. So, to replicate the Scandinavian look successfully, I'm going to need shorter-legged jeans in a slimmer cut.