Shopping Spree: Fashion in Finland

I thought now would be a good moment to officially say that I finally gave in and bought my first pair of skinny jeans since the 6th grade...

I kept on telling myself that I wasn't going to do it...but I eventually gave in.

Oh, the things you do to fit in. :P


I thought that since I went shopping today, it would be a good time to write about the fashion in Finland, and what people usually wear to school.

At my school, I am literally the ONLY girl who doesn't wear skinny jeans...and im not exaggerating.( To tell you the truth, I actually haven't worn skinny jeans since I was in the 6th grade...which was a good 5 years ago.) I just dont like the way that they look, and feel...but since I am the only girl at school who doesn't wear them, it is pretty obvious that im the foreign exchange student; and not wearing them is making me stick out like a sore thumb! (Which isn't a bad thing...but I figure that I should follow at least a few of the fashion trends here in Finland.) So, for me its a pretty big deal that I finally gave in and bought myself a pair of skinny jeans. Who doesn't want to fit in, right? ;)

In Finland, people dress much more maturely, and for the most part much more modestly at school. You almost never see people wearing sweat pants or yoga pants at school, and its not uncommon to see girls wearing heels or nice shoes with a fashionable leather or jean jacket.

In the United States, I always dressed pretty nice (for the most part) when I went to school...and so its not too hard for me to dress appropriately when I get ready for the school in the morning. Unfortunately though, I do stand out from everyone else because I haven't owned skinny jeans until today...unless you counted the last time, when I was 12 years old. :P

In Finland both boys and girls wear a lot of scarves with their outfits. Girls normally wear nice blouses with a fashionable jacket, skinny jeans and scarf to school; while boys wear a lot of plaid shirts or sweaters and sometimes nice jackets or scarfs to school.Wearing PUMA branded sweatshirts, shirts, shoes or even having PUMA bags is about as popular as Nike in the USA. Vans and Converse shoes are always popular, and both girls and boys wear them a lot to school. A lot of people also have Marimekko bags or jackets. (Marimekko is a Finnish designer...napkins, curtains, jackets, bags; you name it!)

Im actually really happy that kids dress so nice at school...I mean, who doesn't want to dress nice?! I like to dress nice for a lot of different occasions, and in the United States I always got weird looks when I would dress nice for school. In Finland, and Europe in general, it is just expected to dress nice and more fashionable. It just comes naturally. The first thing people see is your appearance, and the way you dress can tell someone a lot about your personality. I like clothes that reflect my personality, and so I like funky patterns and bright colored blouses that I can pair with shoes and other accessories...its just fun!

Anyways,

 Yes, I admit that I indeed bought a pair of jeans and a scarf (or two) to try to "blend in" a bit more at school...But even though I am trying to look a bit more, "Finnish", I still want to share with people the place that I come from, and create a mix of the two cultures that I am living. In other words, I think I will end up dressing like a Finn with an Americanized twist. ;)

Today I actually went shopping with another RYE (Rotary Youth Exchange) Student from the Southern District in Oregon, and we went around the Oulu center and went on a total shopping spree!

We both agreed that it was finally time we gave in to the Finnish fashion trends...

We looked at everything from jeans, to shirts, to shoes and to accessories...and afterwards we celebrated by buying a couple Fazer chocolate bars and sharing them in the park.

Hey, shopping is hard work for exchange students! ;)


“What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.” —Miuccia Prada