Scandinavian Tastemakers

I cannot get over the cleverness of the Swedish people. I marvel at the gummy goodness of their eponymous fish, and the ingenuity of their mass-market furniture programme (even if you roll your eyes at the mention of IKEA, we have all purchased their wares at some point. Malm, anyone?)

And now, I can no longer deny their keen fashion sensibilities and aesthetic prowess. Witness the following examples of great color combinations, trend predicting ability, and whimsical design details.

I love the off-kilter pocket on this Ijin Material polo. $73.

I recently attended a presentation by David Wolfe of the Doneger Group (the fash industry's leading trend forecasters and market analysts) for Spring 2009. You're probably thinking, "Egads! It's not even Spring '08 yet!" That just the way it works. According to the experts, art-inspired prints are going to be huge for upcoming seasons. Be ahead of the hype with this Papagaio tee, $37.


Vasuma's Gunt tee, $29. Gun necklaces were big a while back, but the Swedes know how to make a trend even better: trompe l'oeil!

Photo credit: www.111vox.com