Stockholm Fashion Week SS16: Greatest Hits

Stockholm Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016 took place over three days and the organizers managed to pack a helluva lot into that time. Our preconceived notions about what Swedish fashion looks like were replaced with an understanding of the diversity of design available.

Here’s what we saw this season:

Ida Sjostedt

Though my personal style veers towards the androgynous, I can appreciate a great feminine silhouette. Ida Sjostedt isn’t about playing to the trends: this was pure floral pop-princess. It was a nice, wearable mix of cocktail dresses, gowns and easy summer frocks.
 

 

 

 

A photo posted by Scandinavia Standard (@scandinaviastandard) on Aug 24, 2015 at 7:27am PDT

Minimarket

It was Saturday Night Fever by way of My So Called Life, which basically sums up every major trend right now. For a mainstream brand this was a really fun, engaging show. The attention to the movement of the clothes, both in terms of fit and texture, was excellent.
 

By Malina

If you’d asked me prior to this show, I would have told you that the 80’s were never coming back in high-fashion. Apparently, I was wrong. DEAD WRONG. Just kidding, I’m totally alive. By Malina’s inspiration for this show was the 1980’s Power Woman – think Melanie Griffith in Working Girl – plus the untamed hair of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman and a make-up look straight out of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. The colors and styling were certainly of that decade, but the silhouettes and draping was very modern. Her models fell more into the Amazonian supermodel category than the waifish look we’re now used to seeing, and they sure knew how to do their little turns on the catwalk (yeah yeah the catwalk).
 

Filippa K Man & Woman

The brand’s motto is “conscious minimalism” and you can’t accuse them of going off-message. Both runways showcased high-quality, low-impact neutral looks with a few pops of earthy color (burgundy and olive for the women, blues for the men). The Woman show in particular was an easy-to-wear, sophisticated collection.
 

A video posted by Scandinavia Standard (@scandinaviastandard) on Aug 25, 2015 at 5:29am PDT

Cheap Monday

When a runway is a series of giant inflatable glowing mushrooms, you don’t need much else. But Cheap Monday (owned by H&M! I had no idea.) was only getting started. Make-up that consisted of fake, patchy sunburn and massive scarecrow hats rounded out oversized silhouettes and their signature slouchy-grunge look. It was funny and weird. The afterparty included Bahn Mi sandwiches and beers, so they’re okay in my book.
 

 

 

STAND

A presentation rather than a runway show made STAND feel more like a capsule than a full collection. The leather pieces from this emerging brand are simple but expertly crafted.
 

 

 

 

 

Streetstyle

I spent a lot of time trying to “figure out” Stockholm fashion, which was perhaps a mistake. Do any of us really get fashion? Why do people wear hats inside? I’ll never understand. Anna Wintour, help me out here.

Anyway, there was lots to oggle on the streets of Stockholm. I don’t just mean because this city seems #blessed with a disproportiate number of good looking people. Are all of their jawlines from the same gene pool? I don’t see any way around it. But not only are people fairly attractive, they’re also pretty good at dressing themselves. There’s a dichotomy between the Fashion Weirdos and the more formal group I’ll refer to as the “Dressy-Dressies.”

Fashion Weirdos are more out there – there are crazy colors, clashing prints and outsize silhouettes. Hair color ranges from birth-given to neon purple (presumably not birth-given, but I can’t say for sure). Make-up is a playground.

Dressy-Dressies are polished; we’re talking blown out hair, subtle manicures, strappy heels, suits and everything pressed to perfection. It’s not a look we see often in Copenhagen because event corporate style tends to be more casual.

Whichever camp people fell into (or if they floated somewhere in between), we loved getting a look at their style.
 

Stockholm

This was Scandinavia Standard’s first Stockholm Fashion Week and it was a blast. Stockholm is a special city and we can’t wait to bring you more content on a place we love so much. We were lucky enough to have this view of the city at a Purity Vodka cocktail party on the Berns Hotel rooftop terrace – a cocktail plus this skyline? Almost too much.

See more on Stockholm Fashion Week designers.

Do you have a favourite moment from Stockholm Fashion Week? Share it with us in the comments!