How to Dress in Scandinavia

In Stavanger, the average temperature is about 40 degrees the entire year. Of course it fluctuates depending on the season, but it's pretty mild and, of course, rainy.

So how does one seasonably dress and still be fashionable? The answer to that is "You don't, really."

But most of us, well at least in the cities and the people we know, try.

The key components to any woman's wardrobe are:

1) striped socks and skinny jeans (natch)



2) rain boots



3) tights, footless and footed



4) long sleeved tee shirts



Most women have these components in a variety of colors. Then, depending on the occasion, you add a jumper or a dress or a sweater in the appropriate layers. The leg attire is always tucked into the boots and there you have it.

And while Scandinavia tends to be casual on most occasions, on special days, you get fancy.

May 17 is a big deal in Norway. In some ways, it's the equivalent of the United States' 4th of July. It's called Constitution Day because on that day in 1814, Norway adopted its own.

The children have parades and many people, especially the children, wear the bunad, which is the Norwegian national dress.



Even if you don't wear a bunad, it is absolutely verboten that you dress up in fancy clothes. The men wear suits and the women wear dresses.

The Norwegian flag



which is flown all over the place, becomes even more prevalent around this time as well.

A few of our friends in Stavanger were somewhat horrified that we would be out of the country on May 17th because it's such a big deal.

And one couple was having a party because one of the parades was marching past their house.

We were disappointed to miss it, but Husband had a meeting in Stockholm on Friday, so we decided that it was a great opportunity for me to come along for a long weekend.

Even in Stockholm many of the government building were flying the Norwegian flag alongside their own.



There was a giant celebration in one of the parks and afterward we saw several people wearing the bunad as well.

Look closely at the woman whose back is to me in the photo.

She had on the full dress and her husband had on a sharp dark suit with a Norwegian flag pin.


(Yes, I was sneaky taking the photo, but we were having an post-shopping beer in a somewhat swanky place. I just couldn't ask permission. Nice lady, if you are reading this. Thanks, you looked super in your bunad.)

But on this day, because we are not Norwegian and we were in Stockholm, we did not dress up.

I wore a blue spring dress with the requisite tights and boots.



Husband: I like it. You look like a naughty candy striper. The kind who leans over the patient and hangs their boobs in the face.

Me: Thank you

Then, because it was a slightly dreary day, I added a red scarf. It was cold and this was the only one I had with me.



So unwittingly, I did, in fact, dress with Norway in mind. Perhaps it was merely unconscious. Perhaps it was just that I liked that dress. But in any case, I had on the red and blue and it just made sense to me. And, for just a second, I felt slightly assimilated.

So I wondered it it would make sense to Husband.

Me: What do you think now? What do I look like?

Husband: Ummmmm, an elf?