Scandinavian fashion, much like Scandi home design, is known for clean lines, minimalistic colours and textures, and simplistic genius. Unlike many North American brands, Scandinavian fashion makes quality and timeless style a priority over flashy logos or embracing the latest trend. Brands like Nudie Jeans, Tiger of Sweden, and Bruun & Stengade offer simple pieces that let well-dressed men own less clothing, but have more panache.

Tiger of Sweden Fall/Winter 19 Campaign

History in minimalistic staple looks

Take a walk through the streets of Stockholm and the best-dress guys are almost exclusively wearing navy, grey, and black. Accent colours are typically earth tones or shades found naturally in the great outdoors with patterns and loud colours seldomly seen. Everything in a Scandi wardrobe usually matches to build simple and smart outfits. Tiger of Sweden, established in 1903 and Sweden?s oldest suit maker, continues to dish up classic Scandi fashion. Each new shirt matches a prior year?s pants and a sweater is made to match everything in their collection. The best-dressed people out there know that with just a couple of new pieces, they can update their entire wardrobe. Tiger of Sweden?s bread and butter is its suits, serving the professional man a quality ready-to-wear suit made to look custom and modern. Cuts are remarkably different and if your body type is somewhere between extra lean to athletic you?ll look amazing in these clothes.

Mythbusting: Slim fits vs. Skinny fits

Let?s clear up a misconception many guys have. Yes, it?s true that most Scandi brands focus on slim or skinny fits. It?s time to set it straight what the two actually mean and why you shouldn?t fear the slim fit.

Slim Fit

Slim fit is not tight. All it means is that there is less material where you don?t need it. Slim fit shirts run closer to your body but don?t wrap around tightly like a muscle tee, and slim fit pants have a clean front (not pleated) and narrow leg opening at the bottom so they sit on or above your shoes closer to your ankles, thereby giving the illusion of toned legs and height. Most importantly, slim fit works on several body types, not just slim guys.

The best-dressed people out there know that slim fits offer a more refined, tailored, and flattering look, and it?s essential to looking your best.

How slim fit jeans are intended to fit

Skinny Fit

On the other hand, skinny fit targets a very slender body type, or a person going for a very trendy look. Skinny fits tend to fit tightly on the body and if you are not comfortable with that, slim fit is the right choice for you. Where skinny fit shines is if you are a man that is always tailoring your clothing to be closer to the body and no brand?s slim fit is doing the trick. Skinny fit, also referred to as ?Extra Slim Fit?, offer the same neck, waist, and length dimensions but are trimmer in the sleeves, chest, hips, and legs.

Expanding Horizons

While heritage brands like Tiger of Sweden carry primarily slim cuts, newer brands like Bruun & Stengade were developed to introduce the Scandi style to more body types while still favouring the slim fit look. Founded in 2004, this Danish brand built a shirting business for every man and expanded the line to become an all round menswear brand over the past 15 years. The shirts are well-made and taper inward, unlike American cuts which tend to offer ample room in the mid-section.

The most distinguishable feature of Bruun & Stengade shirts are their frequent use of spread collars, also known as a cutaway collar, whereas the more traditional shirts have point collars. Another major Swedish brand, Eton, confirms the popularity of the spread collar within Scandi fashion, with many of their dress shirts utilizing the style. Spread collars offer more room for wider tie knots because of the extra space between the collar points and opens up the neck and face. One major benefit of this collar type is that it can be worn with and without a tie while still looking sharp, creating great versatility with less.

Bruun & Stengade spread collar, with and without a tie

Layering up

Perhaps due to the chilly temperatures in Scandinvian countries, sweaters, like shirting, are purchased with the intent to wear it all the time. Fabrics used in thin pullovers are often very soft, to be gentle to the body, while sweaters made as obvious outer layers are done in thicker wools.

The Nyman from Tiger of Sweden

Focus on better materials

Thinner sweaters are made of the usual suspects- cotton, merino wool, and cashmere. Merino wools and cashmeres are particularly popular because of their lightweight, antimicrobial, and anti-odour qualities, to keep you looking and smelling great for a long time. The fabric is also notoriously warm and soft, so perfect for the nippy weather.

Cashmere, when used even in small percentages, is very luxurious and nature?s extra warm insulator. It is very expensive to use because of its scarcity. Cashmere is found in the neck region of goats, while wool is fleeced from all areas of the sheep. Natural fibers in general are a sign of better quality and longevity because they are not breaking down in the wash cycle. This results in the clothing looking better over time than its synthetic counterparts.

Sweater styles are almost exclusively slim fit when worn to a traditional office workplace. Streetwear brands like Acne Studios - another hugely successful Swedish brand - serve up oversized options for weekends and casual workplaces. Coats are done in the best wools and clean silhouettes. Even though winters are not as long in North America, well-dressed men who are adopting the Scandi approach to style are drawn to the same look enjoy the benefit of it pairing with the clothing they already own.

Scandinavian fashion offers both a flattering and versatile look.

Buying Scandi brands has long lasting benefits

The core ideology behind adopting the Scandi approach to style is simple - owning less items but having better quality and more flattering, versatile clothing.

Scandinavian brands focus on making clothing to suit their home markets first and foremost, despite their emerging global footprint. Given the extreme cold and the infamously brutal Nordic winter, shirting and trousers are typically made entirely of cotton or wool for warmth. Unlike most fast fashion brands, blends in the fabrics look more like 90-99% natural fibers and 1-10% synthetics.

Sharp-dressed Scandinavians are used to investing in items that keep them warm once and not replacing garments each season (despite what Swedish fast-fashion giant, H&M, may want men to believe). Fabrics used in sweaters and coats are almost always predominantly wools and cashmeres.

Breaking the cycle

The idea of reinventing what is ?in style? each season doesn?t fit the Scandinavian fashion mindset. The focus is on classic styles meant to be worn for years. This means there?s no trend chasing - a welcome relief to most shoppers who want to step up their style game. This mold-breaking approach is an obvious reason for the rapidly growing appeal of Scandi brands around the world. Men investing less time and money to look better is the Scandi?s best kept secret but the word is out! No wonder the best-dressed people out there following Scandi fashion.

You can find great Scandinavian brands such as Tiger of Sweden and Bruun & Stengade on Gotengo!