Casual Everyday

comfortable and functional

This is the essence of Nordic style: clothes should be comfortable and functional, casual instead of formal, and cool instead of chic.  We dress down, not up. Instead of casual Friday we have casual everyday.  

In Finland (and in Nordic countries in general), you can’t really tell the difference between ‘professional attire’ and weekend wear.  Most offices don’t have a dress code: you simply wear whatever you like, from something very casual to smart casual (which passes for ‘dressy‘ here).

These photos were taken on a Sunday. But I’ve worn this exact same outfit to work on numerous occasions (except for the bag; I need a bigger bag for work).

What is it that I do, then? I’m a teacher, and most of my students are either professionals or university students. And yes, they always call me by my first name.

It’s a Nordic thing: we’re not impressed by titles or appearances. We like to keep things simple, casual, and informal. Both at work and at home.

By the way, if you think this location looks familiar, it’s because we had a photoshoot here (well, on the other side of the island) just a couple of weeks ago. And I was wearing the same parka. Oops!

It just happens to be the best type of outerwear for this time of the year (you know: rain, sleet, rain, a bit of sunshine, more rain…).

OK, let’s look at the scenery…

This is a really small island. And I mean really, really small. Seriously, you can walk around it in less than half an hour. Actually, you can probably walk all the way to the neighbour island (connected by a jetty) and back and around the island in half an hour.

But the island is not just a park or a recreational area. There is also a public sauna and a (very small) beach. You can even go ice swimming in winter (yes, some people do that…). And of course there’s a restaurant…

But unlike most island restaurants, this one is open year round. At the moment there’s a shuttle boat (the crossing takes literally just a couple of minutes), and in winter, when the sea freezes, there’s a floating pontoon bridge from the mainland.

And the food? Well, in autumn and winter the menu is a bit limited: salmon soup, sandwiches, pastry and cake. The best salmon soup in town, if you ask Professor M.

Outfit details:

parka: Makia / top: Tommy Hilfiger (old) / jeans: Next (old) /

scarf: Marja Kurki (old) / shoes: Ecco (old) / sunglasses: Prada / bag: Furla (old)

What’s your favourite weekend getaway?

Tiina

Linking up with:

Not Dead Yet Style, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, High Latitude Style, Style Elixir, A Labour of Life, Curly Crafty Mom, Fashion Should Be Fun, Color and Grace, The Wardrobe Stylist, Not Dressed As Lamb, Style Nudge, Living on Cloud Nine, A Well Styled Life, Elegance and Mommyhood. Posh Classy Mom, Nancy’s Fashion Style, Shelbee on the Edge, A Pocketful of Polka Dots Style Splash, The Fashionista Momma, Tina’s Pink Friday, Fake Fabulous. Mummabstylish