Casual Everyday

casual outfit over 40

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).

weekend wear 1300 x 1000

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.

weekend wear 1300 x 1000

weekend wear 1300 x 1000

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.

Uunisaari 1300 x 800

Uunisaari 1300 x 800

Uunisaari 1300 x 800

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.

weekend wear 1300 x 1300

weekend wear 1300 x 1300

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 StyleElegantly Dressed and StylishHigh Latitude StyleStyle ElixirA Labour of LifeCurly Crafty MomFashion Should Be FunColor and GraceThe Wardrobe StylistNot Dressed As LambStyle NudgeLiving on Cloud NineA Well Styled LifeElegance and MommyhoodPosh Classy MomNancy’s Fashion StyleShelbee on the EdgeA Pocketful of Polka Dots Style SplashThe Fashionista MommaTina’s Pink FridayFake FabulousMummabstylish 

4 Comments

  1. 1 November 2018 / 9:50 am

    Love the peach touches with the scarf and bag! Such a nice outfit 🙂 My workplace is very casual too, lots of jeans through the week! 🙂

    Hope that you are having a good week and a nice start to November! 🙂

    Away From The Blue Blog

    • Tiina
      Author
      2 November 2018 / 2:18 pm

      Thank you. It’s not just my workplace that’s casual; it’s this entire country. It’s really easy to feel overdressed here.

  2. 2 November 2018 / 6:22 am

    Great outfit! I guess Nordic countries minus Alaska. LOL. Well, you are right Alaska isn’t a Nordic country, but a state. It’s the Last Frontier. Thanks for sharing your post at the Top of the World – there we go for Nordic – linkup party. We finally got a millimeter of snow here in the Interior.

    • Tiina
      Author
      2 November 2018 / 2:23 pm

      Thanks, Nicole! Winter is inevitable, isn’t it? We had some snow, too, but fortunately it didn’t last long… I’m not ready for winter yet, but the darkness it starting to get to me (it’s even worse in Alaska, isn’t it? We still have at least a few hours of daylight…)

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