Since March of this year, The Nordic Fit has been posting about “sartorial passion with a Finnish flair.” Think classic menswear, handsome leather shoes and sophisticated accessories.
11 Questions recently caught up with The Nordic Fit to discuss fashion, Finland and films.
11 QUESTIONS: Tell me a little bit about the Nordic Fit. What was the idea behind it?
THE NORDIC FIT: The day I turned 25, I thought I needed to start doing something with my passion for style. I had been thinking of starting a blog to connect with like-minded people and share my own ideas.
My original idea was to share ideas of products, variations of style and other things I liked. However, I quickly realized that I would rather just share my own looks, hopefully to inspire some people in their own style.
2: How do you describe your blog to other people, say at parties?
TNF: Should the topic arise, I often describe it as a clothing and style related blog. I don’t like to get into people’s faces too much, so unless I really see that people are interested, I probably won’t mention it too much. And if they really are interested, I usually describe it as my own take on what a modern urban man should wear.
3:How much of what you wear is made in Finland or Scandinavia?
TNF:Most of my wardrobe is actually made in Italy, the United Kingdom or the United States. Sadly, the clothing and fashion industry, especially in Finland, is very limited. Most of our local companies produce their wares in cheaper countries.
The tradition for tailoring that countries like Italy have is sadly disappearing from the world. Most of the industry has been taken over by fashion brands producing as much as possible, sacrificing quality and craftmanship (or what is left of it).
4:How do you think that tradition of tailoring could be encouraged?
TNF:I hope that I have encouraged at least one person to start investing in quality and craftmanship. I would certainly like to see the love for handmade clothing get more popular and mainstream. However I fear that seems rather unlikely.
On the other hand, while I do not agree with how the fashion industry is run, bringing style in general to more people with cheap chains such as H&M is not entirely bad. I will still hunt for bargain quality pieces on eBay and other places. Having more people thinking what to put on in the morning is not a bad thing.
5:You say that in Finland, dress is more “hipster” than formal. Yet the way you dress seems very formal to me––lots of classic menswear, blazers and slacks, ties, etc. Do you get many comments on how you dress in daily life?
TNF:I have to admit I do. A lot of the comments go along the way “What’s the occasion?” and so on. I used to find it surprising how much my way of dressing drew attention from other people.
In the end though, I do not dress for other people, I dress the way I do for my enjoyment of all things that I find aesthetic. When you simply feel great wearing things you love, other people’s opinions aren’t really important.
6:Where do you get inspiration for how to dress?
TNF:My inspiration comes from a lot of places. It also varies a lot by the day - some days I look at neat Ivy-themed picture in morning on my Tumblr feed and put on an ocbd and penny loafers, some others I see a picture from Venice and go for a more Italian look.
I also feel that no matter where you find your inspiration, you can make it your own by combining the pieces you feel the most comfortable with. On more playful days you might try the limits a bit - wearing stuff doesn’t have to be too serious.
7:James Bond has become a classic menswear icon. What do you think of his style?
TNF:James Bond is my number one style icon, and also one of the very few characters that have always dressed in an impeccably no matter what the decade. Sean Connery in Doctor No still looks like he could walk on 5th Avenue today and be the best looking gent on the street. And Tom Ford is doing a great job clothing the Brit nowadays.
8:How would you say fashion is different in the US compared to Finland?
TNF:I studied briefly near New Orleans. If you compare what people wear there, it is definitely more relaxed, casual and informal than Finland or Europe in general.
I have travelled around the U.S. quite a lot. My favourites, style-wise, are perhaps New York, San Francisco and Miami. With New York, the main reason it is my favorite place on Earth is that there are just so many totally different areas, all with their distictive architecture, style and atmosphere. Walking through Greenwich Village or Soho is just inspiring.
In San Francisco, I think people dress very well. The whole city just makes things look even better. And in Miami I suppose I most love the Latin atmosphere, high heels and sexy dresses as well as the overall Miami Vice feeling of it. Also, the beach is just amazing.
Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No––still the best looking gent on 5th avenue.Photo from Andy’s Film Blog.
9:What are some of your favorite brands?
TNF:Some personal favorites include Barba Napoli for shirts, SuitSupply for decent and affordable suits, E. Marinella and Borrelli for ties and Brooks Brothers and Polo Ralph Lauren for the more preppy wear. For shoes I would recommend Sutor Mantellassi, Crockett & Jones, Alden and Septíème Largeur. You should always remember eBay is your best friend.
10:My mother’s family is from Finland, and I’ve been told that my love of brightly-colored striped clothing is very characteristically Finnish. Can you confirm or deny this? Is something like this very common to see in Finland?
TNF:This is interesting but I have to say I somewhat disagree. Typically, Finnish people avoid bright colors, especially with any kind of attention-drawing patterns, but perhaps I’m wrong to generalize.
I’m afraid the socks you linked would be too bright and colorful, and you wouldn’t probably have much luck seeing those here––although they’re a very nice and playful pair.
11:What advice would you offer people who want to start a blog, perhaps about fashion, but don’t know where to begin?
TNF:I would suggest people to think first where they want to take their blog, what kind of a feel they want to leave people with, and how much time they are willing to put into it. For myself, finding the direction I wanted to go to took at least a month or two to find.
1989 house for sale - 9833 NW 9th Court, Plantation, Fla.
Love the glass block, the matching high-gloss black vertical blinds and ceiling fan, and the 80s art deco ceiling light hanging above the front door (reminds me of the one in Christin'e apartment in the Miami Vice episode “By Hooker By Crook”).
1988 condo for sale - 5893 Sunswept Lane #B, Boynton Beach, Fla.
So much 80s pomo perfection in this house…
You don’t see a lot of bedspreads and pillow-shams from 1988. Very cool!
Also, note the black/off-white/salmon color trio echoed on both the bedspread in the bedroom and the couch pillows in the living room. This was a popular motif from about 1986/1987 to the end of the decade.
1988 house for sale - 5470 San Marino Way, Lake Worth, Fla.
The postmodern mirrored Formica credenza/hutch/sideboard is the obvious 80s centerpiece here.
But here are some more “definitely 80s” elements in this photo: vaulted ceiling with popcorn texture, white walls & ceiling w/ light-color floor (minimalist color scheme), cut-pile plush carpet that shows vacuum marks and footprints like a striped lawn, vertical blinds, sliding glass door, clerestory window, dark brown framing around the clerestory window and the sliding glass door (it would be white today), lack of crown molding, lack of casing around the doors and windows, and geometric shape to architecture (there is nothing “rounded” about this room.)
This room is a great blank canvas for some of the Memphis-Milano furniture like Phil the Shill had on Miami Vice (season 2, episode 11.)
The clock in the top photo is emblematic of the “neo 50s” look that was popular during the 80s…the same ethos that made 50s-style diners popular. And who else remembers the neo-50s ice cream parlors with the checkerboard floors, Wurlitzer jukebox, half a sawed-off vintage Cadillac hanging on the wall, and mirror and neon everywhere?
By neon artist Bill Buth out of Tucson. He sells his wares on Etsy under the name BillieBoi.
