Style in Sweden

Film critics have praised Noomi Rapace for her role as Lisbeth Salander in the movies “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and the recently launched “The Girl who played with Fire”. Now Swedish ELLE even considers the 29-year old actress as Sweden’s new style icon.

I agree that Noomi looks interesting. Her face somehow reminds me of the 1980s Kate Bush and she is definitely a breath of fresh air in Sweden’s entertainment world. On the other hand, I am not sure if I really see a style icon. I mean what is typical for Noomi Rapace? I am thinking of something like Lykke Li’s hair bun or the 1960s style of The Hives. A particular feature that everybody relates to a person and that becomes so popular that people imitate it.

Isn’t it rather Lisbeth Salander who is the style icon? I think the character in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy is so modern and interesting that it definitely has the potential to become a style icon in Sweden.

Lisbeth Salander embodies many characteristics that young people are striving for. She is independent, smart, mysterious, an updated feminist and a modern Pippi Longstocking. Similar is her style. She is mostly dressed in black, often wears clothes that neither are typical male nor typical female and looks edgy and hard and at the same time soft and pretty.

Her piercings and tattoos are of course a question of taste. Either you like it or you hate. Personally, I took out my piercings a long time ago and I don’t want them back. But I think they really suit Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander.

However, I am not really convinced that Noomi Rapace is Sweden’s next big style icon. She is an excellent actress and has charisma but I don’t see anything special when it comes to her style. She seems to be one of these celebrities who don’t care so much for clothes but still look fantastic. Or is this image maybe that certain je ne sais quoi that makes her a style icon?

Noomi Rapace in the latest ELLE.

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I wasn’t surprised that Swedish lifestyle magazine Café gave the prize for best-dressed man to The Hives singer Pelle Almqvist this year. His style is chic and Rock ’n’ Roll at the same time, which I think is really cool. I love the 1960s look of The Hives. The best thing about Pelle’s style is his new haircut as it looks like a combination of Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly.

It is just somehow strange that only Pelle won this prize. I mean the other band members wear exactly the same outfits on stage. However, they are not jealous. “I told them about the prize when we were eating a falafel at home in Fagersta. But they just think it’s cool. They are quite comfortable with pushing Pelle so that he can deal with stuff like that”, told Pelle Café.

Pelle Almqvist. Chic and…

…Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Best-dressed Swedish woman is actress Josephine Bornebusch known from for instance the Swedish comedy programme “Parlamentet”. The prize for international style icon went to actress Malin Åkerman who was in the films “The Proposal” and “Watchmen”. Jonny Johansson from the Swedish label Acne received the prize for best designer 2009 and this year’s newcomer is the label “Uniforms for the Dedicated”, which is an international platform for musicians, designers and illustrators.

Josephine Bornebusch.

Malin Åkerman.

Uniforms for the Dedicated.

Further prizes awarded by Café in 2009:

Sport’s label: J. Lindberg’s Sky

Online shop: www.fever.se

Accessory label: Happy Socks

Sunglasses: Persol

Jeans Label: The Local Firm

Shoe label: Dr. Martens

Pictures from Calle Stoltz/ Magzine Café

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Swedish ELLE and daily Dagens Nyheter published the first pictures of the second Sex and the City film this week. The pictures are really hilarious because the girls are dressed in hardcore 80s style. Carrie looks like Madonna in “Like a Virgin”, Miranda like an 80s business woman with big shoulder pads, Charlotte’s dress is completely Miami Vice pastel-coloured and Samantha has a huge white blond poodle perm.

A few days ago I write about the comeback of the 80s and that the only thing missing is the poodle perm. Voilà there it is!

I am wondering in which context theses scenes are embedded in the movie. Some flashback to the 80s when the Sex and the City girls were in their twenties? Well, we have to wait until May 2010 when the second Sex and the City movie will be released.

Anyway, here you can find some pictures and a clip:

ELLE (pictures)

and

Dagens Nyheter (clip)

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