Not exactly sportswear...

I would say wearing your national costume is a sort of fashion statement. It takes guts... Or maybe I'm just trying to defend the fact that I look like an old lady in this picture. Anyways, I'm wearing my bunad, which is the Norwegian national costume that we wear at 17th of May (the national day) and at other various occasions. This picture has been requested...by Alison.

From Wikipedia: "A bunad is a traditional Norwegian costume, typically of rural origin. Bunads are local to Norway'straditional districts, and the result both of traditional evolution and organized efforts to discover and modernize traditional designs. The designs are typically elaborate, with embroidery, scarves, shawls and hand-made silver or gold jewellery. There are bunads both for men and women, although women's bunads are more diverse and popular. (...) Although bunads are based on traditions in various areas, these designs are embellished by additions such as embroidery. The overarching sense of bunad design is to preserve the way people dressed for festive occasions in one particular era. This has led local and national councils to impose official constraints on various details in the bunad, including colors, fabric, embroidery, jewellery, cut, and allowable headwear."

(Pic from Wikipedia)

Look! Hel Looks!

Hel Looks is probably my favourite street style blog. It's from Helsinki, Finland, and one of the things that inspires me the most. What sets it apart from other blogs, like Oslonights or Copenhagen streetstyle, is two things. 1. The photos are always quality. 2. The Finnish people obviously dress for no one but themselves, which I find really appealing. That's the point about fashion! Here in Norway we think too much about what other people expect you to wear, and what they will think. On Hel Looks you can see people wearing the craziest stuff. Not everything's pretty. Some of it's downright ugly or hilarious. Young and old, girls and boys, they all look original and interesting, and you really get a sense of their personalities through the way they dress. You wanna get to know them! And the best thing is, it doesn't look like they're trying hard at all. It's not forced, and not based so much on trends. They're having fun with fashion and not giving a fuck about what you're supposed to wear. And it works, damn right. 

Be inspired: http://hel-looks.com/

True lesbian love story

Another recommendation: Fagget fairys from Copenhagen. They're playing Oslo the 26th of June, venue yet to be announced. Check them out at: http://www.myspace.com/faggetfairys 

They describe themselves as a "true lesbian love story" and their music as "true-school club music, but at the same time solid pop with catchy riffs." I think the best thing about their music is the dead cool solid beats and balkan-inspired rapping. 

Modernaire in Oslo!

For those of you based in Oslo, I'd like to recommend a gig on the 29th of May at Garage in Oslo. A Manchester-based band called Modernaire is playing. They started out way before La Roux, but has the same cold electro sound with a girl singing. They're a three piece, and one of them DJs at the infamous Sex with robots nights in Manchester. I think it's their first time playing Norway, so you should definitely check them out. Their songs "Scalpel" and "Bloodshed in the woodshed" will be hits as soon as they get them released, I'm sure. So go down, and in a few months you'll be the trendiest kid on the block when you're able to say "Oh, Modernaire? Yeah, I saw them way back before they even released an album..."

www. myspace.com/modernairetheband

Outfit

2ndhand jacket, my mom's scarf, American Apparel skirt and Zara sandals.

Costume ball

Here's some of my favourite outfits from last week's Costume Institute ball:

Agyness Deyn and Twiggy

Marc Jacobs and Kate Moss

Natalia Vodionova

Kate Bosworth

Alice Dellall