To the Americans Living in Finland

[Jukka Aho]

ah, "fruittari" is the modern version of "yuppie"... or whatever... you know, Miami Vice and "Don Johnson look"...I remember back in the day it was lacoste shirts.

My that does date you doesn't it :lol: Thank you that helps a lot. So they kids don't like to look like yuppies or preps is what you are saying. Prep is still popular here. Lacoste is coming back in again. No turned up collars though.

I’m not sure if they can be be defined in the same terms as a “prep” [1] – or Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, for that matter. There seems to be a bit different overall “vibe” to the fruittari and metrosexual subcultures:

• Sample #1
• Sample #2
• Sample #3
• Sample #4

_____
[1] As Wikipedia puts it: “In fashion, the term "preppy" is associated not with dramatic designer fashions, but with classic and conservative clothing and accessories.”

[Rosamunda]

I wouldn't call it preppy. "Prep" is neat and clean and tidy (as per the wikipedia definition). According to my kids fruittaris are just the ones who try too hard to look cool (ie they gel/wax their hair and accessorize). The logo thing is maybe not such a big deal up here because most kids don't have that kind of disposable income. Maybe there are some sought after brands but I have never heard my kids say "I must have a Whatsit sweatshirt". You mentioned Converse. That definitely rings a bell. My kids all bought themselves Converse when we went to Estonia last year. No good in the winter here though, but perfectly OK in the summer. Difficult getting the sizes right, maybe.
As for rock bands.... my eldest two mostly listen to the stuff I was listening to at their age (Stones etc) and the middle one likes Reggae. The 12 yr old just listens to whatever his brothers leave lying around and he tends to listen to Finnish bands too.

[Pursuivant]

yeah, that Aho's samples look more of what we used to call a "hile" or "diskohile" look...
have noticed the van's and the plo-scarves do a comeback (though we never wore them wide)

dunno, I wear converses that are quite exploded in the summer out of old habit... never expected them to come such a fashion

[Rosamunda]

and #1 looks like he is morphing into an emo from the waist down.

[Pursuivant]

that hel-looks website *is* a blast...

[Millie]

That is an hysterical website. omg .. do they really look like that? This has been a very enlightening discussion. I love the shot of the 2 little boys that look like they have been thru a car wash hair dryer.

Penelope- I have had my Chucks( as we call them) for about 10 years.. I kept telling my kids that they were coming back in style. They did about 3-5 years ago here... I was just ahead of the times. hehehe
My son did wear vans when he was 13 or 14 (skater clothes)



[img]http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238 ... _44231.jpg[/IMG[IMG]http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o238 ... 0_8109.jpg[/img] Typical college students. The kid with the red eyes looks like he may have drank too much.

They wore scarves in the 80's here but they were navy or red bandannas.

Pursuivant you are correct, Yuppies are adults out of college and preppies were still in school. Izod Lacoste (they were called Izod with the Lacoste croc back then) polos were considered to be preppie clothes. Lacoste is more popular here. As is Hollister, American Eagle, Abercromie & Fitch & Express

Thanks everyone this has been fun and I have some ideas. You also without realizing it gave me some Finnish sites where I could order stuff from and have it shipped to them, but it is probably more fun get the stuff that was purchased in the US. My son wears his Pori Jazz T shirt all the time.

One thing is for sure, jeans & t shirts never go out of style.

[Jukka Aho]

That is an hysterical website. omg .. do they really look like that? This has been a very enlightening discussion. I love the shot of the 2 little boys that look like they have been thru a car wash hair dryer.

Actually, none of the sample images in my previous post were from the aforementioned “hel-looks” site – I found them on other sites via a “Google Images” search – but they just as well might have originated from there. Here’s the direct link in case you didn’t already google for it:

• HEL LOOKS

You also without realizing it gave me some Finnish sites where I could order stuff from and have it shipped to them, but it is probably more fun get the stuff that was purchased in the US. My son wears his Pori Jazz T shirt all the time.

Just a thought, but how about... some silly putty? I don’t recall ever seeing it sold here, so you would need to explain what it is for. Or just tell them to look it up on YouTube.
 

[Millie]

Jukka,

I looked at the site, there are some clothes that could pass here. Most of the guys just looked plain silly (maybe that is what made you think of silly putty) I will try to find some pictures around town here, but I am in the Midwest so we are probably more conservative. I am not sure that I can find silly putty any more, but I will look. This has been fun, but would you say that those people dress like the average Finn or just extreme examples?

[enk]

Silly putty

-enk

[Rosamunda]

Jukka,

I looked at the site, there are some clothes that could pass here. Most of the guys just looked plain silly (maybe that is what made you think of silly putty) I will try to find some pictures around town here, but I am in the Midwest so we are probably more conservative. I am not sure that I can find silly putty any more, but I will look. This has been fun, but would you say that those people dress like the average Finn or just extreme examples?

I live in Espoo and work in Helsinki so I see people dressed like that every day of the week. They are not really extreme examples (one or two are a bit unusual). Interesting to see how many people (of all ages) are recycling clothes, buying vintage stuff, or just getting one-offs from UFF and Fida. Not sure what people are wearing beyond Keha III (the outer ring road) but IMO most of those pictures are average for those age groups, especially the pics that were taken in the malls and on the streets.

[Jukka Aho]

This has been fun, but would you say that those people [on the HEL LOOKS website] dress like the average Finn or just extreme examples?

Some of them are rather extreme – or at least show the “colors” of one subculture or the other – some less so... but since the HEL LOOKS website is all about style and street fashion, I don’t think they’re really even interested in photographing any person with a completely ordinary and unremarkable attire.

In general, there’s of course less deviation from “the norm” (and less breathing room for various smaller or more extreme youth subcultures) in smaller places.

Some street scenes from Helsinki:

[sinikala]

Pursuivant you are correct, Yuppies are adults out of college and preppies were still in school. Izod Lacoste (they were called Izod with the Lacoste croc back then) polos were considered to be preppie clothes. Lacoste is more popular here. As is Hollister, American Eagle, Abercromie & Fitch & Express

Can you buy A&F here? The metrosexual guy on Tila always seems to be wearing that brand.

Which makes him a fruit in more ways than one.

[Millie]

Thank you Jukka, It was enjoyable to watch. I rather though that they were extreme examples in the Hel Looks. We don't see many people with pointy mohawks around here.

[Pursuivant]

well they're not that usual any more here as they were in the 80's... and you'd be thinking the town is teeming with goth lolitas as well...

[Millie]

Punk rockers wasn't as big here in the States as it was in the UK. I have only seen 2 people over here (both in the last 5 years) where the had spiked hair. One as a mohawk with about 8 pointed spikes.