Stockholm isn't necessarily the cheapest place to spend a few days in, but luckily there are some affordable options when it comes to fashion. While the most obvious choice is H&M, which in most places is already beyond ubiquitous and in Stockholm pretty much reaches the level of overkill, there were thankfully more unique alternatives to choose from. Before departing for Sweden, I was advised that Weekday was a must-see in terms of high street shopping. Supposedly the epitome of Swedish style, it's also the company that owns Cheap Monday and as such, an indication that you're dealing with cool clothes at a lower price point.
A selection from the SS10 lookbook (images: Weekday).Like most retail chains, Weekday started out as a single tiny store - in the remote area of Stockholm's Lilla Essingen - and at the time was branded 'Weekend' since the store wasn't open otherwise. Aside from a small range of skinny jeans, a style which at the time proved to be far less popular, they also specialized in some of the best and most selective vintage gear. The first centrally located store in Stockholm was opened in 2002 followed by a dozen more in the next years including shops in Germany and Denmark. In addition to Cheap Monday and their vintage selection, the brand's more popular collections include the in-house range MTWTFSS (each letter representing a day of the week), a collaboration line that boasts designs from local talents such as Peter Jensen or Minimarket, and finally 'Store Made', which consists of limited edition screen-printed garments handmade by the store's staff.
The MTWTFSS range on the ground floor.
Looks include skinny jeans and an abundance of fringed items (right).I chose to visit the biggest Weekday retailer in the heart of Stockholm, since I wanted to see as much as possible. The three storey store might seem a little overwhelming from the outside, but I found it surprisingly easy to navigate and unlike its other high street peers, the interiors were well thought out and far from bland. Each floor seemed to have a theme, starting with the ground floor which was bathed in yellow and featured the current season's MTWTFSS range. I was most impressed by the fact that the retail area was kept spacious. While some of the clothes were clustered on racks towards the side and back, many of the other items were laid out in the open, making browsing really easy.
The shoes proved to be the most popular items (left) though tees and basics were cute as well (right).
The Cheap Monday selection on the first floor.MTWTFSS had some of my favorite looks involving skinny cut trousers, cut-out details, egg-shaped coats and dresses and fringed tops... all of which had a certain cool vibe to them. There was a lot of lace, sequins and other pieces that had a distinctly 80s feel, though if you pick and choose, you can emerge with a multitude of different looks. The shoes appeared to be the biggest hit - every girl in the store seemed to have grabbed a pair of the funky wedges or lace-up flats. There were a large amount of jeans and plain tees on display if basics are preferred, but of course any jeans aficionado will most likely head to the first floor.
Not just jeans... though denim dominated the floor space.
The very 80s inspired looks included lots of bleached and tie-dye items with a few holey sweaters thrown in.Cheap Monday is an independent brand, available in over 20 countries, yet it was still impressive to see so many of the label's jeans laid out in plain sight. Aside from jeans, there were racks of clothes, which were almost over-the-top 80s. I sighted a ton of tie-dye and bleached items, way too much shredded gear and a lot of white denim. Towards a corner, the 'Store Made' section featured a range of screen print tops, while a member of staff was busy printing away shirts and cotton bags.
The 'Store Made' area where staff is usually hard at work printing tees and bags.
The vintage area on the third floor. Lots of clothes and even more accessories...Last but not least, I checked out the vintage section on the third floor, which included a massive range of second-hand pieces spanning every category. With clothing hanging from blue metal bars, this was probably one of the more cluttered areas, though definitely not as bad as some of the vintage places I've visited before. Browsing was still easy enough and smaller items were packed on tables and in large trunks. Aside from regular consignment goods, reworked vintage items were for sale as well, and a workroom area in the back, complete with industrial washing machines, sewing machines and screen print designs, implied that much of the revamping is done in store.
The working area in the background which featured washing and sewing machines used to rework the vintage gear.
Reworked vintage on display...As with all high street stores, some of the stuff may be a bit cheap, though I found plenty of pieces that were of good enough quality. Refreshingly enough, even the basics had interesting elements, whether it was a boldly stitched hem or an asymmetric design, so most things you'll get here will be a lot more unique than what the rest of the chain stores out there offer. Definitely a great place to pick out a few souvenirs (I know I did) and here's crossing my fingers that aside from Cheap Monday, Weekday's other brands will make it to the rest of the world in the very near future.
More from the SS10 lookbook (images: Weekday).
Opening Hrs: Mon-Fri: 10:00-19:00, Sat: 10:00-18:00, Sun: 10:00-17:00Weekday Homepage
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Overview of the installation.
I'll have those PVC cushions and that necklace please...
Mannequin heads featuring Marni sunglasses.
I need a wall like this.
Dresses, t-shirts and bags from the Marni / Caillol collaboration for FW10.
The 5 PVC bags featuring Caillol's designs for Marni.
