5th Worst Dressed City in The World: Helsinki Finland

What Makes Helsinki the 5th Worst Dressed City in the World?

Helsinki is Finland’s most populous city, and has enjoyed a very storied history throughout the years. Known for its deep, mystic mythology and world-renowned architecture, it’s no wonder why the city is visited so often by tourists who make their way to Finland throughout the year. While women’s fashion in Helsinki has actually gotten quite a bit of attention in recent times, it’s difficult to argue the fact that the men who populate the city are doing little to set themselves in the right direction in terms of how they dress. Indeed, men’s fashion in Helsinki tends to be rather abysmal, giving the city a relatively bad name. While there is hope for things to turn around at one point or another, the following are just a few of the most common reasons why men’s fashion in Helsinki could use a serious facelift. Here is why Helsinki ranks #5 on our World's Worst Dressed City List

Overuse of Contrast
To put things simply, Helsinki is cold; not only in terms of climate, but appearance as well. The cold, grab colors that tend to make up the city tend to have a huge influence on the clothing that is worn by its residents, with men being the biggest offenders. Neutrals such as white and black are omnipresent, and make up the majority of men’s wardrobes. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this, the fact that the two “colors” tend to be worn simultaneously makes for an overabundance of contrast that does nothing but hurt the eyes. Think white shirts and drab, grey pants, which is a very common ensemble in the city. Worn every once in awhile, there’s really no problem here. When everyone is walking around with the same look, however, it makes for an unsightly appearance.

Sweaters and Shorts
For reasons that are difficult to decipher, men in Helsinki tend to gravitate towards wearing sweaters and shorts at the same time during the “warmer” months of the year. This is perhaps one of the largest fashion faux pas one could ever expect to encounter, yet it is an extremely common look in the city of Helsinki. Skully caps are sometimes incorporated into these and similar ensembles, resulting in a look that is nothing short of laughable. In general, long and short-sleeved pieces should never be worn at the same time as one another, as doing so makes for a very awkward look. While the sweater makes sense (Helsinki certainly isn’t the warmest place in the world), the shorts would be better left for a trip outside the country.

Excessively Skinny Jeans
There’s really nothing worse than watching people parade around in jeans that make them look as if they’re choking themselves to death. In Helsinki, the skinny jeans craze that has bounced around the world has caught on like wildfire, and is a huge part of the look embodied by the city’s male residents. The problem here is that Helsinki men tend to wear jeans that are so overly-skinny it’s not even funny. While slim-fitting jeans can be attractive, taking it too far is never a good idea. The overuse of tightly fitted clothes is a phenomenon that we have noticed in several nordic countries. Reykjavic as well has been criticized by us for wearing overly tight fitting clothes including ultra slim ties that resemble more bolo tie than actual necktie.

Other Poorly Dressed Cities:
Dublin: 3rd Worst Dressed City in the World

Your Bows-n-Ties.com Team