Quick show of hands: when it comes to blogs, who here reads mostly travel blogs?
I feel like my hand should definitely be up right now, but the truth is I’m more of a lifestyle and fashion blog reader. In fact I like to think that in another life I could have been a fashion blogger. Like, if I could do something about the fear that takes over my eyes when a camera is pointed at me.
And sometimes I even tag the brands I’m wearing in Instagram photos, you know, just in case anyone cares. No one ever cares.
Until winter comes around! And then my inbox is full of messages asking me where I bought that Nordic sweater. Have I mentioned winter is my favorite season?
I mean, not because people like my sweaters, but actually sort of because of the sweaters. I just really love a wool sweater. Like I’ve dedicated three full shelves of my precious closet space to wool. That’s okay, right – considering I live in Norway?
And if you don’t love wool, um this blog post might not be for you. I get that some people just can’t wear wool (but even with a soft cashmere sweater as a base layer??), but all of the sweaters I’m talking about today are 100% wool. Norway gets cold!
Dale of Norway
If you want a traditional Norwegian sweater, Amazon carries Dale of Norway sweaters here, or you can find them on Zappos here.
Dale of Norway has been making sweaters for over 140 years, and all their sweaters are designed and knitted in Norway, so this is about as authentic a Norwegian wool sweater as you can get. I love their traditional patterns, but they have some new modern designs as well. I have three Dale of Norway sweaters and the quality really can’t be beat.
They’re certainly not cheap, but I promise they will last you for years and years. I’ve had mine for several years and they still feel like new. Currently at the top of my wishlist is the Bjorøy sweater.
Wearing my new favorite, the Vilja Sweater
Kari Traa
Nordic sweaters are usually super thick and thus incredibly warm, which is great when you’re in the Nordics, but sometimes a bit much when you’re not. But if you still want that Nordic style with something thinner, look no further than Kari Traa!
Norwegians are big fans of wool, and the most popular wool under layers in Norway are made by Kari Traa. The patterns are very cute, and very Norwegian, and if you are in the mountains in Norway you’ll probably notice that most Norwegian women are wearing these shirts and leggings. I would even venture to say that wearing a Kari Traa top is even more (or at least equally) Norwegian as a Norwegian sweater.
You can buy Kari Traa merino wool on Zappos here and on Amazon here. It’s quite expensive but the quality can’t be beat – I’ve had my Kari Traa wool tops and leggings for years and they’re still in excellent condition.
Ebay
Okay so Ebay is obviously a great place to find cool vintage wool sweaters, but if you type in “Nordic wool sweater” a whole lot of sweaters are going to pop up.
So let me tell you a secret: most of my “Nordic” sweaters are actually totally American. Ralph Lauren, to be specific.
Apparently at some point Ralph Lauren was all about the Nordic/Fair Isle sweaters, so if you search for “Ralph Lauren nordic wool sweater” you might just find some gems. You might actually find a few too many gems and end up ordering a closet full of old Ralph Lauren sweaters:
You can find this sweater ^^ here.
And when you’re done searching for Nordic sweaters, look up “Ralph Lauren ski sweater.” That’s how I found this sweater, which is one of my very, very favorites:
Devold of Norway
Devold have the most beautiful Norwegian sweaters, ranging from traditional patters that they’ve been producing for decades, to modern styles and designs. I have to stop myself from buying all of their sweaters.
The only downside is that I’m not sure you can buy Devold outside of Norway. So maybe you’ll have to wait until you visit? Most sports shops carry their sweaters, and you can check out their Instagram here.
Mads Nørgaard
I really wish I had more Norwegian brands to recommend, but this last one is at least close – it’s Danish. I mean, at least it’s not Swedish! Though come to think of it, my winter parka and hat are both Swedish, I’m such a bad Norwegian “Norwegian.”
Funny story with this sweater:
I first came across this sweater as a college student and I wanted it so badly, but I couldn’t possibly spend over $100 on an item of clothing on my student budget. And then when I was working at the supermarket in Rauland I saw a girl wearing this same sweater, which I remembered from the red stripe on the bottom. Unfortunately that’s all I remembered about it, and I was too shy to ask the girl where she had bought it from.
I was really mad at myself for the rest of the week, wishing I had just asked her, but then she showed up in the shop wearing the sweater again! And she was so pleased when I asked her about it – I mean, who doesn’t like to be complimented on their clothing? Ahh sometimes I’m shy in the dumbest ways.
Anyways, Mads Nørgaard is all about slow, sustainable fashion – I mean, they still make the same sweater they were making back when I was in college, which was a long time ago.
If you’re in Europe you can order directly from their website or if you don’t want to pay customs, I ordered mine from Zalando. And I’m not sure about the US, but I know that at least ASOS carries Mads Nørgaard.
And since I’m a grown up now I splurged on a second Mads Nørgaard sweater as well. This one has that lovely sheep smell that I always take as a sign of a good wool sweater (though those close to me do not always agree).
And that’s it! If you have any more tips for places to buy wool sweaters, ugh please don’t let me know, my closet is full enough.
