Gucci Helle

Last week Denmark voted in a new government. The leader of the winning party will be the first female Prime Minister for the country. Helle Thorning Schmidt is the face of the Social Democratic party which is likened to the Labour Party in England. In fact, Helle is married to the son of a former head of Britain's Labour Party.

The Social Democrats support Denmark's working class, or what would be called 'blue collar' in the US. This is most likely one reason why Helle received the nickname "Gucci Helle" from the media. To highlight the contrast of her taste in upscale bags, given the people she supports.

Regardless of what she carries on her arm, it comes down to whether or not she is able to follow through on what the country needs. Which, like many countries today, is a jump start to the economy, and the creation of jobs. A continued focus on education is relevant as well given Denmark's reputation as a knowledge economy.

Danish Music & Fashion

Our final two guests just left Denmark to wrap up one pretty incredible summer of fun. Five guests, four countries, and two trips were experienced over the past three months. That's a lot of fun all packed into one season! But that's the way summer usually goes. 

As in my last post, my favorite part of the visits from my American family and friends is the perspectives they leave behind and there are two that jump out at me from this most recent visit. One observation was that the music on the radio is different. One station played old hits they hadn't heard in a long time, European hits that never made it to the US, and some new music they had never heard before, but all the music had one common theme. It was all upbeat, or 'happy Danish music' as one of my friends put it. I never really thought of it that way, but I wonder if that has something to do with why people are generally pretty happy here. My guess is it is just one piece of the puzzle.

The second observation that made me smile was that people seem to wear whatever they want here and appear to be less influenced by what 'the majority' are wearing. This comment comes straight from one of my good friends who was visiting Europe for the first time. This could be a general observation for the entire EU as far as I am concerned, but I think she is absolutely right. In the US, everything is new and polished, including the women and the clothes they wear. They are both perfectly coiffed and matched. Whereas in Europe, it's more of a thrown together look with different colors and designs that somehow works. I remember years ago admiring this style from abroad, never having quite the touch to pull it off myself, but after living here for two years I think I am finally getting the hang of it. Or at least letting myself be more daring and less matchy. 

A final observation I have noticed in the way women dress in Europe is there doesn't seem to be as strict of an 'age appropriate dress code' as there is in the US. I enjoy seeing Danish women dress a bit more sexy than their age equivalents across the Atlantic with flowy shirts and patterned tights. One can only hope that enough time spent in Europe rubs off so that confidence in style can be carried back to America.