FOREWORD

@Pihlarut 's Instagram just screams: You do not need to have thousands of followers to rock your Instagram feed.

I am personally absolutely in love with Pihla's Instagram @pihlarut, it is like scrolling through good quality Pinterest board. Her photos are effortlessly stylish, trendy and colourful, more than that they are real, and she delivers her amazing outfits photos to audience of just 500 followers, so you better hit that follow button and join them, because trust me girl, it is totally worth it! 

-Katya, Founder of MY MOM SAID 

GIRLBOSSINSTYLE: Effortlessly stylish PIHLA on thrifting, developing her own style and finding inspiration in her friends' closets!

 

From which places do you buy your clothes? And could you explain your choice.

Nowadays pretty much all of my clothes are from UFF, which is probably the most popular second hand store in Finland. It’s so inexpensive, but to me it’s also trendy and I always find something unique from their stores. Also, UFF has a lot of vintage pieces, and I love the variety. They also have these weeks where everything is, for example, just 1 euro; for a student like me that sounds pretty good. Some other thrift stores I find nice trendy pieces are Fida and Kierrätyskeskus – both of these have furniture and décor stuff as well. Also second hand apps are becoming a trend, and Zadaa & Tise are great, if you can’t go into stores, but want to buy preloved pieces. Plus, Instagram thrif-accounts! I live in Tampere at the moment, and there are quite few tiny vintage shops here and there, where sometimes I can get lucky if I happen to go at the right time. As a student, I yet don’t have that much money to support that many small businesses, or sustainable brands, even though I would love to do so. I hope my manifestation helps and, in the future, I can support small & local & sustainable brands even more!

What is your opinion on shopping in 2021, any thoughts or advices?

For what I’ve seen on social media, thrifting just gets more and more popular – which obviously is a lovely trend to be going around. I think people try to find the most unique pieces, and usually vintage & second hand stores are a way to go for that. More different, the better!

Back when I was a teen, everyone used to look the exact same, wearing the same Gina Tricot jeans and Monki tops, and if you wore something different, you were cast as a “weirdo”. It’s so funny to look back now, when none of my closest friends support those brands anymore, and we all have our personal unique styles, and the whole “mass” clothing-trend has disappeared.

And obviously I love to see that – not supporting fast fashion nor buying what everyone else is buying!

In 2021 I see people buy more thoughtfully, thinking what they actually need, and what they feel the most confident& comfortable in.

(Pihla wearing MY MOM SAID ALLA top in size 1) 

How your style evolved, if it evolved, during past few years?

Oh, so much. When I look at pictures of myself from 4 years ago, I don’t really recognise myself haha! Of course, I don’t want to bring the younger-me down, but I think I used to be so lost with the concept of “style”. I thought it was something that I had to copy from people of my age , and not something I actually felt was cute or nice. I don’t think I really cared even. I followed what everyone else was doing, and if that was buying from a fast fashion brand, I did that. But I think style is something that develops as you grow as a person – all the experiences shape us, our personality, and values, also our style. 

I had to do a lot of work with myself and my confidence, before I was able to pursue my personality and identity into clothing. I’m glad I did that!

Now I think it’s fun to represent myself thought-out my clothing and aesthetic things like makeup and accessorise. Also, I live for the saying that what can be someone’s trash, can be someone else’s treasure – that is why I love buying second hand clothing. Good for the environment but good for the soul :-) .

Can you tell about your best and most favourite thrift finds?

Ah, I love men’s blazers. At the moment I have this one really over-sized blazer that I thrifted last winter, and it just goes with everything.

It’s sexy, but I can just hide underneath it if I don’t feel like putting “an outfit” together. It’s timeless, I think.

Also, I’ve been really into a color green lately (as everyone is at the moment).

And this old green button-up t-shirt and this green leather handbag are my faves as well.

 

Also big sunglasses! Lately, the uglier the better haha. If I show my mom something I’m thinking of purchasing, and she answers “that’s a bit ugly” I get the piece immediately!

 

Any tips for styling summer outfits? And what are your plans for summer outfits?

Colors! And patterns! Also these Finnish vintage leather slippers are my absolute go-to when it becomes hotter outside – so simple and so easy.

I would love to see more green pieces in my wardrobe. I think funky nail-art and colorful makeup are the new accessorise. And rings – different shapes and sizes.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I get a lot of inspo from Pinterest and it’s a great place to categorize things – seasonally or piece by piece.

I also follow bunch of Scandinavian people, who post these colourful, funky, thrifted outfits. 

One of my favourite brands ever might be Paloma Wool. I think I have saved every single pic of them on Instagram, cause it’s just so summery, colorful but simple and stylish. Would love to own their pieces one day.

I get a lot of inspo from my friends too. Me and my best friend borrow each other’s clothes all the time, and I would say it’s also a good styling hack! If you think your friend has a cool jacket, that would fit with your outfit for the night, ask to borrow it! This is a great way to save money, and try new things. Also, because I live in different city as most of my friends, it’s quite fun to borrow clothes from friends when I’m staying at their places and plan outfits together.

Your thoughts on how the future of thrifting looks?

Bright, I hope so. The more people talk about it and “promote” it, the more normal it becomes. When I was younger, thrifting was labeled as embarrassing or ugly. It was not seen as trendy whatsoever, but also because nobody was telling that they had found something from a vintage store.

As soon as it started to show on platforms like Youtube and Instagram, it became much common thing. It’s not that big of a deal anymore, so I hope it stays available for everyone, and people see it as a way to explore their own style & identity. But moderation in everything! Over consumption should never become a trend.