Swedish Chic

From The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo taking over our movie screens and Kindles, to Ikea taking over our homes, to H&M taking over our closets, the Swedes are having a moment. So when I was offered a front-row seat to Swedish cool at their most recent Fashion Week, I jumped at the opportunity.

Swedish fashion is all about simple, functional design. Even better, it's affordable. Historically, fashion was made for the masses: "Your own taste, at the government price" was a state campaign in the 1930s. Today, it still holds true — but the latest crop of designers are combining their value-driven tradition with international style. The result: effortlessly modern clothes you'll want to wear every day.

Glasses you will want to wear all the time! The cases have fun literary quotes from The Great Gatsby and beyond. (seebyus.com)

H&M's new line has a Céline-meets — Stella McCartney vibe. It's approximately double the price of the usual H&M fare, but the clothes are modern, architectural, good quality — and have a cult following of fashion editors and fashionistas around the world. I stocked up because it's available only in Europe, for now ... (To see the collection, go to cosstores.com.)