A Norwegian Pop Star on Where to Get the Coolest Scandinavian Style Basics

Clean, natural, understated: These are just a few of the adjectives you'll find in the glowing comments below 22-year-old pop wunderkind Sigrid's music video for her 2017 hit "Strangers." Born in 1996 in Ålesund, Norway, a seaside town of less than 48,000 where the temperature never rises above 65º, not even in July, Sigrid Solbakk Raabe (who's on a first-name basis with her devoted following) arrived on the European pop scene less than two years ago with her dancy, infectious pop EP "Don't Kill My Vibe." The breakout star's very first full album, Sucker Punch, drops today.

It's in large part the juxtaposition of Sigrid's no-frills style and high-energy tunes that make her so mesmerizing to her young fans. "I love how she's always in jeans and a plain shirt for every video," says another gushingly positive YouTube comment.

In anticipation of her album, Sigrid played a single New York City promo show on February 20. Two days before, she and I met up for tea in Manhattan for an interview. Sigrid arrived fresh-faced in a red wool crew-neck and simple gold pendant she'd bought while vintage-shopping in Brooklyn the day before. Vintage jeans, a thin black turtleneck, and Chuck Taylors completed her look. This is Sigrid's uniform.

"I figured out really quickly that I was most comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt," Sigrid explains of her signature style, which is almost the same in real life and on stage. "I guess that could be seen as some sort of a statement, but from my end, it's mostly just what I can move around in. I'm up there singing and trying to do my job." As a spectator, Sigrid loves seeing ornate costumes on stage at a pop show as much as anyone. "I mean, Ariana Grande is one of my favorite artists," she says. "But it's up to each artist how they want to express themselves, and wearing these simple clothes just makes me feel like me. It also feels good to know that this is one thing that hasn't changed. My whole life has changed so much these past couple years, but I like knowing that I would still wear this to school. That part of me is still the same."

To learn more about Sigrid's low-key Norwegian style basics, just keep scrolling.

How would you describe your personal style?

Practical. I've always been very concerned with being warm enough because I come from a very cold place. Where we are right now [New York in February]… this is warm for me. This is like spring temperature in Norway. But I'm always in jeans, always in sneakers—either Converse, Nikes, Vans, or Adidas. And wool sweaters, T-shirts, and turtlenecks.

What are your holy-grail denim brands?

Levi's or Mother, and Topshop has a lot of good jeans too.

If you could only keep one T-shirt from your entire wardrobe, which would it be?

I have this one from KLM. You know, the Dutch airline? I got one for free because they've lost our luggage so many times. So I have this emergency T-shirt from them. It's such a good T-shirt. The perfect fit—you know, a bit loose with longer arms. I think I wear that the most. But I also have one from ASOS I really like and some from Holzweiler, a Norwegian brand I love.

What are your favorite Norwegian clothing brands?

Holzweiler, like I said, is really cool and Edda Gimnes. She's a young Norwegian designer and truly amazing. And I wear a lot of vintage. In Norway, there are a ton of really good secondhand stores, especially one called Fretex. Where I grew up, there was a Fretex, but no one really cared about secondhand clothes, so I got all the good stuff to myself.

What would you say is the key to mastering Norwegian style?

Wool! That is the biggest Norwegian fashion tip. I actually just bought this wool sweater I'm wearing in a random vintage store in Williamsburg yesterday. Norway is extremely beautiful but also extremely cold, so I just love everything wool. Every day of the whole year, I wear woolen socks, even in summer, because it's so comfy, and it's just a great material.

Favorite sock brand?

Devold. It's a local brand, made in my hometown. These are the socks I wear every day. They have different thicknesses to them. I usually wear the medium one. I'm so happy to be talking about socks. My socks are very important to me. Though, on stage, I wear cotton socks because it can get a bit too warm. Actually, I often kick off my shoes on stage and just wear socks.

Favorite sock-shoe combination?

Black wool socks and Converse high-tops. That is the perfect combination.

How do you decide what to wear on tour?

It's a good mix. Sometimes we bring in a stylist, and I have fittings when I do TV shows and things like that. The fashion world is super exciting, and I've been extremely lucky to dip my toe in it. For shoots, I love to wear dresses and heels and crazy outfits. I love brands like Gucci, Miu Miu, Ashish, Valentino, Sandra Monsour, and Elie Saab—those beautiful dresses. But otherwise, when it comes to concerts and traveling, I just have to wear something comfortable. Something that feels like my second skin, which for me is just jeans and T-shirts, especially because I don't always have a steamer with me. But wool doesn't wrinkle! Jeans don't wrinkle. So everything always comes back to what's most efficient. And I'm always thinking ahead—to my next tour, my next interview—so if I can take one worry away, like not having to worry about my clothes, I do.

Who are your personal style icons?

Carole King. She's always looked really cool. She just looks like an empowered woman. I love her. And Björk—such cool outfits.

Shop Sigrid's signature look below.