A rather discriminating friend of mine who lives in London just returned from a ten-day summer holiday in Finland. Upon his return, he sent me a delightful record of his trip, including the details of his new found love for herring. BLECH! But knowing my interest in all things fashion, he was also considerate enough to point me in the direction of the Finnish clothing and textiles line, Marimekko.

What's the Marimekko look? Striped. Slightly maritime, slightly retro, the classic Tasaraita top has been around since 1968, when designer Annika Ramala decided that she wanted to make cotton jersey shirts that anyone -- regardless of age or gender -- could wear with a pair of jeans.

Talk about ingenious Scandinavian design...