Dress any way you like at the cottage—or skip clothes altogether! 12 Finns share their authentic summer house style
Grandpa’s old windbreaker, a stretched-out nightgown, and plastic shoes on your feet. Finnish cottage style is relaxed, practical, and full of memories. Here’s what Finns think about cottage fashion!
When you unwind in the summer, do you wrap yourself in your grandma’s old robe, ’90s graduation sweatpants, or a sweater from 1978? Many Finns do just that, confirms our cottage style survey, which found that 77 percent dress more casually and 58 percent more scruffily at the cottage than they do day to day. Altogether 717 Finns responded to the survey on the Finnish Kotona website in spring and early summer of 2024.
Sweatpants ranked as the most popular cottage wear, with 42 percent naming them as their favorite. Summer dresses, leggings, and utility pants followed close behind.
Cottage attire is a key part of Finnish summer cottage culture, says senior researcher and docent Kati Pitkänen.
She points out that there’s both a cultural and a practical side to clothing: it’s normal for clothes to get dirty or damaged when doing cottage chores.
74 percent of respondents say it doesn’t matter how you look at the cottage. 21 percent think other people’s outfits can look pretty outrageous.Source: Kotona's cottage style survey
Pitkänen notes that Finnish cottages tend to be in quiet areas, away from neighbors’ eyes. That makes it easier to dress differently than in everyday life.
“I read a Norwegian study on cottage life saying a Supreme Court justice always wore the same ragged clothes at their cottage.
A cottage often represents the opposite of normal daily life.”
“For many Finns, it’s an important place to express themselves and a sign that they’re stepping away from everyday routines,” Pitkänen adds.
“At the cottage, I want to lift, carry, haul things, and curse”
Jenni, artistic director of the Northern Opera Company, spends her time doing forestry work at the cottage in Leppävirta.
“I’d sum up my cottage style as practical, comfortable, and sponsor-labeled. I pull on my cottage clothes, grab a brush hook, and head out to the woods. At the cottage, I want to lift, haul things, and curse.”
“My mom volunteered as treasurer and accountant for the Leppävirta Kiekko -75 hockey club. I helped her by grilling sausages and singing anthems at tournaments. Over time, we collected team and Lions gear—shorts, T-shirts, beanies—all perfect for the cottage, because I don’t have to worry about them.”
“If Mom’s at the cottage at the same time, I have to wear Dad’s cottage clothes”
Mikael (Ihmiskokelas), a visual content creator and YouTuber, goes to a cottage in Posio’s forested landscape.
“I’ve worn the same cottage clothes for 15 years: an Umbro tracksuit and a promo cap from my dad’s past employer. Mom got the tracksuit 25 years ago in Jyväskylä when she was expecting me and needed something comfy.”
“If Mom and I are there at the same time, she wears the tracksuit, and I’m left with Dad’s cottage clothes. I keep meaning to get my own, but I never do. Maybe I’d get a sturdy flannel shirt and outdoor pants.”
“I wear the cap, tracksuit, and sneakers whether I’m heating the sauna or chopping firewood—whatever needs doing. I even wear it into town. It’s a small place; nobody cares what I have on.”
“A fan works well against mosquitoes and campfire smoke”
Elina, a Steiner school teacher, relaxes at her cottage on the Kemijoki River near Rovaniemi.
“I love hats and scarves, which define my cottage style. With Lapland’s mosquitoes, a scarf is practical. My love of hats probably runs in the family—my grandmother was a milliner.”
“A handheld fan is also part of my look, great for keeping mosquitoes and smoke away. We often sit around a campfire by the river, enjoying the midnight sun. The fan reminds me of my love for flamenco.”
“At the cottage, clothes shouldn’t squeeze or constrain. They need to be warm, layerable, and pretty. Besides hats and scarves, I wear tunics and wool cardigans. The purple cardigan is knitted by my mom. It’s great for picking mushrooms or enjoying an evening get-together.”
Besides other belongings, clothes that aren’t used anymore often wind up at the cottage. They can also carry deep meaning.
“Clothes can hold cherished memories or sometimes tougher ones,” Pitkänen says.
“It’s also more eco-friendly to reuse them. And if they have sentimental value, people tend to take better care of them.”
But how does a cottage researcher dress at her own place?
“I grew up in the countryside and still go to my parents’ cottage. I wander the forests and pick berries, so I wear clothes that protect me and keep me warm. The main thing about cottage style is not worrying about what others think,” Pitkänen says, laughing.
Crocs or similar shoes are the Finn’s cottage essentials: 60 percent go for them as their first choice. Other popular choices include rubber boots, sneakers, and sandals. 10 percent go barefoot.Source: Kotona's cottage style survey
“My go-to garment is a sweater knitted by a friend in 1987”
Pekka, an elementary school teacher, enjoys cottage life in the same area where he grew up, Oulainen.
“All my cottage clothes are just old city clothes. I don’t bother with technical outdoor gear because I can pick berries, heat the sauna or hot tub, and split logs in my usual clothes. I often stay at the cottage for weeks during the summer.”
“My cottage style starts with faded black jeans. Once they’re too worn for work, going to the theater, or to a bar, they become cottage jeans. The same goes for shirts and T-shirts: the softer and more worn-out, the better.”
“For chilly days, my go-to is a sweater my friend knitted in 1987. I was into skiing in high school, so it’s very ’80s ski style. I’ve also worn the same red beanie for about a decade. When something’s not fit for the city anymore, it moves to the cottage.”
“The best clothes are those you don’t have to think about once you put them on”
Emilia, a film director, divides her cottage time between Hailuoto, the Uusikaupunki archipelago, and Kangasala.
“Clothes give me energy, and this Nashville Predators jersey is perfect for hanging out at the cottage. I’m from Oulu, and Pekka Rinne is an old friend. I followed his career in the States and visited Nashville often to watch him play.”
“This jersey isn’t really about hockey, but about who wore it before me and how it feels to wear it now. I feel unstoppable with something that belonged to someone so strong.”
“The best clothes are ones you don’t have to think about once they’re on. My cottage style works the same way: nostalgic, emotional, retro, and bold.”
“My cottage fur coat is my friends’ favorite”
Sini, editor-in-chief at Radio Kaleva, returns to her childhood cottage in Suomussalmi (Suokkula, she calls it).
“I thrifted a Fredriksson fur coat in Kajaani 15 years ago, planning to wear it regularly and in photo shoots. It turned out too worn for city use, so it’s perfect for the cottage.”
“What’s great about this cottage fur coat is that it goes with anything, and I don’t need to be careful with it. It’s been splattered with fish slime and bird droppings. It’s warm, comfy, and casual, but still a bit glamorous. It’s perfect with everything from a floral dress to wool long johns.”
“On summer nights, it’s lovely to wrap up in and never feel cold. If I leave it on a chair at a gathering, I’ll find a friend wearing it soon enough. Everyone loves it, and women and men alike turn green with envy on Kainuu nights.”
“For ecological reasons, I wouldn’t buy a new fur coat, but I love this one for its uniqueness. I’m an aesthete, and I’m fascinated by how it’s both tattered and classy at once.”
“You wouldn’t dare wear that anywhere else” – readers share the stories behind their cottage clothes
“I keep a lounge set at the cottage that belonged to my mother, who passed away nine years ago. It was the one piece of clothing I kept, and I wear it regularly. So in a way, Mom is still with us.”
“We’ve got a raincoat at our family cottage that’s so old no one even knows where it came from. It still does its job perfectly.”
“Our outhouse coat is at least 25 years old—basically an old jacket’s lining. Everyone puts it on in the entryway before heading out to the outhouse. I got it when I volunteered for my son’s hockey team.”
“I paint my nails while I’m at the cottage”
Anuliina, a work supervision coach and restaurant manager, enjoys her cottage time in Hailuoto and at Lake Oulujärvi.
“I wear pearl jewelry and paint my nails at the cottage because it makes me happy. My cottage style is grounded in naturalness, beauty, and layers of history.”
“Regardless of the weather or season, I often reach for Marimekko at the cottage. Sometimes it’s a dress, more often the classic stripe design, born the same year as me—1968. My cottage vibe is all about red-and-white Marimekko.”
“I also wear a tikkuröijy—a traditional cardigan from Hailuoto made from unwashed Finnish sheep’s wool, knitted by local women for their fishermen husbands since the 1800s. Nowadays, men knit them too. Mine is a modern take, knitted from alpaca.”
“My wife threatened to burn my bathrobe”
Marko, who works as a service advisor, enjoys caravan-cottage life with his wife and two dogs in Pattijoki.
“A felted sauna hat is part of my daily cottage routine. It was made by the SFC Multaranta women’s committee, and lots of caravanners here wear them.”
“Along with my sauna hat, I wear a bathrobe my wife gave me for Christmas years ago. She often threatened to burn it because it’s ragged. She even tried trimming it with our dogs’ grooming scissors. I can’t get rid of it, though, because it matches my sauna hat so well.”
“I wear wool socks all year round”
Maria, a psychologist and psychotherapist, enjoys the cottage life in Taivassalo in the Turku archipelago.
“A cardigan I knitted in high school, a worn-out Marimekko T-shirt, and cycling shorts are the core of my cottage look. Another staple is a scarf from Jackpot, bought in the ’90s at my childhood friend’s summer job. I also wear wool socks my mother knitted—summer or winter.”
“I bought these shorts in my old hometown of Munich, and they’ve fit me for years. They dry quickly in rain or sun, and I don’t have to pamper them.”
“You can see from the cuffs of the cardigan that I wear it when lighting the fireplace, raking leaves, cutting alder by the shore, or picking blueberries. I’ve probably never washed it—just aired it out. The scarf helps me avoid washing my hair too often.”
“I wear the same overalls I bought more than 50 years ago when I was an exchange student in the US. They always bring back happy memories.”
“My grandma’s tracksuit (or maybe Grandpa’s or my uncle’s) is authentic 1960s Terylene. Built to last! I wore it at my grandparents’ cottage from the ’70s through the ’90s, and after they passed, I inherited it. It reminds me of happy memories at the Pihlajavesi cottage.”
“My ’90s red jacket with plaid cuff turn-ups is my go-to cottage coat. I wouldn’t dare wear it in town.”
72 percent put on nicer clothes if they have guests at the cottage. 30 percent would visit the cottage neighbor in whatever they’re wearing.Source: Kotona's cottage style survey
“I found my cottage pants in my apartment building’s recycling room. They’re youthful, fit me perfectly, and have that on-trend ripped look—just right for a grandma like me!”
“My abitur sweatpants are from 1992. I also have T-shirts and summer tops from back then. If they’re still intact, why toss them? But I never wear them at home.”
“My whole family wears a Helly Hansen down jacket from 1985. It’s a must for fall, winter, and spring outhouse runs, and great for ice fishing.”
“My great-grandfather’s bathrobe was left behind by the person who built the cottage and has stayed by the lakeside sauna since the ’70s.”
”Our Vietnamese hats are the crown jewel of our cottage style”
Digital marketing specialist Kata and sales representative Joni spend their cottage and boating days in Ala-Kitka, Kuusamo.
"We usually travel abroad or stay at our cottage in Kuusamo for vacations. These Vietnamese hats come in handy on the water and in the woods. The strong chin strap keeps the hat on, and the sun off our faces. In mosquito season, they pair well with a mosquito net."
"We keep a stash of old clothes at the cottage and grab whatever suits the moment. Sometimes it’s my mother-in-law’s aunt’s old linen dress, other times a shabby fleece. At the cottage, clothes mainly need to protect. Besides the hats, we have jackets that smell like campfire, plus rubber boots, hiking shoes, and Norwegian sweaters my grandma brought us."
"When you slip on a hat made for rice fields, you realize why it’s also perfect at a northeastern Finnish cottage."
”I get teased for my Hugh Hefner style”
Sami, a photographer, spends time at the family cottage in Ahmovaara, Juuka, overlooking the Koli area.
"A bathrobe is quick to throw on and take off when I go swimming, hop in the hot tub, or head to the outhouse. I often lounge in it until late afternoon—eating breakfast, having a smoke, and reading the paper until I find something to do. In autumn or in cold weather, I layer merino wool underneath. I wear Crocs or go barefoot."
"My bathrobe is black terry cloth. At first, I carried it back and forth from home, but now I have one just for the cottage. When I wear it, my siblings tease me about my Hugh Hefner cottage style. I tease them back that it saves me on laundry."
”You could call my cottage style recycled, cheerful, and comfy”
Terhi, who works in healthcare billing, enjoys her allotment garden cottage in Äimärautio, Oulu.
"Getting my allotment garden cottage just three kilometers from downtown Oulu is one of my best decisions as an adult. My cottage style revolves around these denim overalls from the Tori marketplace and my nearly worn-out Marimekko shirt, which I got years ago at my aunt’s store in Pello. The shirt is splattered with paint, reminding me of all my renovation projects."
"I often add a recycled-fabric sun hat, sewn by my cottage neighbor and the head of the Äimärautio allotment association."
“My old mesh sweater dates back to the ’70s. It used to be long and narrow; now it’s short and wide, but it still feels good over a tank top or T-shirt. It keeps me warm even though it’s riddled with holes.”
“My oldest cottage clothes include a pink down snowsuit, a pink sweatshirt, and sweatpants from the ’80s. I got the snowsuit from the Ellos catalog, kids’ size. I first wore it skiing, then outdoors with my children, and now at the cottage. It’s held up and kept its color. It always feels comfy to slip into. The roomy ’80s batwing style still fits just fine.”
“My down jacket is from 1990. It’s bright and still in decent shape, not something I’d wear in town, but a good pick for hauling firewood or exploring the cranberry bog.”
