A few days ago my aunts took me to see the Anthology of Finnish Fashion exhibition at the Design Museum in Helsinki. I was beyond excited; finally something fashion related to do and see in Finland and I have always been an avid believer in Finnish fashion anyway. I just see so much potential in there with all the undiscovered talent, distance from the mainstream trends and impartialness to the fashion world. It gives designers the space to breathe and let their thoughts run free without a stressful environment and the added pressure of several fashion weeks. This is one of the most important things in my opinion; to let a creative soul be creative wether it be sitting in the middle of the forest soaking up inspiration or in the middle of a busy street being stimulated by the intensity of the city. This is why Finland's fashion designers are just now being recognized and are thriving globally; three of the ten contestants at the annual Hyeres Fashion Festival were Finns. These designers deserve to be noticed with their fearless structures and volumes and fantastic use and understanding of colour.

One of the best parts of the exhibition was how it had everything from Satu Maaranen to Sophie Sälekari and 1950s Marimekko. One of the highlights was at the part of the exhibition they called with Justus K and his paper dresses and 100% recycled pieces. The fact that the space was divided into eras such as Folk, Modernism and the Economic Boom was uselful in understanding the situation the designers were in and what resources they had; you could really see how the times influenced them in their designs.

Here are some of my favourites from the exhibition so you can tap into the fantastical world of Finnish design and if you do have the chance, I suggest you go see the exhibition because there is a lot of interesting things to learn about the course of fashion in Finland over the years.

From yoga sessions to the global picnic at my high school to brunches with friends, the trip back to my asian home was everything I hoped it would be. Getting to wear shorts and tops again, seeing my cat, family and friends again and experiencing the swell nightlife of Singapore was everything I hoped it would be. I've never seen Singapore the way I did now; it used to just be my home where I was lucky enough to live but it was just the place where I did normal everyday stuff like go to the grocery store and school. Now it seems all exotic and it's like an escape from everything that is "everyday" to me. I notice things that I haven't before and appreciate the little things, like the way shop assistants bow a little to show respect to the customer and how somehow, there is always sun and how you can find delightful asian food in any corner of the country, wether it be a luxurious restaurant or a little hawker centre. I felt so privileged to be able to come back and have the machine at immigration say "welcome home Jennie". I took every opportunity I got to wander around, be in the sun and enjoy every bit of this lovely garden city and I hope you enjoy this little glimpse to my holiday there.