Moods of Norway's U.S. flagship store on Robertson Blvd in Beverly Hills has been creating quite a splash on fashion blogs since its soft launch in late May, so LA2DAY had to see what all the fuss was about. We braved the paparazzi-infested sidewalk to attend their grand opening bash earlier this month. What we found was a brand bursting with character and three Norwegian designers who are having way too much fun spreading their "happy clothes for happy people" around the world. They arrived at the celebration in their baby-blue Moods of Norway stretch limo, dressed in suits from their own line -- Stefan Dahlkvist in pink satin, Simen Staalnacke in bright blue plaid, and Peder Børresen in a classy light grey.

The party featured Vikingfjord (Norwegian vodka) cocktails and Café Bustelo espresso concoctions, a performance from Norwegian composer/pianist Aksel Kolstead (wearing a flashy plaid Moods suit) and violinist Catharina Chen, and heart-shaped Norwegian waffles being baked by Eda Thaulow in a traditional Norwegian dress hand-sewn by her mother. There was also a patch of real snow in the back and cross-country skis were provided for those who wanted to try out Norway's favorite sport. We skipped the skiing to avoid landing on our butts in front of swoon-worthy guests like Chris Klein and Kellan Lutz (Twilight), who both looked extra handsome in slick Moods blazers from the "Cocktail Moods" line.

When we took a break from waffle-munching to check out the clothes, we discovered intricate detail on the back pockets of jeans and instructions on how to dance Norwegian disco embroidered on the inside soles of shoes. I got to talk to designer Peder Børresen the next day and he told me that the artistic pocket design we'd admired is actually a graph of the oil price in Norway since 1969 and the "disco" is really an old Norwegian folk dance. Great now I like it even more!

It seems the Norway-centric approach is not just a gimmick, but comes from sincere patriotism. The guys started Moods of Norway six years ago, after Dahlkvist and Staalnacke got back from going to college in Hawaii and Børresen returned from Australia. Børresen says that they had all dearly missed their homeland while they were away but had also truly enjoyed traveling to far-flung places, so they knew that both of those sentiments would drive the designs.

Børresen says "the traditional Scandinavian design is more minimalist and black and white; Moods is all about color." Last year's winter collection featured the colors of Norwegian ski wax, which vary according to the temperature in which they're going to be used. This year they were inspired by local passtimes and famous Norwegian explorers from their small idyllic hometown of Styrn.

Their Fall/Winter collection for 2009, "Cocktail Travels," provides wardrobes for four different types of adventures: "Arctic," "Tropical," "Contemporary," and "Norwegian." Each revolves around a different color palette.

Arctic Cocktail Travels is a full line of skiwear, from thermal underwear to outerwear, emblazoned with martinis and tractors. The tractor is the official Moods of Norway logo and the new store houses a stunning gold version. "The tractor is a symbol of hardworking people, when you paint it gold or pink, it adds a touch of glamour." In addition to the gold tractor and the blue limo, they also have a pink fishing boat back in Norway.

Tropical Cocktail Travels require strappy silk maxi-dresses in vibrant psychadelic "disco flowers" prints because, as the look book explains, "the happiest times are fueled by colors and good vibrations" (and cocktails, of course). For more urban adventures, being dressed in shiny brocade eveningwear in gray, black, and purple enables Contemporary Cocktail Travelers to look sharp while navigating the big city. The jaunty little suits of Norwegian Cocktail Travels are a tribute to "well dressed flight attendants working their way down the aisle serving tiny, yet tasteful, bottles of happiness."

The clothes are sophisticated and playful, intended to "radiate confidence, determination, and a willingness to randomly reproduce."

All Mens suits come with two different sets of buttons, circle-shaped and square-shaped. It's a reference to a 1000-year old Norwegian tradition, men wear a round belt buckle before marriage, and a square buckle once they're married. They also come with a medal that has "Cutest Girl in the World" engraved on it, or "Cutest Boy in the World" if you prefer, for the wearer to "keep in his pocket until he finds the right one to give it to" says Børresen.

For less formal nights out, you can slip the medal in the pocket of your Moods jeans. "In Norway, we don't call them jeans, we call them spending pants. If you want to go out on the town, you will go out in your spending pants, and spend the money. So we made spending pants with extra deep pockets" Børresen told us. And when you run out of money, you can pull out the pockets and written inside them is "Flat Out Broke."

The new collection also includes an extensive t-shirt selection, bearing artwork you're guaranteed not to find anywhere else. There are several varieties of "I [tractor] MOODS OF NORWAY" and "Make Waffles Not War" (if you need some help in that department, Staalnacke's grandma's recipe is printed on the cleaning cloth that comes with Moods eyewear). Other designs celebrate Norwegian adventurers like Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki expedition, in which he sailed across the Pacific Ocean "in a pretty sexy balsa-wood raft." There's also one with a polar bear in a bow tie, because "always dressed in classical white, this bear is ready for any cocktail ocassion."

The new Beverly Hills store is full of references to the designers' heritage as well. "Grandma's corner" is a nook decorated to look like the homes in which they grew up. Around the corner are dressing rooms made to look like the grass-roofed cabins in the Norwegian countryside. The doors have heart-shaped video screens that show footage of the waterfalls near Styrn, that Børresen shot himself.

From head to toe and floor to ceiling, the apparel and the store are not to be missed. Børresen, Dahlkvist, and Staalnacke have brought their stylish streetwear and "funky rock star suits you can't really be not happy wearing" to Los Angeles. LA2DAY officially welcomes them to the neighborhood.

THE DETAILS:

Moods of Norway
113 S. Robertson Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90048

Story by Chrissy Humphreys.