© Text and photo Laila Duran.
Making a book like “Norwegian Embroidered Bunads” takes a lot of participants. The Norsk Flid Husfliden in Ålesund gave us permission to use all their bunads from the region of Sunnmöre, and local girls volunteered as models. Also, one of Ålesund´largest s antique shops, Artifex, lent us some of the most spectacular and precious traditional jewelry.
On the granite stairs, in the harbor of Ålesund, this young lady is showing the Strandabunad. The bunad comes on two colors; black and dark blue. Her red stockings shows she is unmarried.
In the Husfliden shop, down town Ålesund, all the Sunnmöre bunads are exhibited. Most costumers choose to order their bunad made to measure, but if you have a standard size you might find one that fits right off the rack.
With embroidery on the bodice front and back, on the belt, as well as on the hemline of skirt and apron, a made to measure bunad takes months to finish.
This bunad from Hjörunfjord has a pretty black hat with silk ribbons tied under the chin. The birch-bark horn, was very popular as an “accessorie” on photos taken in the early 20st century. In real life, it was used to call the cows back from the pasture to the barn.
Some of the models are helping out as photo assistant, even when they are dressed in their finest bunads.
The charm of my assistant must have worked! He looks dazzled both by her smile and the silver screen that gives me the light I need. He is wearing a Sunnmörebunad with the red traditional cap.
Ålesund is beautifully situated on the coast of northern Norway and we spent several days taking photos by the shores. She is wearing a Örskogsbunad with a white kerchief with black embroidery. This embroidery, as well as the black stocking, shows that she is married.
This is the kerchief for the unmarried women. The embroidery is red, blue, yellow, and green.
The two friends are taking a walk in the park, both are wearing the Sykylvenbunad with “jenteskaut”, the kerchief for unmarried women.
Anne-Kristin Moe, who will write the text in the book about the embroidered bunads, with the owner of “Artifex Antique Shop” in Ålesund, Nils Nygård. Thanks to his hospitality we where able to take photos of some stunning pieces of jewelry.
If you like to see more about the antiques of Artifex please visit http://www.artifex.no/
and for more information about the bunads http://www.norskflid.no/aalesund/
I am going on a long trip through central Norway now and I will be back in about two weeks time. So until then: ha det bra! //Laila
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