Text and photo Laila Duran ©
Many of the garments in the bunads and folk costumes in Scandinavia have been greatly influenced by the fashion of earlier epochs. This lovely long black winter coat from Norway called kjol, frakk or kavaj, came in to fashion during the Biedermeier period, between 1815 and 1850. It was used in Valdres, Hallingdal and Numedal. The latter, way in to the 20st century. It is made of black or dark blue home spun or broadcloth with padding in the body. The lady is wearing a fine printed wool shawl over her cap and silk scarves.
The lapels, belt and edging is made of black velvet with embroidery in black. A silver buckle is fastened to the belt at the front, the buttons are just a decoration. She is wearing embroidered knitted gloves with napped edging to keep her hands warm.
Her attentive admirer is wearing a bunad from Sogn, in the County of Sogn and Fjordane. This is how men dressed in the first half of the 19th century. His wide jacket with flared skirts has its roots in the 16th century, but the high collar and some of the detailing is influenced by the empire fasihon.
The jacket, waistcoat and breeches are made of homespun. The suspenders buttoned to the trousers, has a string of twisted wool yarn at the front. This way the suspenders can move with the body and will be much more comfortable.
There are two jackets to be worn with this bunad from Sogn. The red one on the photo and a white one with black edging. There are also three different waist coats to choose from.
In the middle of january I am going to Norway for another photo shoot, and I will do my best to keep you posted. We hope for cool dry snow, beautiful bunads and eager models, and will present these textile treasures in the best fashion possible in Scandinavian Folklore volume II.
The work with our second book, to be published in 2012, “Norwegian Embroidered Bunads” are coming along well and we will start showing how the work progress this spring. Anne Kristin Moe, curator at The Norsk Folkemuseum i Oslo, is rewriting her MA thesis on the subject of the embroidered bunads in to a popular version. A total of 500 new and old photographs, the old ones from The Norsk Folkemuseum´s extensive archives, will give anyone with a fondness of the subject a thrill.
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