Ærø Island
Ærø is one of the few Danish regions that is more noted for it's men's costume than the female garb. For my money, the Ærø vest and jacket fabric is one of the most vibrant and distinctive that Denmark has to offer. Further, the costume is unusual for having BLUE breeches.
Women's Ærø
Ærø Party Costume
Ærø's party costume appears to have the following elements:
a. headgear: the unusual "bent" (and obviously heavily starched) headgear is the signature items of this costume. It has lace toward the front and what appears to be linen or cotton toward the rear. Married women had black silk ribbons; unmarried likely wore colored ribbons.
b. skirt: BROWN skirt with very thin light blue stripes.
d. jacket: a historical photograph from the 1860s (below) shows an Ærø woman wearing a jacket, much like those worn on Sønderjylland. Thus, it seems likely that the use of such a jacket would be historically appropriate.
e. apron
f. scarf: tucked into jacket
Ærø costume
Note the iconic headgear
Image Credit: "Danske Nationaldragter" (1868) by Hansen, Schou & Weller
An authentic Ærø costume worn by member of the Faaborg Folk Dancers. Ellen and her husband reportedly had their Ærø costumes created following a strict adherence to historical fabrics and documentation. The headgear and jacket, in particular, bear a close resemblance to the colorized 1868 photo above. Great work in keeping the Ærø costume tradition alive.
Image credit: Axel and Ellen Sørensen
The unique and attractive Ærø skirt pattern
Image Credit: Ærø Folkedanserforening
Different Ærø skirts worn by various ladies
Image Credit: Ærø Folkedanserforening
Ærø skirt close-up
Image Credit: Ærø Folkedanserforening
Ærø's one-of-a-kind headgear on display!
Image Credit: Ærø Folkedanserforening
Image Credit: Ærø Folkedanserforening
Image credit: Mikael Bjerregaard
Ærø Work Costume
Elements of the work costume:
a. white shirt sleeves: The Ærø folk dancer society has taken to dancing in loose white sleeves, something the nearby island of Lyø is famous for, while wearing the headgear from the Ærø party costume. Whether Ærø's use of white sleeves with party headgear is historically accurate or simply a decision made out of convenience is difficult to ascertain.
b. skirt: BROWN skirt with very thin light blue (and white?) stripes.
c. bodice
d. straw hat: wide brim
e. apron
Image credit: Mikael Bjerregaard
Men's Ærø
Men's costume elements:
a. vest and jacket: made of a unique and bold weave pattern (seen in the high-res image below). What may look like black stripes are actually navy blue. No pockets on the vest (compare with Lyø, which does have vest pockets)
b. breeches: navy blue
c. hat: Red (unusually for its region, it is not a nikolør's) if vest is worn; if jacket is work, then a wide-brimmed black felt hat
Ærø costume (hi-resolution, shot with Nikon)
Image Credit: DanishFolkCostumes.com
Nikon hi-res image with natural lighting
Image Credit: DanishFolkCostumes.com
Ærø costume (hi-resolution)
Danske Folkedansere Landsstævnet 2025
Image Credit: DanishFolkCostumes.com
Sharp and authentic Ærø costume worn by member of the Faaborg Folk Dancers. Axel and his wife reportedly had their Ærø costumes created following a strict adherence to historical fabrics and documentation. It seems they have done a stand-out job.
Image credit: Axel and Ellen Sørensen
Authentic Ærø costume with silver buttons
Image credit: Louise Dinesen
Image credit: Ærø Folkedanserforening
An authentic Ærø costume worn by member of South Funen folk dance club circa 1960s
Image credit: Arkiv.dk
Ærø costume
This colorized black-and-white photograph likely took some liberties with the actual colors of the fabric.
from "Danske Nationaldragter" (1868)
by Hansen, Schou & Weller
This one seems to be the real deal, as it has the navy breeches and red hat. Spotted 17 July 2025 in Struer, Denmark.
