Strandby, Funen
​Interestingly, Strandby is a small village on Funen, which was not a herred (a herred historically contained several parishes) or even a parish. Yet somehow the 1800s attire of this sleepy hamlet rose to national prominence to become one of Denmark's signature folk costumes!
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Like Hedebo, people in Strandby seem to have worn different colored costumes depending on the season. Thus, there are believed to be several Strandby women's costumes:
a. Red Strandby - Worn in Summer and for Pentecost. This was the fanciest Strandby costume and became by far its most famous. Its colors match the Dannebrog, making it appear quite Danish to most who see it.
b. "Yellow" Strandby - a variant of the Red Strandby skirt, featuring wider stripes.
c. Green Strandby - Worn in Spring and for Easter.
d. Blue Strandby - Worn in Winter and for Christmas.
Red Strandby
Red Strandby Overview
One of the most famous Danish folk costumes, the "Red Strandby" is striking in several ways. Because of its beauty and perceived "Danishness" (it features a lot of red and white), this costume is popular with many Danish costume aficionados. According to Esther Grølsted, Costume/Textile Director for the National Museum of Denmark, the museum's earliest known copy of a Red Strandby folk costume was made in 1838, with two subsequent costumes from 1850. That indicates that costume is newer than most other Danish folk costumes, which often have roots in the 1700s. Per Esther Grølsted, costume director of the National Museum, there are two skirt variants, one with thin yellow stripes and one with thick ones.
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Red Strandby Elements
a. Lack of Scarf: unusually, the neck and upper shoulders are uncovered due to a lack of a scarf and a wider neckline on the blouse. In its time, this prompted "outrage" from conservative corners of society.
b. Bodice: a red bodice, the bottom of which is not covered by the apron (a relative rarity in Denmark). We know this because the embroidery often runs all the way down to the bottom of the bodice.
c. Embroidery: the bodice has embroidery on it (quite rare) which was typically silk. Elsewhere in Denmark, embroidery was found only on the headdress, scarf, apron, or shirt. The only other costume that would have embroidery on the bodice or jacket would be certain variants from Østerjylland.
d. Headgear: the silk headgear features blindfold-like earflaps. Underneath it sits a linen cap that has matching frills that go all the way to the cheeks.
e. Shirt: the shirt (særk) has a frill at the neck made of fine Swiss dot fabric (“mol” in Danish).
f. Apron: the apron has a distinctive checkerboard pattern.
g. Skirt: a red wool skirt with yellow vertical stripes.
h. Nattrøje: a red sweater worn under the bodice, typically one knitted in the Danske Stjernetrøjer pattern.
Red Strandby Costume (1810-1820)
from "Folkedragter i Danmark" by Ellen Andersen, 1952
The "Red Strandby" Costume
from "Danske Folke Dragter" by Nanna Gandil, 1972
Red Strandby woman
Image credit: Folkedragt.dk
Image credit: Brønshøj Folk Dancers
A stunning example of Red Strandby embroidery! Silk threads and the "shadow" technique.
Image credit: Esther Grølsted
Red Strandby skirt close-up (rear view)
Image credit: Inger Jörgensen
Red Strandby rear view
While this costume is lovely, the Red Strandby was created in the early 1800s. Thus, it is an Empire Period costume and should have a very short bodice, not like the one above.
Image credit: Inger Jörgensen
Historically, the Red Strandby did not have a lace up bodice but rather had hooks.
Image Credit: Faaborg Folk Dancers
Image Credit: Faaborg Folk Dancers
Image Credit: Ballerup Folkedanserforening
Spotted in Trondheim, Norway. An appropriately Norwegian twist on the lovely bodice by using a silver fastening chain.
Image Credit: DanishFolkCostumes.com
"Yellow" Strandby Variant
Overview
Some might reasonably choose to call this Red Strandby variant the "Yellow Strandby." It is an authentic 1850 variant of the Red Strandby that was donated to the National Museum of Denmark. The only difference is with the skirt pattern. Close examination of the Yellow and Red Strandby skirts reveal that they are essentially the same pattern, but the Yellow variant has much wider stripes.
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"Yellow" Strandby vs Red Strandby - Which Came First?
The National Museum's Red Strandby is from 1838 and its "Yellow" Strandby variant is from 1850. However, there is no way to know with certainty which came first, as garments that were donated to the National Museum in the 1800s obviously represent only a sliver of those actually worn. It is possible that the wider-striped Yellow Strandby variant was the original as it appears to be more elaborate. Over time, perhaps weavers or customers preferred the simplified (and now more common) Red Strandby we know today. Between 1830 and 1870, Denmark experienced a surge in Danish nationalism. Maybe narrowing the yellow stripes caused the outfit to appear more red-and-white, and thus more "Danish."
This is the alternate skirt pattern with thicker yellow stripes
Image Credit: Faaborg Folk Dancers
Ilona Bokær-Pedersen (Red Strandby) and Poul Strunck (Odense Men's Suit) of Hjallese Folk Dancers, 1977
Image Credit: Arkiv.dk
Hjallese Folk Dancers, 1964
Image Credit: Arkiv.dk
Image Credit: Faaborg Folk Dancers
Image Credit: Mikael Bjerregaard
Green Strandby
Supposedly this is the much rarer "Green Strandby," due to the skirt color. Despite the poor image resolution, I believe these three images all show the same costume. The images on the left and right show the costume worn by Bente Larsen of the Hjallese Folk Dancers in 1977.
Image credit: Arkiv.dk
A charming scene depicting Red Strandby and Green Strandby costumes in a historical recreation.
Image credit: Arkiv.dk
Blue Strandby
