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Strandby, Funen

​Interestingly, the "Red Strandby" was named after Strandby, a small town on Funen, which was neither a parish nor a herred (a herred historically contained several parishes).

The "Red Strandby" Costume
from "Danske Folke Dragter" by Nanna Gandil, 1972
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.
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It has the following 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

Red Strandby woman
Image credit: Folkedragt.dk

Red Strandby skirt close-up (rear view)
Image credit: Inger Jörgensen

Red Strandby rear view
Image credit: Inger Jörgensen


Red Strandby (woman) and Horne (man)



Image Credit: Mikael Bjerregaard

Supposedly this is the much rarer "Green Strandby," due to the skirt color
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