Nordsjælland Region
(Frederiksborg County)
There does not appear to be a specific Nordsjælland (North Zealand) costume, per se. However, the "golden neck bonnet," below, is distinctive and quite beautiful.
Costume from Hillerød
from "Danske Folke Dragter" by Nanna Gandil, 1972
Golden Neck Bonnet
The longest-preserved part of the Nordsjælland folk costume was the beautiful "golden neck" bonnet. Typically, a wide ornamental strip of silver or gold was ordered from a specialist and attached to the bonnet. It was quite expensive, as one can imagine.
Young girls received their first bonnet at confirmation. Shiny red silk ribbons were worn until marriage, when they were exchanged for black ribbons. It seems that silver or gold was only worn in the bonnets of married women. According to Ellen Andersen's 1952 "Folkedragter i Danmark," some women in Nordsjælland continued to wear their silver or gold bonnets until the 1950s.
Nordsjælland Costume 1830-1840
from "Folkedragter i Danmark" by Ellen Andersen, 1952
According to the text, the costume above has a silver-embroidered bonnet, a blue scarf, a red bodice with blue silk edges, a green sweater (nattrøje), a red skirt and an apron of red-white-and-blue patterned linen. Note how similar this apron, above, is to the apron pictured several images below and credited to Folkedragt.dk
Nordsjælland City Costume 1850-1880
Image Credit: Marie Wolter Bertelsen
This image of a lovely Nordsjælland city costume was graciously shared by its owner so that all might enjoy and learn about the costumes of this special region. As with the images above, we see another stunning golden neck bonnet. Both the gold bonnet and the black silk ribbons signify the wearer's status as a married woman.
Nordsjælland 1820-1835
Image credit: Dávid Botond and GeoFolk
According to Ellen Andersen's 1952 "Folkedragter i Danmark," women from Frederiksborg County preferred blue hatbands (see above), while women from the Hedebo Region preferred red.
Nordsjælland 1820-1835
Image credit: Dávid Botond and GeoFolk
Nordsjælland woman
Image credit: Folkedragt.dk
Nordsjælland woman
Image credit: Folkedragt.dk
Costume from Frederiksborg County
from "Danske Folke Dragter" by Nanna Gandil, 1972
The costume shown above was found hidden away at an old farm in Frederiksborg County, and was exceedingly well-preserved. Since then, the Frederiksborg State School's has proudly kept it as part of their folk costume collection.
The bonnet's linen extends 8cm further forward than the hat. The shoulder scarf is of blue silk. The red sweater (nattrøje) displays the traditional star pattern. Occasionally, red or blue sweaters were worn instead of red. The skirt has a tiny flower pattern in it. The bodice contains a pattern within stripes of red and blue. Quite unusually for Denmark, the bodice is laced together with a chain (silver, in this case). This type of closure is also seen in North Falster, and on the costumes of Amager and Læsø Island. Danish bodices are more commonly closed with hooks or pins, while chains are more frequently seen in Norway.
Bridal Costume from the Town of Helsinge
from "Danske Folke Dragter" by Nanna Gandil, 1972
This costume is from the Empire Period (1795-1820), the hallmark of which is a high waistline. Jane Austen films feature such costumes, albeit from England, as her novels were set circa 1810 (e.g., Pride and Prejudice).
The bride shown wears a large and richly decorated shoulder scarf with tambour embroidery. As with the costume from Frederiksborg County shown earlier in this section, this Helsinge costume also has the rare distinction (at least in Denmark) of using a chain closure for the bodice. It would seem that this is something of a Nordsjælland thing.
The most notable part of her wedding attire is the wedding bonnet. Pink silk ribbon is artfully arranged in pleats on the hat. Additionally, the hat is decorated with a wide gold ornamental strip of fabric upon which small pink roses are placed. This special wedding bonnet could also be worn for a girl's church confirmation ceremony. Typically, it was lent out to ladies who needed to use it.
Nordsjælland woman
Image credit: Folkedragt.dk
