Nationella dräkten (, "the national costume") is a historic Swedish

costume Costume is the distinctive style of dress and/or makeup of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch—in short, culture. The term also was traditionally used to describe typica ...

, designed by King

Gustav III Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he saw ...

and introduced in 1778. It was designed for the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

and the middle class with the intention of limiting rising consumption and import of

luxury Luxury may refer to: *Luxury goods, an economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises *Luxury tax, a tax on products not considered essential, such as speedboats or diamonds. **Luxury tax (sports), a ...

within

fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...

, which was considered a drain on the economy and detrimental to society because of ensuing poverty. A masculine and a feminine costume were designed. The woman's version of the costume was to have a lasting effect, modified several times later, as the official costume of the Royal Court.

History

Presented by Gustav III in 1778 without legislative action to make them mandatory, the costumes by royal recommendation were to be the official clothing of the

and the middle class ( burghers). The clergy and peasant

estate Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representativ ...

s were excluded from the recommendation. In motivating the reform and the name of the costume, the king stressed the importance of getting his Swedish subjects to stop emulating expensive foreign fashions. The idea stirred interest abroad, and especially in France opinions varied.

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

had this to say about it: :''Nations should be themselves. They should only imitate each other in what is good and never in what is capricious. The ruler of the Swedes, who doesn’t overlook anything, realizes this wholly and fully. And he is going to give his people the greatest of all possessions – manners. Give him my humble greetings and tell him, that I honor him as a benefactor of humanity, and an example for kings. I am dying, and I am taking that feeling to my grave as a comfort to me.'' Both the female and male costumes had specific color requirements for court functionaries: black with red trim regularly, and light blue with white trim for formal occasions. Other persons were free to choose their own color combinations as long as they maintained the twotone design.

Female version

The female costume followed the fashion of the era, except for its collar and sleeves which were inspired by the Renaissance. It never caught on with a broader feminine populace, at first only being used at the Royal Court in the presence of the monarch. After the death of Gustav III, it became the official uniform worn at court by

ladies in waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but o ...

and a customary dress for women formally presented at Court. The design of the dress subsequently continued to follow current fashions as time went on, but the basic look of the characteristic, vertically striped sleeves has been kept, and a specific color rule developed: black or very dark blue with white trim. The dress was used for women being presented at Court until 1952, and is still in use by Swedish ladies-in-waiting on formal occasions.Astrid Tydén-Jordan : Kungligt klädd, kungligt mode (1987) Stockholm

Male version

The male costume was much more original and included details from the Renaissance and the Caroline period of Swedish history. It was used at Court and by many officials during the reigns of Gustav III and his son Gustav IV Adolph and later also was in limited use as a sort of

folk costume Folk costume, traditional dress, traditional attire or folk attire, is clothing of an ethnic group, nation or region, and expresses cultural, religious or national identity. An ethnic group's clothing may also be called ethnic clothing or ethnic ...

for townsmen in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

References

* Astrid Tydén-Jordan : ''Kungligt klädd, kungligt mode'' (1987) Stockholm * Nationella Dräkten, En studie kring Gustaf III:s Dräktreform 1778 by Eva Bergman, Nordiska Museets Handlingar 8, Stockholm, 1938

External links

runeberg.org
(image) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nationella drakten 1778 in Sweden History of fashion Swedish fashion Folk costumes Sweden during the Gustavian era

History

Female version

Male version

See also

References

External links