Bunad

We were so privileged as to be invited to a beautiful christening last weekend. Even though I am not personally believing in an omnipotent god, I still feel there is something sacred about welcoming a new child into this world. I also love the fact that it gave me an occasion to wear my Bunad - my Norwegian national costume.

The Bunad's origin lies in the national romantic movement in the 19th century, but most of the Bunads you see today were designed in the 20th century based on rural clothes worn in the 18th century. In Norway the Bunad is considered formal clothes and you wear it at big occasions like weddings, christenings and our national holiday on May 17th.

The big children's parade in Oslo on the Norwegian National Holiday.
Photo by Morten Johnsen.

The design of the Bunads vary from place to place. My Bunad is from the lower part of Buskerud, the county my mother's family is from. All the embroideries are done by my grandmother.

There is love in every stitch. 

I am so impressed with the handwork put into it. A professional seamstress did the montage of the dress. The hand sewn stitches are so even!

This is something I will never have the patience to do. 

I got my Bunad for my confirmation when I was 15. Luckily it was made with the intention of being something I can wear for a long time, so there were a certain amount of extra fabric left around the waist and in the torso of the dress, because let's face it - my body today at 29 is not the same as it was at 15.

This is me a few years ago. 

Even though I only get to wear it a couple of times a year, I think my Bunad is my absolute favorite piece of clothing. The fact that my grandmother embroidered it and that it will probably last longer than my life time makes it even more precious.

Do you have a piece of clothing or something else precious to you for the same reasons?

High heeled rain boots

This summer has been fabulous. I think we have had 5-6 weeks with almost only sun and nice weather. That is not that common here in Norway. Even I have a tan line - something I never have since I don't have the patience to tan.

Don't laugh, it isn't easy to take a photo of your own tan line. But it IS there! 

But now we are closing in on the middle of August and it has actually been thundering quite heavily lately. I love thunder! Thunder means candle lights, sitting close to my husband and having a glass of red wine in my hand. Thunder also means rain. Which means I get to wear my rain boots. As a child, rain boots were probably my least favorite foot wear. Now that I'm all grown up and responsible for my own shoe shopping, it is a completely different story.

My Ness rain boots.

They are black and red with a huge bow. And the best thing? They have high heels!

They are not sky high, but still - my rain boots have heels! 

It might not seem much, but a pair of fabulous rain boots can help on the wettest day. They will be my fixer-upper for the rainy, dark days to come after this warm and sunny summer.

How are you handling the transition from summer to fall to winter?

Make-do and Mend

I spent a few, intense days in London this summer. 3 days filled with sightseeing and a little bit of shopping. Among others, I visited Churchill War Rooms. The place is like frozen in time - the rooms look the same as they did when the war ended in 1945.

I bought this poster in their excellent museum shop. Clothing rationing was introduced in June 1941 in Britain, and this was part of a campaign to offer innovative ways of making the best of people's clothes. 

I do my fair share of shopping (with a special weakness for shoes), but there is something very appealing with the re-use and mending of old items. Which made me totally fall in love with this little doily I found at the market in Covent Garden. 

You never see this any more! Someone carefully mended this little doily instead of throwing it away. I wonder who this person was, but I imagine that after making the beautiful laces around the doily, the owner did not want to throw away the doily. 

I have no idea yet as to what to do with the little doily, so if anyone has a suggestion, I am open minded!