Hindeloopen female traditional costume with chintz wentke

It used to take a while for a married woman of Hindeloopen to get dressed: Over a long undershirt she put on two underskirts, first a striped one followed by a red one, and on the upper part of her body she wore a chintz-sleeved vest and a comfortable and warm velvet collar around the neck.

Then followed a layer of woollens: a black skirt and a ditto bodice, a corset-like jacket which was done up with a coloured lace.

Over the woollen skirt she put on a chequered apron and on her breast she pinned a – differently – chequered cloth.

Then she would pleat her long hair into braids, which she rolled up tightly so that they would fit into the so-called foarflechter, a red barrel-shaped object made of coarsely woven wool, over which she pulled a tight, white cap.

As a finishing touch, the head dress was completed with a construction of a folded multi-coloured, starched cloth.

Hindeloopen women still wear this colourful attire on special occasions and draw much attention with it.