LSDS 1923's "Petite Hollandaise"

Bleuette Wears the Costume of A Dutch Girl

The Netherlands has twelve provinces: Drenthe, Gelderland, Groningen, Flevoland, Friesland, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland and Zuid-Holland. North (noord) and south (zuid) Holland are only two of the twelve provinces, but Holland has often been used to denote what is rightly called The Netherlands.  People from any of these provinces are called "Dutch."

Traditional dress varies across the twelve provinces, and the costumes changed over time, also.

Bleuette had three patterns for a Dutch girl's costume published in La Semaine de Suzette, one in 1908, Costume Hollandaise, later Petite Hollandaise in 1923, and finally Bleuette en Hollandaise in 1930.

Petite Hollandaise 1923, # 6 & 7

1908 Illustration

1923 Illustration

1930 Illustration

 Coifs (white caps) featuring "ears,"pointed tops, flaps, caps with a gathered frill at the bottom, lace bonnets, and many types of decorations distinguish the various provinces.  A striped skirt is often part of the costume, but sometimes they are black.  Royal blue and orange are the national colors, so some costumes reflect that.  One thing the provincial costumes have in common is the "klompen," or wooden shoes.

You could make a lifetime's work of studying the costume variations and traditions of the Netherlands!  If you grew up reading "Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates," you might enjoy reconnecting with the Netherlands by making Bleuette the costume of a Dutch girl.