On 6 June annually, Sweden celebrates its National Day. The Royal Family always makes certain to openly celebrate the holidayseason and every one the girls in the household wear the Sverigedräkten.
Sverigedräkten would be the folk dresses which Swedish girls wear for National Day. Produced by Marta Palme in 1903, it was produced to help inspire and boost feelings of national pride. But this was not the initial iteration of federal apparel in Sweden. From the late 1770s, King Gustav III created a national dress code to the upper and middle classes to restrict the total amount of money spent on extravagant, overseas styles. He made dress codes for women and men, with mild blue clothing (with white trim) being worn for formal events.
It was not until the ensemble was found at a Stockholm museum from the 1970s that we broadly remembered it. Queen Silvia popularised the costume when she wore it National Day in 1983 and cemented its fame as it became the official national apparel in 2004.
The clothes we see worn now are usually a white blouse or shirt with another blue skirt or a blue gown with a yellowish overskirt, with blue and yellow lace. Married women can put on a headscarf (although it looks like a hat), which we generally see about the royals. We’ve seen a youthful Princess Estelle and baby Princess Leonore at the Sverigedräkten on National Day.
Interestingly, the men at the Royal Family don’t use national outfits but have a tendency to wear suits.
