Regional costumes were subject to variations. They combined different pieces of clothing and these varied in themselves. What people were doing and the occasion on which the costume was worn determined the combination. There were combinations worn at work and others worn after freshening up, to go out for instance.

When changing, people did not put on completely different clothes. For example, after work, they took off their dirty apron and exchanged it for a clean and finer one. Women also often put on a smarter bonnet for going shopping of visiting. And then there were the best, most beautiful costumes worn on special occasions and for going to church on Sunday. It was even possible that a number of different combinations were worn on the same day. For instance, a woman living in Kampen recounted changing up to seven times on Sunday.

Besides the daily variations, there were also special pieces of clothing for particular occasions and for the different seasons of the year.

See all the items listed under:

At work

Smartening up

Going to church on Sunday

Particular occasions

Summer and winter