HOLLAND, Mich. — Tulip Time is upon us and one of the most iconic parts -- barring the tulips of course -- are the costumes! The costume creators worked to produce around 120 garments for the festival and it takes them around 10-20 hours to sew.
The festival's Executive Director, Gwen Auwerda, stopped by My West Michigan dressed in an one of the oldest costumes used for Tulip Time.
The Hindeloopen costume is quite different than any other costume from the province of Friesland. It's also one of the oldest costumes used for our Festival. The last woman to have worn this costume on a day-to-day basis passed away in 1883.
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Because the men often brought back products from India, their wives were exposed to such things as chintz fabrics. They purchased this to make clothing and other things for their homes.
There are two color-schemes that can be used for the Hindeloopen costume. Red and white are the colors that are worn when not in mourning. Typically, this was white background with red flowers but it could have been a darker background, for example red or even green. Chintz with blue flowers on a white background was used for mourning. There were seven degrees of mourning in this costume. Out of mourning, the costume could have laces of red or yellow. In mourning, the costume could have laces of green or dark blue.
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