Behind the Costume: The Wise Viking Woman

Sometimes a costume does not become what you planned.

Sometimes it becomes something much better.

For this photoshoot, we started with an idea: a fierce and angry Viking woman.

Strong. Dangerous. Perhaps a little frightening.

Well… she had other plans.

She became a wise old woman instead.

And somehow, she completely ruled the forest.

Creating the Costume

For this Viking-inspired outfit, I wanted to work with materials that had a strong, natural feeling.

Wool, tweed, cotton, silk and faux fur were the main materials. I love working with fabrics that have texture and weight. They do not have to be perfect or shiny. In fact, the little imperfections and rough textures often make a costume feel much more alive.

The long dark blue wool cloak became the main piece. It has a taffeta lining, arm openings and a large fur-look collar. I also made a separate faux fur collar, which can be removed and worn in different ways.

The women's outfit underneath consists of a handmade jacket and two skirts, made from a combination of tweed, silk and cotton.

Then came the fun part: ropes, necklaces, layers, textures and all the little details.

I love this stage of costume making.

You start with fabric and an idea, and slowly a character appears.

And then you simply have to let your imagination take over.

A Photoshoot with a Whole Team

It may look like there was a large production team behind these photographs.

But in reality, there were only two people working on the shoot.

MUA: @silkeandthemonsters
Costume maker & Model: Marga van der Vet
Photography: Silke Eefting
Photo backgrounds: Gemini

Silke did the fantastic and very creative make-up and photography, while I made the costume and became the model.

The backgrounds were created with the help of Gemini, giving the photographs that extra feeling of a different time and place.

It was relaxed, creative and, most importantly, fun.

And I think you can see that in the photographs.

And Then There Were the Animals

Of course, a Viking woman should not travel alone.

My old Fjord mare Vesta joined the photoshoot.

Vesta is 26 years old, and she has that wonderful presence that only an older horse can have. Calm, strong and completely unimpressed by our Viking adventures.

She did not need any acting.

She simply was Vesta.

And then there was our dog Hugo.

Hugo was also part of the story. With a little help from AI, he was transformed into a great wolf for the photographs.

Which feels rather appropriate for a Viking-inspired story.

The Character She Became

The funny thing is that we wanted to create an angry Viking woman.

But somewhere during the make-up, the costume and the photography, that character disappeared.

Instead, I saw an old woman who had lived a long life.

A woman who had seen battles, winters, celebrations and losses.

A woman who no longer needed to prove anything.

She was calm, kind and she knew things.

And she definitely ruled.

I loved her immediately.

Perhaps because, in a strange way, I was her.

For a few hours, I could simply imagine that I had stepped out of my own time and into another one.

The wool, the rough tweed, the heavy cloak, the forest, the horse beside me and my faithful dog at my side.

Everything came together.

Letting the Costume Tell Its Own Story

This is one of the things I love most about making costumes.

You can begin with a drawing, a fabric or a historical idea.

But once the costume is finished and you put it on, something unexpected can happen.

The character starts to tell you who she is.

That is exactly what happened here.

We did not create the Viking woman we had planned.

We found someone else.

An old, wise Viking woman who had nothing left to prove.

And honestly?

She rules.

I think I will keep her.