Fashion and Swedish Royalty at the Nordic Heritage Museum

We were completely late to the game for Seattle Sweden Week - which ran May 2 through May 9 - but we did manage to make it to one of the week’s closing programs. The Arctic Summer: Nordic Fashion Show was held at Ballard’s Nordic Heritage Museum on Saturday, presented by the Nordic Heritage Museum Arctic Circle and Swedish Women's Educational Association (SWEA). The show exhibited recent work of designers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands; ranging from toddler and children's clothing to men's and women's upscale day wear.

Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden was the honored guest of the evening, and we suffered a mild panic attack when emcee Ole Henriksen announced mid-show that a parked Honda was blocking HRH’s car. (The license plate was not ours, thank jeebus). Henriksen, owner of the OLE HENRIKSEN skin care line, was an energetic and jovial host, and kept the show running smoothly even when the child models balked at the idea of walking down the runway. The older, not-shy models came courtesy of Heffner Management.

Designs were available for sale after the show ended, but we wandered into the museum’s depths to learn a little bit about Nordic history in the Pacific Northwest. Check out the Nordic Heritage Museum’s exhibitions calendar for a listing of upcoming events.