Until 1957, Marken, a small village in the Netherlands, was an isolated island. Today, it is connected to the mainland by a dam, first in the Zuiderzee and later in the IJsselmeer. The island’s history dates back to the thirteenth century when the first inhabitants, monks from Friesland, settled there. Because Marken remained isolated for so long, the local costumes and styles have evolved differently from those of other parts of the Netherlands. The village is also known for its unique hairstyle tradition. For centuries, the women and girls of Marken wore long, blunt bangs and shaved the nape of their necks to just above their ears, a style that remained unchanged for generations.
