Dronningens genbrugskjoler              The Queen's recycled dresses     Se dronningens mange gengrugskjoler i videoen herover (13 min)     Watch the Queen's many recycled dresses in the video above (13 min)   I denne julekalenders nummer fire om Dronningens kirketekstiler, så vi hvorledes denne gule sommerkjole fra besøget i Kina blev til en vigtig bestanddel af den hvide messehagel fra Haderslev Domkirke. Og eksemplet er ikke enestående. Dronningen gør en dyd ud af, at lade tingene gå igen. Hun bruger sine store flotte kjoler rigtig mange gange. Til tider får hun dem syet om, så de får en helt ny facon. Hvis de bliver rigtig gamle, er hun ikke bange for at donere sine gamle kjoler eller alt muligt andet til genbrug til balletten, så de kan blive til kustymer. En af de kjoler der har gennemgået flest omskiftelser, er denne gule brokadekjole, der blev brugt første gang under et officielt besøg i Sverige i 1973. Siden er kjolen syet om fire gange. Kjolen har været festkjole nu igennem 29 år. I årene 1987 til 1997 bar Dronningen den hvert år til Nytårskuren på Christiansborg.  Genbrugsideen har præget Dronning Margrethe fra allerførste færd. Talrige kjoler er blevet syet om, og om, og om, og om igen. Dronningen har ofte haft sin egen helt bestemte ide om kreationerne, medens selve syningen er oftest livet igennem blevet foretaget af Dronningens foretrukne modeskaber Jørgen Bender. En gallakjole fra Jørgen Bender kan koste mellem 30 - og 60 tusinde kroner, men Dronningen minimerer prisen ved genbrug. Et kik ind i Majestætens klædeskab viser, at Dronningen og Jørgen Bender indtil hans død i 1999, har genbrugt størstedelen af de kongelige gallakjoler. Dronning Margrethe havde ikke en sørgekjole liggende klar til brug, da hendes far Kong Frederik IX døde, derfor blev denne sorte kjole sat sammen af de ting, som Dronningen fandt i sit klædeskab. En del af dagspressen har flere gange været efter Dronning Margrethe på grund af hendes omfattende genbrug af kjoler og frakker, men vi burde være stolte af vor Dronning som rollemodel og hendes sans for genbrug. Dronningen har fra barns ben været vant til skræddersyet kvalitetstøj, hun har aldrig rigtig gået i stangtøj fra almindelige tøjbutikker. Hun er desuden vokset op i en tid og i et miljø, hvor der ikke herskede den ”brug og smid væk-kultur” som har været frenherskende i mange andre kredse. Det har selvsagt præget Dronningens holdning til beklædning, og hun ser det helt åbenlyst ikke som et problem at genbruge sit tøj – tvært imod. Hjertelig tillykke til Dronning Margrethe! - og til Danmark for vores stilfulde Dronning gennem 40 år!     In this Advent calendar's no #4 about the Queen's church textiles, we learned how this yellow summer dress from the visit to China became an important component of the white chasuble from Haderslev Cathedral. And the example is not unique. The Queen makes a virtue of reusing things. She uses her big fancy dresses many times. Sometimes she gets them resewn, so they get a new look. If they are really old, she is not afraid to donate them or anything else to reuse for the ballet, so they can become new costumes. One of the dresses that has gone through most changes, is this yellow brocade dress, which was first used during an official visit to Sweden in 1973. Since then the dress has been resewn four times. The dress has now been a party dress for more than 29 years. In the years 1987 to 1997 the Queen wore it each year for the New Year's Cure at Christiansborg. The idea of recycling has influenced Queen Margrethe from her younger days. Many dresses were sewn on and on and on and on again. The Queen has often had her own very specific idea of ​​the creations, while the sewing itself usually were made by the Queen's favorite couturier Jørgen Bender. A prom dress from Jørgen Bender can cost between 30,000 and 60,000 DKK, but the Queen minimizes the cost by recycling. A peep into Her Majesty's wardrobe shows that the Queen and Jørgen Bender until his death in 1999, have recycled most of the royal gala dresses. Queen Margrethe had no mourning dress lying ready for use, when her father King Frederik IX died, so this black dress was put together by the things the Queen found in her wardrobe. Part of the daily press has repeatedly been after Queen Margrethe because of her extensive recycling of dresses and coats, but we should be proud of our Queen as a role model and her flair for recycling. From her childhood he Queen has been accustomed to tailored quality dresses, she has never really gone in hanging clothes from ordinary clothes. Also, she also grew up in a time and in an environment whithout the usual "use and throw-away culture" which has been ruling in many other circles. It has obviously influenced the Queen's attitude to clothing, and she sees it quite clearly not as a problem to recycle her clothes - on the contrary. In 2012, Queen Margrethe celebrates her 40-year government jubilee, and on this occasion a new stamp will be published on February 4th. The stamp will have a motif from a painting by Royal Opera singer and painter Mikael Melby. Congratulations to Queen Margrethe! - And to Denmark for our stylish queen for 40 years!