What does traditional Austrian clothing mean to you? Ladies in full-skirted dirndls and lace blouses? Little boys in lederhosen? There is a great deal more to this historic mode of dress than the kitsch imagery familiar to tourists. 'Tracht', as it is known, reflects the lifestyle history of Austria and Southern Germany, and the idyllic appearance of the 18th Century rural gentleman, hunter ('jaeger'), peasant or farmer is comparable in terms of symbolic significance to the North American cowboy, or the kilt-wearing Scotsman.

The current revival of this style genre sees it referred to as 'Landhausmode', literally 'Country Estate Fashion', but this belies its real purpose. As with Western gear, tracht was originally designed to be

practical, hard-wearing, protective and suitable for country pursuits.

As a result, leather was the basis of many of these traditional garments and Jahn-Markl, Salzburg's oldest tannery, has been making hunting jackets, lederhosen, gloves, bags and belts since 1408. Back then, they

also kitted out Austrian soldiers in leather jerkins, stockings, armour-linings and uniforms, but today their products are thoroughly beautiful, very well-cut and hand-embroidered as well as long-lasting.

So follow in the Jahn-Markl-clad footsteps of Somerset Maugham, Pablo Picasso and Marlene Dietrich, to name but a few, and ditch the tweed in favour of a good, old-fashioned Wildlederjacke!

Read more here.

Written by  larapiegeler.

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