!!!Trachten

Trachten: up to the 20th century, tracht (plural trachten) was, in the 
German-speaking countries, the general term for the kind or style of 
clothing and adornment (hairstyle, beard etc.) prescribed to identify 
a person as belonging to a particular group in terms of legal status 
(married, single), denomination, social standing or trade (miners, 
craftsmen). As the urban bourgeoisie and aristocrats discovered nature 
and the charms of rural customs and living in the 19th and early 20th 
centuries ( Heimatkunst Movement), they triggered interest in 
preserving and cultivating the rural or regional styles of dress ( 
Heimatwerk); today, the term tracht denotes any form of supposedly 
timeless traditional rustic dress. The trachten known today emerged 
through a combination of special regional dress features and the 
fashion of the day. The traditions of secluded regions and villages, 
proximity of major urban settlements, seasonal labour, hawking and the 
emergence of tourism all contributed to the preservation and further 
development of the concept of trachten.

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Since the 19th century researchers have distinguished numerous 
Austrian trachten regions, especially in the Alpine area. Basic common 
features were due to the availability of specific materials, such as 
linen, wool and leather, and of the facilities needed for processing 
them, and fashion trends of the 18th and early 19th centuries (once 
the authorities had relaxed the dress codes imposed on persons of 
different status). The basic types include the "leibkittel" (a 
close-fitting sleeveless bodice with a full, gathered or pleated 
skirt)  Dirndl) with an apron, short or knee-length trousers made of 
deer or chamois leather, men's suits made of grey or brown cloth or 
loden with lapels in a different colour ( Steireranzug), ceremonial 
women's bonnets made of fur and bonnets or coronets of gold or silver 
filigree ( Goldhaube).

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At present, there are numerous societies and clubs dedicated to the 
preservation and revival of trachten, with the result that most local 
costumes are of fairly recent origin. In addition, Austrian fashion 
designers have adopted various rustic elements and have thus 
considerably affected the way large parts of Austrian society dress. 
Since the late 19th century, trachten have been exploited as a 
characteristic feature of Austria and the Austrians in advertising 
(tourism, foodstuffs).

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Important collections of historical popular costumes are found in the 
Austrian  Folklore Museum in Vienna, in the Styrian Folklore Museum in 
Graz and in the Tirolean Museum of Folk Art in Innsbruck; smaller 
collections in numerous provincial and regional museums.

!Literature
K. Beitl and O. Bockhorn, Kleidung - Mode - Tracht, 1987; 
F. C. Lipp et al. (eds.), Tracht in Oesterreichs Geschichte 
und Gegenwart, 1984; K. Mautner and V. Geramb, Steirisches 
Trachten-Buch, 2 vols. 1932-1939 (reprint and commentary 1988).


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