Swiss Tracht—Swiss Traditional Dress

The Tracht Across Switzerland

Switzerland is not a large country. It could fit sixteen times into Alberta, Canada. Yet the diversity of Swiss traditional dress is rich. There are 26 cantons in Switzerland—click here to see a map of the cantons. Each canton has its own style of Tracht identified by key elements in the dress.

History of the Tracht

Historically in Switzerland, women working on farms would adopt styles from those passing through. Travellers, in turn, got their fashion from the rich living in the cities. In an attempt to copy the upper class, a woman might adjust her Tracht to look like those that had come from the urban centres. With tight money and resources, the women could only adapt and change their Tracht so much. As a result, Swiss traditional dress became its own unique style, representing the lives and labours of those who created it.

Throughout her life, a woman would alter her dress to fit in various stages (e.g., pregnancy), and she would then pass her Tracht down to her daughter. The Tracht is designed to accommodate these changes while maintaining the expensive elements of the dress (e.g., the embroidered bodice).

The Swiss Tracht had many purposes in the past, including everyday use, socializing, and special events like weddings and baptisms. Women may have had multiple Trachten or they could interchange certain elements, including the apron and the hat, to accommodate for these different purposes. Some women would fold their skirts or aprons accordion style for storage to avoid wrinkles or the need for ironing. Common fabrics used for the Tracht include linen and wool. The fabric was woven and dyed by hand.

The Swiss National Costume Association was founded in 1926 to preserve Swiss traditional dress. Today, Swiss men and women wear traditional dress for special occasions and festivals. Festivals are held regularly to celebrate Swiss culture, including the Tracht. For a taste of a Swiss festival, click here.

Elements of the Tracht

Elements of the Tracht may include:

• full-bodied skirt or dress

• white linen, puff-sleeve blouse

• apron, usually worn around the waste

• embroidered bodice

• jewellery

• linen or lace shawl

• straw or lace hat

• lace gloves

• white stockings

• black shoes with large silver buckles

Our Tracht

We perform in authentic re-creations of Swiss Tracht. Some of the ladies in the group sewed their own dresses while others had them custom made by dress makers in Switzerland.

To view our gallery and learn more about the specific cantons represented in our club, click here.