* Swiss Switzerland boys clothes folk styles








Swiss Boys' Clothes: Folk Styles


Figure 1.--Here two Swiss children modeling folk outfits. The boy wears a shirt-sleeved jacket with colorful piping and Lederhosen. Notice the girls black filigree headwear, white blouse with baloon sleeves, and string laced bodice.

Folk styles in Switzerlamd as in much of Europe are basically widespread peasant styles during the 18th century. There are very destinctive male and female styles, but there were very little age differentiationn. Boys and girls just wore scaled down versions of their parents styles. People in thw 18th century did not have the mobility of our modern age. Many people did not move beyond 50 miles of where they were born. There were adventurous souls that did travel, but this was not the experience of the vast majority of the population. This was especially the case of Switzerland and other mountaneous Alpine countries. Swiss styles for example are similar to styles in neigboring Germany (especially Bavaria) and Austria. Another factor here is that much if the Swiss population is ethnic Germans who dominate most of Switzerland's 26 Cantons. A much smaller part of the population had French or Italian ethnic ancestry. Mountaneous terraine made travel much more difficult than flat terraine. This the experience of many people was limited to the valley communities where they lived and had always lived. And this dynamic meant that that the isolated communities developed destintive variations, usually on basic garments that were widely worn. Swiss men wear trousers or breeches, a smocked shirt, a long-sleeved jacket or/and a vast, headwear, dark woolen stockings, and shoes. Though, as we said earlier, there are plenty of varieties of attire for men in Switzerland. Men might wear lederhosen of varying length, similar to Bavarian folk clothing. Lederhosen are especially suitable for wear in rough mountain regions because of the leather is so durable. Headwear was seasonal, short-brimmed felt hats in colder months and and wide-brimmed straw hats in warmer months. Swiss female folk styles were bright, colorful smocked dirndl dresses with puffed sleeves and tight ribbon crest tops. They were worn with white aprons. The apron was important and very common is worn over the skirt and tied at the back. It protected the rest of the outfit at a time what we now call folk clothing was ordinary everday clothing. So, a woman could have only one dress, but several aprons. This helps to be always tidy and look a little different ar the same time. A very important device for a woman. The greatest variety was seen in headwear. There were fairly standard lace bonnets as well as variery of very destinctive styles. Long stockings were fairly commpm, especially white, but we see some red stockings. Tights are a modern substitute. At the time tight were not worn, but long stockings were common. Today long stpckings are not available, but tights are. We also note embroidered bags. The dress is odten replaced by a white blouse with puffed sleeves, a tight top corset, and a full skirt worn with an apron on top. The blouse and and apron are normally white, the rest of the outfit could be very colorful with elaboratebl decorations and accessories. The bodice is normally closed with hooks or laceing as can be see here (figure 1).

Historic Peasant Origins

Folk styles in Switzerlamd as in much of Europe are basically widespread peasant styles during the 18th century. There are very destinctive male and female styles, but there were very little age differentiationn. Boys and girls just wore scaled down versions of their parents styles. People in thw 18th century did not have the mobility of our modern age. Many people did not move beyond 50 miles of where they were born. There were adventurous souls that did travel, but this was not the experience of the vast majority of the population. This was especially the case of Switzerland and other mountaneous Alpine countries. Swiss styles for example are similar to styles in neigboring Germany (especially Bavaria) and Austria.

Ethnicity

Another factor here is that much if the Swiss population is ethnic Germans who dominate most of Switzerland's 26 Cantons. A much smaller part of the population had French or Italian ethnic ancestry.

Geography

Mountaneous terraine made travel much more difficult than flat terraine. This the experience of many people was limited to the valley communities where they lived and had always lived. And this dynamic meant that that the isolated communities developed destintive variations, usually on basic garments that were widely worn.

Male Styles

Swiss men wear trousers or breeches, a smocked shirt, a long-sleeved jacket or/and a vast, headwear, dark woolen stockings, and shoes. Though, as we said earlier, there are plenty of varieties of attire for men in Switzerland. Men might wear lederhosen of varying length, similar to Bavarian folk clothing. Lederhosen are especially suitable for wear in rough mountain regions because of the leather is so durable. Headwear was seasonal, short-brimmed felt hats in colder months and and wide-brimmed straw hats in warmer months.

Female Styles

Swiss female folk styles were bright, colorful smocked dirndl dresses with puffed sleeves and tight ribbon crest tops. They were worn with white aprons. The apron was important and very common is worn over the skirt and tied at the back. It protected the rest of the outfit at a time what we now call folk clothing was ordinary everday clothing. So, a woman could have only one dress, but several aprons. This helps to be always tidy and look a little different ar the same time. A very important device for a woman. The greatest variety was seen in headwear. There were fairl standard lace bonnets as well as variery of very destinctive styles. Long stockings were fairly commpm, especially white, but we see some red stockings. Tights are a modern substitute. At the time tight were not worn, but long stockings were common. Today long stpckings are not available, but tights are. We also note embroidered bags. The dress is often replaced by a white blouse with puffed sleeves, a tight top corset, and a full skirt worn with an apron on top. The blouse and and apron are normally white, the rest of the outfit could be very colorful with elaboratebl decorations and accessories. The bodice is normally closed with hooks or laceing as can be seen here (figure 1).

Youth Groups

We note youth grouos sometimes incorporate folk elenebts in the uniform. Orvwear folk outfits at campas and interbatiinal events. We note Swiss boys wearing folk outdits at the Seventh Internatiinal Boy Scout Jamboree in Austria (1951).

Choral Groups

We see children's choirs adopting folk styles for their performances. In some cases it was theur basic unifirm. In other cases it was a cistune worn for only certain perfornances. We see this with some of theSiss choirs. One examole was Grabs Children's Choir

Children's Portraits

We see parents dressing up their children in folk outfits for studio photographic portaits. We see these in many countries, but esoecially Eurooean countries. It seems an especially popular trend in German countries wheee the Volkish traduriin was oronounced. Switzerlandvhad a majoeity popukatiin of ethnic Germans. We havevnite wxamoles of this in the photograohic record. Am examole is Henry Willem Otto Voûte.

Festivals

There are many popular annual festinals in Switzerlamd. Every village throughout Switzerland have annual festivals of carying sizes. And at these fesivals the people dress up in folk festivals which most people in villages have. We think this is less common in the major cities. In addidition to the indibiidual village festival, there are also refional evebts andvnatiinal events in hich people dress up, bith the adults and children. One such ec=event is the Alpabfart.

Holidays

Wevhave some informatioin on Swiss holidays. We notice Swiss children dressing up for holidays. We are not sure hoe common this is. We do know that this includes both religious and national holidays. This deopends on both the specific hiliday and family traditions. Churches varied as to how they promoted the observatioin of religious often called feasts on the Catholic tradition. Thius including dressing up in folk costumes. Schools may have promoted the idea for the varius national holidays. We are not sure how this convention has varied over time or among the variious Swiss ethnic and religious groups. Wearing folk citumnes nay be mire common amoing the Gernan ethnic population becuse of the Volkish traditions. We think this was more commom in villages than in the cities. Hopefully Swiss readers will provide more insights.

Schools

We note some schools that have special events for days when the children are encouraged to dress in folk outfits, msotly primary schools. The children seen to enjoy it. Young children ennhoyb dressing up in costimes. up in costumes. Oberflachs is a village in the municipality of Schinznach, Canton Aargau. We see a photograph taken in 2017. The school had a day about tradition asking the children wearing local folks costumes. We see a first grade schoolgirl wearing her folk costume in bare feet, according the local tradition.






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Created: January 6, 2001
Last updated: 2:37 PM 4/25/2020