Traditional costumes

Women's costume

Traditional costumes have existed in Switzerland for around 250 years. In the meantime, they were lost in the course of industrialization. Until 1925, when the Heritage Society commissioned the design of a new Ausserrhoden women's costume.

The Ausserrhoden costume is simple and plain. The Innerrhoden costume, on the other hand, is richly decorated and embroidered. The traditional costumes of Appenzell are more artistic.

A «Spitzli embroidery» the size of a 2-franc piece on the white collar of the women's costume takes seven hours to complete by hand. The price depends on how much fabric and how many brooches are needed. A «Sunday costume» costs 4,000 francs and a «weekday costume» 1,200 francs.

Men's costume

The dairyman wears yellow breeches, a red cloth vest, a black hat decorated with flowers and ribbons, studded suspenders, white knee socks and alpine dairyman's ornaments. The yellow pants of the dairyman's costume are dyed with a secret, home-made color mixture.