The Austrian traditional costumes fair "Tracht & Country" for spring and summer 2011 was held from August 27 to 29 in the Exhibition Center of Salzburg, a famous city in northern Austria.
In total 177 exhibitors of the Alps region participated in the exhibition, of which 72 exhibitors were domestic and 105 exhibitors were foreign.
The national costume fair was held for the domestic and foreign exhibitors to display their latest design, improvement and innovation in the traditional costume of Alps area.
After a long practice in production and life, people of the Alps area have formed its own style of national costume with distinct geographical features. A standard suit of male traditional clothing in Alps area usually consists of dark woolen coat, white shirt, leather pant and thick stockings, which looks rustic and resolute.
While a suit of standard traditional clothing for local female is composed of shirt with wide sleeves and low collar and high waist skirt with an apron outside in bright colors, making female more gentle and kind in appearances.
Despite of the increasing cultural exchanges among nations over the world and a tremendous impact of the foreign culture on the local culture, the residents of Alps region are still proud of their traditional costume, which remains welcome there.
Christian Kauer, an exhibitor from Germany told the reporter, one of the important reasons that the traditional costumes remain popular in Alps area is due to the respect to their traditional culture.
Not only the elderly people, but also young people love to wear traditional costumes. Especially in mountainous areas, ethnic clothing is essential part of local residents' dress, he said.
However, to a certain extent, the process of increasing globalization also has been forming pressure on the continuation and development of traditional ethnic clothing of Alps region.
As a result, the traditional costume of Alps region is kept adding more fashion features and improving its design, material, decoration, which looks more modern in addition to maintaining its basic style.
Over the recent years, the traditional costume of Alps region has been showing more "fashional." Meanwhile, the modern fashion also reflects the traditional costume elements.
The thick, heavy and trim traditional costume and the light, soft and close-fitting modern clothing are blended into one unit. Such traditional costumes full of fashion sense are also loved by local young people.
The traditional costume exhibition in Salzburg, Austria, which is held twice a year, offers the exhibitors with an opportunity to display their items and exchange views with each other. It is also considered as a platform for the continuity and development in traditional costumes of Alps region.
