What does a man wear to a mountain wedding?

We already know that women wear dirndl dresses in the Salzburger Sportwelt. Now all will be revealed as to what special form of wedding attire there is for men. Of course, classic suits, dinner jackets and tailcoats are also permitted. You know what they look like. However, we wouldn't be in SalzburgerLand if we didn't have our own suit: the Salzburg suit. And, of course, lederhosen. Or a combination of the two.

Calling it a "Salzburger" is enough when you come into the shop and try on a suit for your wedding in the Salzburg mountains. But what makes it so special?

1. The Salzburg suit is law.
2. The Salzburg suit is unique.

Politicians were already thinking about their suits in 1910. And they definitely had a reason to!

Many customs, traditions and costumes disappeared with the industrial revolution in the 19th century. People fled the countryside and moved to the cities because of the supposedly better working conditions. There they did not want to be recognised as country people and dressed like city dwellers - the traditional Salzburg suit disappeared more and more.

The tenor in favour of traditional costume was old-fashioned. And it was the city dwellers who brought traditional costume back out of obscurity. Suddenly it was chic again to dress in traditional costume. And men had to be able to afford a traditional suit or lederhosen. And, of course, so did women with their festive dirndls, bodice dresses and overskirts. But that's another story.

In any case, the Salzburg suit made it into the "Provincial Traditional Costume Directory" in 1935. Since then, it has had its own legal entry, which is unique in Austria. But what does the Salzburg suit look like now?
Simple, discreet and grey. It consists of:
- A jacket
- A pair of trousers
- A waistcoat
- A shirt
- A tie

The jacket of the Salzburg suit is much simpler than the Styrian suit, for example. It is made of grey virgin wool with green trim. Let's go into more detail. It's very classic:

- Salzburg suits with standing chest and box pleat
- Salzburg suits with stand-up chest and lapels
- Salzburg suits as double-breasted suits with green lapels

A stand-up chest is a shape on the front of the jacket - it is created by a special cut and processing of the fabric. The stand-up chest is slightly curved outwards and gives the front of the jacket a structured appearance - yes, even men "cheat" and put on a push-up jacket, so to speak.

'If the seamstress or tailor places two folds of the fabric on top of each other in such a way that a "pinch" is created at the seam and this creates a compressed effect, this is called a pinch pleat. It can run horizontally or vertically and has the advantage of a decorative effect:

It gives the garment more volume and the wearer more freedom of movement.
We're not talking about a tennis lapel here, but a folded fabric edge. It gives the jacket of the Salzburg suit more style and gives it a personalised touch.

On a double-breasted suit, 2 rows of buttons adorn the suit. And, the green lapel is also a turned-up fabric - on the sleeves, collar and edges.

So much for tradition. And traditional costume also changes. That's why today there are Salzburg suits with or without a pinch pleat or even with a dragoon.

And no, we are not talking about mounted infantry or a sternly domineering woman (in the kitchen), but about a back clasp on jackets or coats. Real rarities and therefore also special quality features are genuine staghorn buttons.

The suit trousers are also made of grey virgin wool, traditionally with a narrow green passepoil stripe at the side seam.

The waistcoat is also originally made of virgin wool - this time in green. And it should match the jacket. So, if the jacket from the Salzburg suit has a stand-up collar, then so does the waistcoat. If the jacket is double-breasted, then so is the waistcoat. The jacket version with lapels needs a single-breasted waistcoat with a V-cut.

Nowadays, waistcoats are often made of silk or cloth. And whatever you like is allowed. Blue, grey or red. With or without a pattern.

A white cotton or linen shirt completes the Salzburg suit. Be sure to wear a long-sleeved shirt - no matter how hot it is.

A tie in the matching colour adorns your neck and black shoes your feet. And your Salzburg suit is transformed into a wedding suit - ideal for a Salzburg mountain wedding.

The history of leather trousers goes back even further than the Salzburg suit. They can be traced back to the 18th century as the clothing of farmers and cattle breeders in SalzburgerLand. The robust leather protected them from the harsh climate and hard labour.

Back then, farmers wore breeches that reached just below the knee. Nowadays, short leather trousers are particularly popular. Similar to the Salzburg suit, the aristocracy also brought leather trousers back into fashion - because not everyone could afford to hunt animals and the leather obtained from them.

Foreign and cheap leather has no place in traditional lederhosen. The animal's skin should have been tightened at home: Deerskin or chamois leather is the order of the day.

The "holiday trousers" were traditionally embroidered with moss green thread, the "workday trousers" with white. The embroidery pattern is not as lavish as you might recognise from the Lederhosen from Bavaria. Flowers, tendrils and animal motifs - every valley and every town has its own tradition. It's nice when you can recognise where the wearer comes originates from the embroidery, isn't it?

Originally, leather braces also held the leather trousers up - the crossbar was usually decorated with an animal hunting motif. And very important:

The side knife pocket. Sometimes the initials of the wearer are immortalised there.

So much for the history. Today, men in the Salzburg sporting world mainly wear short lederhosen without braces. Deerskin or chamois leather are still acceptable. Embroidery is also fine.

A shirt, socks and brogue shoes and your outfit for the Salzburg mountain wedding is complete. If it weren't for the combination of the two.

It's easy: combine lederhosen with a white shirt, waistcoat and jacket from the Salzburg suit. Voilà.

The socks deserve another quick look: These are special calf socks. They are the best knitted. In grey with green patterns. The "flaming love" would be fitting for the wedding motto, wouldn't it? The photo shows lederhosen socks - hand-knitted by grandma:

photo credits: Angela Jäger, Barbara Pirchner, JO Salzburg