San Marino’s most visible tailoring is found in its ceremonial uniforms, each with its own colours, history and character.
Red, green and gold
The Guard of the Rock, which probably emerged as a military branch in 1754, is dressed in red and green. Its ceremonial uniform has red trousers with a green stripe, a double-breasted green jacket with red cuffs and collar, gold buttons and a black helmet with red and white feathers. Visitors in summer can watch its changing of the guard in Piazza della Libertà, where the bright green is hard to miss.
Blue, white and gold
The Guard of the Council, locally the Guard of Nobles, dates from 1740. Its dress uniform is dark blue with gold trim, and officers have cloth-of-gold trouser stripes while other ranks have bright yellow-gold ones. White gloves, a white leather cross-strap and a cocked hat with blue and white feathers complete it. The Uniformed Militia is also in dark blue, with a kepi topped by a blue and white plume, and ceremonial dress adds a white cross-strap, a blue and white sash, white epaulettes and decorated cuffs.
Medieval tradition
The Crossbow Corps traces its continuous history to a mention in the statutes of 1295. It is the oldest of the republic’s military groups, now a ceremonial corps of around seventy volunteers whose uniform is medieval in design, and its members compete in crossbow contests at home and abroad.
Strong colour pairings and sharp tailoring never look dated, and they translate well to modern wardrobes.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sammarinese Armed Forces, Flags of the World: San Marino, Starts at 60: San Marino, the world’s oldest republic.
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