National Costume of Germany - Does It Exist?

Have you ever been to Oktoberfest or seen pictures of the festival? If yes, you probably noticed how most Germans are dressed, let's say, similarly. This is because they proudly wear their traditional costume - the dirndl and leather pants (Lederhosen). It is based on the costumes of Alpine peasants and is particularly popular in Bavaria, Austria and Switzerland. So let's explore this aspect of German tradition a little more.

The origin of the "modern" dirndl and lederhosen

When we talk about the traditional clothes of Germany (as well as Austria, because the focus is on the Alpine regions), we cannot but mention the "Tracht". In earlier times (around the 16th century), the tracht was an indicator of one's social and social affiliation, that is, an indicator of social and legal status. Therefore, you could tell by clothes whether someone was married or single, whether someone was from a high or low class... Tracht actually has a much broader usage, in the context of "that which is carried", since the word "tragen" itself means to carry. Today, the term describes any clothing associated with the clothing of rural communities.

Dirndl

A dirndl is a traditional female garment consisting of a bodice, a full dress, a blouse and a frilled apron. During the 19th century, the dirndl was the standard uniform of maids, but it soon became popular among upper class women as well. Today you can very often see young girls wearing dirndls, even outside of church and festivals (including weddings, birthdays and other social events).

Each part of the dirndl is actually a type of tracht, which throughout history, as we said, was used to identify people and their status. Therefore, wealthy women throughout the Alps had dirndls made of more expensive materials such as silk and the like.

Now you have on offer a very large number of dirndls from various designers, which are influenced by today's modern style. And I must admit that they are also quite comfortable to wear.

Lederhosen

Lederhosen or leather pants are a part of men's traditional German costume and are, as the name suggests, short leather pants. As a rule, they are knee-length and are worn together with "rustic" shoes and woolen socks (socks are usually pulled up to the knee, which is sometimes funny to the eye, but at the same time very practical). You will most often see pants with suspenders as well as front flaps, with distinctive patterns. A shirt made of linen or wool should be combined with trousers, but today, of course, the material that is most commonly used is cotton. It should be noted that the tracht production is still current. It is mostly handmade, and the materials used are exclusively natural, such as wool, linen, silk, mother-of-pearl, silver...