Dirndl
A Dirndl is a type of traditional dress worn in southern Germany and Austria, based on the historical costume of Alpine peasants. Dresses that are loosely based on the the dirndl are known as Landhausmode.
Description
The dirndl consists of a bodice, blouse, full skirt and apron. While appearing to be simple and plain, a properly-made, modern dirndl might be quite expensive.
In the South German dialects (bairisch), 'dirndl' originally referred to a young woman or a girl. Nowadays, 'dirndl' may equally refer to either a young woman, or to the dress as described in this article.
Variations on the style
The winter style dirndl has heavy, warm skirts and aprons made of thick cotton, linen, velvet or wool, and long sleeves. The colors are usually rich and dark.
The summer style is lighter and more frivolous, has short sleeves, and is often made of lightweight cotton, silk or satin in brighter, summery colours.
Styles worn as national dress or to annual festivals can be highly ornamented with patterns and frills.
Accessories may include a long apron tied round the waist (mimicking the original form of a peasant), a waistcoat or a wool shawl. For colder weather there are heavy dirndl coats in the same cut as the dresses, with a high neck and front buttons, thick mittens and wool hats.
History
The dirndl is loosely based on folk costumes (German Tracht) of South Germany and Austria.. The folk costumes are much older, and is very highly crafted and expensive. It has a different style and crest for each village, along with various hats and accessories.
The dirndl originated as a simplified form of folk costume;, the uniform of Austrian servants uniforms in the 19th century (dirndlegewand means "maid's dress"). Simple forms were also worn commonly by working women in plain colours or a simple check.
The Austrian upper classes adopted the dirndl as high fashion in the 1870s.
The Nazi regime of 1932-1945 entertained romantic notions of traditional Germanic culture. Among other things, Germans and Austrians were encouraged to wear national costume. Eva Braun was frequently photographed wearing a dirndl or folk costume. Hitler further passed an order in 1941, according to which women had to wear a dirndl in his Berghof and Eagle's nest residences. Ordinary clothes were still to be worn in his Woolf's lare and Fuhrer bunker.
Contemporary uses
The dirndl is mostly worn in Bavaria and Austria. Although not an everyday dress, many women may wear it at formal occasions (much like a Scotsman wearing a kilt) and during certain traditional events. It is hugely popular also among young women at the time of the Oktoberfest in Munich (and similar festivals in southern Germany), although many young women will only wear dirndl-style dresses (called Landhausmode), which may deviate in numerous ways and are often much cheaper.
In Bavaria, the dirndl may often be seen on women working in tourism-related businesses, and sometimes waitresses in traditional-style restaurants or biergartens. It is also seen in these regions by women in the folk music business.
Popular designs are often less plain and much more revealing and provocative (e.g. having a short skirt and/or displaying significant cleavage). A true dirndl at the Oktoberfest is usually a good way of distinguishing between a native Bavarian, and non-native visitors or residents in Bavaria.
Trivia
- The dirndl is mentioned in the song "Turn Around", composed in 1959 by Harry Belafonte, Alan Greene, and Malvina Reynolds. "Dirndls and petticoats, where have you gone?" This song was originally recorded by the Kingston Trio.
- The placement of the knot on the apron is an indicator of the woman's marital status. A knot tied on the woman's left side indicates she is single, a knot tied on the right means she is married, engaged or otherwise "taken", and a knot tied in back means the woman is widowed.
References and further reading
See also
- Lederhosen (traditional male dress of Bavaria)