9.GERMAN

Lederhosen, which means “leather trousers” in German, are the short, leather pants worn by men. These are usually knee-length and are the historically worn by working-class German men. The dirndl is a ruffled apron dress worn by German women that consists of a bodice, or blouse, and a skirt. In the 19th century, the dirndl was the standard uniform of servant girls, but today it is mostly worn in Bavaria and Austria, and like lederhosen, usually for celebration. Each of these garments is a type of tracht, which historically was used to help identify people as members of a certain status (social, political or otherwise). For the ladies, a soft, felt shoe with clunky heels and decorative buckles would typically accompany the dirndl. While not exactly clogs, these shoes would work just fine for an evening of dancing. Men would usually opt for the haferl shoe, a thick leather or rubber sole invented in Bavaria for farming. Shoemaker Franz Schratt based the design on that of animal hooves, and the word heferl, roughly translated, means “half a shoe.” These were also easy on the feet, and men took great pride in the care that went into handcrafting their haferl.  The skirts always had a flare to them. On these skirts, women wore the traditional vintage blouses, but light in weight and material too. The blouses usually had quarter or half length sleeves. When the temperatures got hotter, the women wore a tunic called ‘huipil’. This huipil was sleeveless and usually had patchwork done on it. This tunic was not body hugging, thus allowing passage of air.

German clothing images