Any national dress is a whole story about status, profession, marital status, age, place of residence, religious affiliation. There are many historical regions in Germany, and accordingly the costumes are varied. The most characteristic and easily recognizable is Bavarian. This is what they usually mean when they talk about the German national costume.
These are trachten (suits for women and men) and dirndl (women's only). In the Schwabenland region, women wore detachable cape collars in addition to the standard costume of blouse, skirt, bodice and apron. Or a scarf with embroidery and fringe. The differences between the variants of the national costume can most easily be seen in the headdresses:
- Districts Kirnbach, Reichenbach, Gutach - Bollenhut straw hats with 14 pom-poms. They were worn from the age of 14-15. Red pompoms are for Fräulein (unmarried girls), black ones are for Frau.
- Hotzenwald area - fancy straw hats with brims arranged in the shape of shells.
- Elztäler and St.Märgen – flat straw pillbox hats with narrow brims, decorated with ribbons and decorative flowers. After marriage they changed to a black cap with a cone-shaped detail on the top. In the Titisee region, the same black cap was worn by the Fräulein.
- In the Titisee area, golden caps of various shapes were adopted for adult, married ladies.
- Kinzigtal region - the ribbons of the headdress were not tied under the chin, but were intricately placed above the forehead, the back of the head was decorated with silver embroidery.
- Harmersbach - the ribbons of the black cap rose high and were laid in the form of loops, like the ears of a hare.
Story
Fashion historians date the appearance of the German national costume to the 16th and 17th centuries. The development of the costume was limited by numerous decrees (from city to state). Everything was regulated, down to the details: the type of clothing, its cost, the quality of the material, the ability to wear jewelry, cut, color. Each class could only wear its own costume. Lace, embroidery, and colorful jewelry are luxury items; only the nobility were allowed to wear them. The restrictions were lifted only at the beginning of the 19th century, and it was at this time that the German national costume began to take shape as it is known today.
INTERESTING. Bavarians still wear their national costume today, and not only on holidays. This is considered very prestigious. Such a suit is not a cheap pleasure; one set is made only from natural fabrics and costs about 800 euros.
Takhten and dirndl
Tachten or Tracht is a costume common throughout Germany. In Southern Germany and Austria it is similar to the Western style common in North America. This style is called Landhausmode (Manor style).In the northern part of Germany, the Frisian Tracht and Finkenwerder Tracht are widespread.
It should be understood that trakht is not one specific suit. Each tracht comes from a specific area and has its own appearance. An example of a tranny for a lady is the “Mieder” corset, which became popular in Munich. This is a black vest with silver hooks. It was originally worn by waitresses back in the 18th century. A single-color, one-piece dress was worn under the vest.
The most characteristic part of the men's national German costume is the lederhosen. It consists of short leather pants (there is a ¾-length option), a shirt, a frock coat and a vest. The hat is decorated with feathers or brushes - an imitation of a bear's mustache; the boots have thick soles; the ensemble is complemented by leg warmers and a hunting knife, for which there is a special pocket on the right side of the pants, decorated with the same embroidery as the flap on the front of the pants. Pants are worn with suspenders with jumpers on the chest or on a belt. “Talking” suit: married men wear long frock coats, single men wear short ones.
NOTE. Gaiters were once an attribute of peasant and hunting costume, so boots were worn on bare feet. Today, leg warmers have lost their practical functions and turned into more comfortable knee socks.
A dirndl is a women's set consisting of a fluffy bell skirt, a white or colored blouse, a vest, and an apron. The vest imitates a corset and has lacing or buttons. The apron is tied with a bow, the fraulein is tied on the left, the married or engaged are tied on the right, and the widows are tied in the back in the middle. The traditional length of the skirt is 27 cm from the ground. But today a dirndl skirt can be any length.
Color compositions, designs, ornaments
Dirndl colors are varied today.Sometimes you can see blue and white suits, designed to match the Bavarian flag. The standard combination is a white blouse with bright red, green and blue flowers. Vichy check and polka dots are popular. However, modern dirndls have very little to do with history. These are simply stylized clothes for themed events.
In fact, each principality adopted its own colors, local historians study national traditions, but there is no generalized data today. The most well studied are the Misbach, Werdenfels and Chiemgau costumes.
Among traditional colors, black is a very popular color. It was discredited by the National Socialists and is now strongly associated with them, but in fact, many cultural traditions are associated with this color, and not only widows wore black. On the contrary, since the Reformation it has been considered a symbol of solemnity.
Young girls tended to dress in light and bright colors, especially red. Older ladies wore dark suits: blue, green.
INTERESTING. Already by the choice of outfit one could understand whether the widow wanted to get married again. If she wanted, a year after her husband’s death, she could change her black outfit to a brighter one.
Special attention was paid to wedding dresses; no expense was spared. An example of the outfit of a villager from Schaumburg-Lippe:
- Patterned undershirt.
- Colored stockings.
- The petticoat is lilac (possibly blue).
- Black full skirt.
- Collar in two layers with patterns.
- Sleeves.
- The scarf is plain white and lace.
- Belt.
- A sling consisting of ribbons - their number meant the number of skirts. Skirts were expensive - it was the bride's dowry. The more skirts, the richer the bride.
- Black silk apron.
- Dickey decorated with gold embroidery.
- White mitts embroidered with pearls.
- Crown decorated with glass beads and rosemary sprigs.
And girls from the island of Fer got married in dark dresses made of blue English cloth. A green silk scarf was thrown over the shoulders. On the bride’s head, the groom attached a crescent made of bright red material over a scarf - this sign further indicated that the woman was already married.
Fabrics
Until the 19th century, exquisite patterns on fabrics, furs and precious jewelry were available only to the nobility and clergy. As for specific costumes, the choice of fabric depended on the local economic situation. For example, a dress for a bride from the island of Fer was made from expensive English cloth. Decor - silver buttons, 10 or 12 pieces (residents from the island of Amrum wore only 8 for material reasons and had every reason to be jealous). Cloth and jewelry were brought from England and Spain by whalers, who inhabited the islands. Thus, it turned out that the outfit was “traditional”.
The peasant costumes were based on natural, coarse fabrics: wool, linen. With the removal of economic boundaries, the quality of fabrics also changed. For example, in Marbour in the 19th century, women wore wool skirts and linen aprons. In the 20th century, they were replaced by thinner, more delicate fabrics: cloth, silk.
What influenced the look of costumes, modern images
The appearance was influenced not so much by tradition as by economics. It could not have happened without the personal contribution of certain sections of society. For example, wealthy peasants, due to the regulations of numerous decrees, were squeezed into tight boundaries, but they found ways to differ from their poorer brothers. Modern variations of the national costume fascinate the general public and outrage historians.In most cases, they are only created on the basis of national German costumes and retain their flavor, but the symbolic meaning of shades, materials and details is lost.
The modern dirndl is a short blouse with puffy sleeves that beautifully reveals the shoulders and neck, more than any historical version. The vest emphasizes the figure, and the length of the skirt often departs from the floor much more than the height of a beer mug. Petticoats are not used to demonstrate wealth, but are either given fullness or eliminated altogether. New versions of dirndls are appearing, for example, glamorous. It is made of silk and decorated with lace and Swarovski crystals. Nobody limits the imagination of manufacturers, so today dirndli can be chosen to suit every taste.
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