Dirndl

Dirndl vs. Tracht and traditional folk costumes

The female Tracht of Gutach in the Black Forest, around 1900. The red colour of the pompons indicates that the woman was unmarried.

The typical dirndl and folk costume varies from one region, or even village, to another. Folk costume has various details according to the place of origin and social status of the wearer. The modern dirndl is heavily stylized but clearly influenced by typical Bavarian costume. There is also a distinction between the typical dirndl (that is, a garment with an apron made of material with traditional patterns and embroidery) and rural domestic clothing, made from gray or colored linen, sometimes with leather bodice and trim.^[10]

Origins

The dirndl originated as a more hardy form of the costume worn today: the uniform of Austrian domestic workers during the 19th century . Simple forms were also worn commonly by working women in plain colors or a simple check. The Austrian upper classes adopted the dirndl as high fashion in the 1870s, making it a highly fashionable and popular must-have item in the nation soon after.^[10]

Both skirts and pinafore dresses with vest-shaped tank tops, cooking aprons and blouses were commonplace in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries.^[10]

The basic blouse/skirt/corset idea came from the eastern regions of the Swiss Alps, and was originally simple rural clothing. It became female Austrian servants' work clothes as well as Alpine peasant attire in the 18th century and exclusively servant’s work clothes in the 19th century.^[10]

It appeared in its current state of decorative format and style in eastern Switzerland in the 1890s, and spread in the early 20th century^[11] to the south of Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein,^[10][11] South Tirol, Trentino and Valcanale Friuli.

Modern European usage

Historically derived modern children's dirndl at a Volksfestumzug in Vilshofen an der Donau in 2012

Dirndls and Landhausmode were abandoned for a while after World War II. While the wearing of the corresponding garments was scarcely popular in the 1970s, it has grown strongly since the 1990s.^{[10][12][13][13][14][15]}

In the 21st century, fashion designers have adopted the dirndl, with varying results.^{[10][12][13][13]} It has become a popular Upper Tyrol and Bavarian fashion^[16][17] and regular party outfit during Oktoberfest.^[18][19] .^[20][21][22] There the Dirndl is more common with skirts ending more above the knee, bodice just reaching to below the breasts, and dirndl-blouses with deep neckline and bare shoulders.

In Switzerland, the dirndl is the official outfit for certain representations, events, cultural shows and singing old folk songs often involving yodeling.^[11][23]

Today, dirndls vary from simple off-the-shelf styles to exquisitely crafted, very expensive models.^[7][9][10]

Several versions and even disjointed dresses that are loosely based on the dirndl are known as Landhausmode (literally "country house style") dresses.^{[7][9] [24][25][26][27][28][29][30]} The children's version is called Mädchenkleid (girl's dress).

These are closed-collar dirndls ^[31][26] and these are open-collar dirndls ^[32][33]

Germany and Austria have many manufacturers of the outfits. Both the open-collar and closed-collar versions are popular in those countries.

In Austria, and other parts of south central Europe, there are literally splashy events known as Dirndlspringen, in which people, overwhelmingly attractive young women, are judged by how well they dive from a diving board into a lake or a swimming pool while wearing the dirndl.

North American usage

Germans, Austrian, Swiss and Scandinavians people migrated to North America in the 19th century. Germans made a strong contribution to the gene pool of Montana, Minnesota, the Dakotas, Missouri, Wisconsin, New York City ^[34] and Chicago. The German American ethnic group (German: Deutschamerikaner) are their descendants in north America.^[35][36] Beginning in 1920 and especially after World War II, many Danube Swabians migrated to the United States, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Austria, Australia, and Argentina.^[37]

Across the United States there are dozens of German-American cultural or heritage clubs, such as the Donauschwaben^[38] heritage clubs.^[34] In these clubs, members host events and festivals to preserve and/or celebrate their heritage with the surrounding communities. During these festivals, participants often dress in traditional outfits such as dirndls and lederhosen.