A few years ago my dad and I went to Germany to visit family and see the village that his family came from, Kleinburgwedel. Kleinburgwedel is a cute little village in the Hannover region with a long history. Our family showed us some beautiful old photos and videos. I was especially thrilled to see a home video filmed in the 1950's where someone had gone through the entire village and introduced residents, sometimes asking them questions and showing their homes (many of which are still standing!). This video was an absolute treasure trove of everyday life in post-war Germany, and I think about it often. One thing that I found very memorable was (of course) the clothing. Specifically, how many women in the village were wearing dirndl's.
Dirndls are well known now because of Oktoberfest, but they are garments with a really interesting past. Originally, they started in the 1600's and were worn as a sort of dress code because of the sumptuary laws. Sumptuary laws are laws against different classes of people wearing certain clothes. In the 1600's, Bavaria has 7 classes of people. Each class had specific rules about how much jewelry they could wear, what types of fabrics, and how much money their clothes cost. In the mid 1600's, the sumptuary laws relaxed slightly to allow people to have regional costumes. The dirndl was worn by working class people for a few hundred years, until the late 1800's when Prince-Regent Luitpold popularized wearing regional costume for events. The original word for the dirndl, 'Dirndlgewand,' means 'maids dress,' since it was usually worn by women who worked as servants. In the late 1800's, it became common for upper class women to wear them to summer in the countryside, which turned them into a costume commonly worn for special events.
When I was watching the home video of residents of Kleinburgwedel, I was so excited to see how dirndl's have been worn for so long as a comfortable, everyday piece of clothing! Since we usually see them as either sexy versions for Oktoberfest or fancy versions for special occasions, it was so interesting to see them in their 'natural habitat.' Women around the village wore many different styles, and they wore them while gardening, doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, or going to the market. The only young woman who wasn't wearing a dirndl the day that the man had gone around the village to film was wearing a lovely 1950's suit, since she worked as a secretary at the town hall. Each woman had made fabulous little changes to the outfit to add personality and to make sure that it followed trends. I only wish that I could have seen what colours they were all in!
Dirndl's are very regional, and the cut, fabric, embroidery and decoration, and colours can all change depending on the area. The outfit usually consists of the dress (which has a front closure and a structured bodice, as well as a full skirt), a white blouse, and an apron. The dress can also come in two parts, with a structured bodice paired with a separate skirt. Modern versions of dirndls can have various necklines, closure methods, skirt lengths, and more. I am a huge fan of Lena Hoschek's traditional dirndls, and I would love to one day purchase one of hers.
However, while I wait to save up the money for a beautiful dirndl from Lena Hoschek, I will have to make do with this one. This is the third dress that I have made in a dirndl style so far, but it is my favourite! I spent a lot of time deciding on the design, the fabric, and the methods used to create this.
For this one, I chose to use a square neckline with a V back (one of my favourite style options), and I wanted it to be sleeveless so that I could wear it with any kind of sweater or shirt underneath. Being able to change out the blouse you are wearing underneath makes it so versatile for everyday life, since you can wear it through every season! For todays photos I wore it with a thick cotton sweater underneath and high riding boots so that I could stay warm during our (very cold) winter. I am excited to mix and match shoes and blouses to change the style and season. I also used a zipper in the front instead of buttons, hooks and eyes, or a corset style tie up. I decided that the zipper would be the most convenient, and since the front closure was originally used to make it easy to get dressed on your own, it seemed like a historically realistic option (other than the fact that zippers did not exist when dirndl's were first worn...). The skirt is a part that I was especially excited about! The whole sides and back of the skirt is cartridge pleated to give it a ton of volume (and a historical look to it), while the front has 4 pleats. The skirt is actually just a massive rectangle (more than 4 feet in width!) that has been pleated down to my waist measurement, and this allows for the stripes to fall beautifully.
I originally had planned to add ribbon around the hem and neckline for decoration, but I have liked the fabric so much on its own that I am starting to think that I will wear it more if I just leave it plain. Something to think about!
Thanks for reading,
~Katherine
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