Now in my mind, no trip to Oktoberfest would be complete without having a dirndl to wear to the festivities. The Broads were on board with getting one too, so before we could go to Oktoberfest, we first had to go dirndl shopping!
What's a dirndl you ask?
In the 19th century, dirndls were worn by Austrian or Bavarian servants and the working women of the region. In the 1870's, the upper classes adopted the dirndl as high fashion and today's styles vary from simple to exquisitely crafted dresses made of expensive materials. The dirndl is mostly worn in Austria and Bavaria (Southern Germany) and is used as an everyday dress primarily by older women in rural areas. Other women wear it at formal occasions and during traditional events. The dirndl consists of a bodice, blouse, full skirt and apron. In Southern German dialects, Dirndl originally referred to a young woman or girl and Dirndlgewand to the dress. However, today, Dirndl may refer either to a young woman or the dress.
On our second day in Munich, the broads and my cousin headed out to find the perfect dirndl! My first impression of dirndl shopping was a quaint little shop with Bavarian decor and old German ladies as the shopkeeper. While there were a few shops a little more "German" than others, we found most of the dirndls in German department stores. So we headed up the escalator at the Galleria department store to see what options were available. It took a little work to figure out what sizes we needed as German sizes are numbered differently, but once we solved that, we were good to go. Many stores later, we all found great dirndls!
The shopping was not without folly! Dirndl blouses are half shirts which make it a challenge to get on and off. Many of the dresses have side zippers and B found out first hand that there are dangers in side zippers. My cousin was helping B into her dirndl and zipped her side up...ouch!! While it wasn't funny, especially in that hot dressing room, we couldn't help but laugh. Sorry B!
After many hours of shopping, looking, trying on, we made our purchases and were ready to hit Oktoberfest in style! I was also excited to have my very own German dirndl to wear not only in Munich but in the coming months at Wurstfest in New Braunfels.
Until then, happy travels and many laughs...
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