One of the big questions for first-time Oktoberfest goers is “what the hell do I wear?”
While young locals tend to favour jeans and a t-shirt, Tracht – traditional Alpine dress – is often seen as being for tourists and village folk. But a good dirndl/pair of Lederhosen are outfits for every occasion – from weddings, to Volksfeste, family parties and yes, the odd day at the Wiesn. Here’s a round-up of the best addresses for traditional Tracht in Munich:
VINTY’S
Located a stone’s throw from the Theresienwiese, second-hand store VINTY’S offers beautiful vintage dirndls for a fraction of the price of brand new ones.
Landsberger Str. 14, opening hours: Mon-Fri 11am-7pm, Sat 11am-4pm
Almliebe
Traditional, high-quality dirndls can be found in this Glockenbachviertel store. The store’s interior is sleek, devoid of kitsch and well laid-out. Other Tracht superstores often have dirndls heaped on the floor at this time of year, as they ply you with prosecco to get you to avoid the chaos and buy some Tracht, but Almliebe is Scandinavian in its minimalism, and offers a calming shopping experience. This is a pretty adorable Dirndl blouse.
Ickstattstraße 22, opening hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-4pm
Dirndl Liebe
Sarah Tack designs the dirndls at Dirndl Liebe, and she puts a great deal of effort into selecting high-quality fabrics to create classic, striking dirndls.
Brienner Str. 54, opening hours: Tue-Fri 12am-6pm, Sat 11am-3pm
CocoVero
I love the subtlty of CocoVero‘s dirndl designs – they’re elegant, classic and ageless. This is one of my favourite designs. They also have a small but equally elegant men’s collection. This jacket is beautiful.
Adalbertstraße 35, opening hours: Tue-Fri 12pm-7pm, Sat 11am-4pm
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYVNEmKHZah/?taken-by=cocoverotrachten
Noh Nee
Noh Nee is anything but traditional, but the colourful prints are a breath of fresh air. I’m a big fan of this apron.
Hans-Sachs-Straße 2, opening hours: Tue-Fri 11am-6:30pm, Sat 11am-4pm
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYa-xlfA2Uh/?taken-by=noh_nee
Julia Trentini
Munich designer Trentini offers luscious dirndls in her store in the Glockenbachviertel. The current fall/winter collection is full of deep berry colours, and each piece is exquisitely designed.
Westermühlstraße 32, opening hours: Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 11am-4pm
Gottseidank
This lovely little Schleißheimer Straße store values tradition. Dirndls and men’s waistcoats are chic, colours are muted and if you splash the cash on Tracht from Gottseidank, you’ll have a piece for life.
Schleißheimer Str. 273, opening hours: Mon-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 11am-5pm
JAN&INA
Founded by Janina Maria Sendner a decade ago, JAN&INA offers beautiful dirndls and simple, traditional Tracht shirts for men. Dirndls cost 500 € or more – think of it as an investment and buy something timeless.
Hiltenspergerstraße 36/corner of Hohenzollernstraße, opening hours: Tue-Fri 11am-7pm, Sat 11am-4pm
…And the footwear
Women: Haferlschuhe are traditional Tracht footwear for women as well as men, but the Bavarians have finally accepted that ballerinas are fine too. Whatever you do, please avoid wearing sneakers with your dirndl.
Men: Adidas has just released their new Oktoberfest sneakers – which are vomit and beer resistant, thanks to a special coating. It’s a nice marketing gimmick, but I think they’re also pretty cool. Otherwise, stick to Haferlschuhe.
0 comments on “Oktoberfest: What to Wear”