I saw bits and pieces of tracht on Alpine vacations in Switzerland, but it took an excursion to attend Wagner's Ring Cycle in Munich to see serious trachten in action. Each night at the opera the local grande dames would wear formal floor length dirndl gowns. It was quite a sight.
Now, according to the Wall Street Journal, we have a trachten to do taking place in Munich where traditional trachten, in which each detail signifies which village the wearer is from, has been infiltrated by designer trachten. Trachten with a twist if you will.
Not being Austrian or Bavarian, I'm not tied to the traditional and I rather like the tracht with a twist.
These fräuleins are wearing dirndls created by Lola Paltinger.
Public enemy No. 1 for this group is Lola Paltinger, a Munich transplant who grew up well outside Germany's tracht belt in the western German city of Mannheim. Ms. Paltinger creates dirndls from unorthodox fabrics such as leather that are sometimes cut shorter than the standard knee-to-ankle range.
The designer says her dirndls are inspired by "a carefree joie de vivre, a playful romanticism and a touch of humorously delirious drama."
I don't think that the designer dirndl is going to become an international fashion trend and at $4000 per dress, they aren't easy to buy.
But I still want one.
