'Tis the Season for the Wiesn-Oktoberfest Style

Despite many of us being limited by space in our closets, there are a few choice items we choose to hold onto despite the infrequency of wear.  This might be items of sentimental value, a wedding dress perhaps, or, it might be items of clothing that have a short season, a two week season in my case.  I'm talking about the traditional Bavarian clothing worn for Oktoberfest, the two week beer festival most people outside of Munich associate with Germany.  In Munich, we are currently halfway through this festival, which is held the last two weeks of September and ends with the national German Unity holiday on October 3rd. 

In my 6 years in Munich, I've acquired two different dirndls (traditional dress women wear to Oktoberfest) and despite my closet being micro in size, these items (in addition to my wedding dress) will always have a home.  

This year, for obvious reasons, will be the first one in 6 years when I have not donned my dirndl and headed to the Theresienwiese.  That doesn't mean I can't enjoy the plethora of window displays pushing their Oktoberfest merchandise.  

As you can see, "tracht" or the traditional outfits worn at this time, is a family affair.  Generally, women and girls wear "dirndls" as seen above.  When purchasing a dirndl, this is usually a three-piece purchase.  First, you have the dirndl itself, or the dress.  Then, there is the blouse that fits underneath.  Lastly, there is the apron.  For men and boys, there are "lederhosen" or the leather pants, normally paired with a checkered shirt.  

The length of the dirndl can vary.  Some styles go as far down as the ankles, while some can be above the knee (those I personally associate with tourists.)  A mid-calf length is one of the most common (and comfortable!).  

The lucky part of living in Bavaria is that my dirndl has the opportunity to be worn outside of this two week span.  Wearing "tracht" to a Bavarian wedding is also acceptable, which I luckily had the opportunity to do a few years ago.  

When it comes to having a closet that is small in size, practicality is often the name of the game.  However, there are those items that are OK to hold onto even if they are not worn with great regularity.  The key is finding the balance between items that you need, and items that serve a limited purpose.