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AUSTRIA: The traditional Dirndl is experiencing a boom

VIENNA: The Austrian Dirndl, the traditional costume for women, is everywhere from fashion magazines to the windows of up-market city boutiques. The Dirndl is present all over the society pages these days.

"The Dirndl is experiencing a boom," says Willi Lanz of a high-end Dirndl maker of the same name. "Our business is very satisfactory."

One reason for its popularity is the Dirndl's rediscovery as a truly feminine dress. "There is no woman that does not become more beautiful when wearing a Dirndl," Lanz says. "We go with fashions in lengths or blouse styles inspired by international designers but apart from that, tradition rules, she adds.

"There truly is a boom," says Anna Tostmann, daughter of Austrian Dirndl icon Gesine "Gexi" Tostmann. Their shops are constantly running low on small sizes, a sure sign that younger women were hopping on the Trachten train.

Apart from small details, the dresses would not have looked out of place 100 years ago. This summer pastel colors, pink and baby blue dominate the collections. Combined with hand-printed aprons, ponchos or crystal fashion jewellery, the summer dirndls make a splash at summer parties or the prestigious
Salzburg festival or are worn at weddings, another growing trend.

"Wearing a Dirndl is for special occasions," Lanz says. Only in very few parts of Austria the Dirndl is still part of the daily garb.

Prices reflect the Dirndl's transformation from poor, rural servants' clothing to elaborate garb worn at festive occasions. Simple traditional day-wear Dirndl made by high-quality manufacturers start at €500, prices for glamorous evening Dirndl outfits with expensive fabrics and hand-stitched decoration can easily reach €2,000 or more.

While everyone stresses that "every woman looks great in a Dirndl", certain mistakes can make the Dirndl look less than flattering. Absolute no-nos are petticoats peeping out from under the skirt or coloured blouses. The Dirndl blouse must be white.

Trimmings or hand-stitched decoration are welcome, but using leather is a major faux-pas. Also modern adaptations like the jeans-Dirndl turned out to be a short- lived trend.

The fit is essential and the skirt should not be any shorter than just above the knee. One advantage of the Trachten-look is its relative timelessness, Lanz says. While enthusiasts can keep apart the individual collections, the general style remains unchanged for decades, making the Dirndl a fashion item for some and a long-term investment for those not able to afford to update their Dirndl twice a year.

Source: Agencies • News Courtesy: BharatTextile.com