National german costume
A bit of history
National German costume is easy to recognize. Its silhouette and shape are very popular in the world, thanks to German festivals. There are many national outfits that are synonymous with their culture and nation. Whether Japanese kimono or Russian kokoshnik, Indian sari or Scottish plaid skirts. Germany in this case is no exception. Thus, the national attire reflects the culture of the whole country and is imbued with distinctive features.
The history of the German national costume has very ancient roots. The first settlers in the German territory did not have national clothes as such - they wore what nature could give them, mainly they were animal skins and caftans created by their furs. Clothing at that time had a functional component rather than aesthetics. Thus, people could warm up and protect their bodies.
Then the ancestors of the modern Germans borrowed their costumes from the Romans, because they were confronted by the fact that in the conquered Roman areas the Germans also encountered the indigenous people, who already had their own national clothes.
In the middle of the 16th century, during the Reformation, an important milestone in the development of the national German attire took place. Linen and wool fabrics began to be used. Each region had its own characteristic features of the costume. Commoners could not afford the luxurious outfits worn by bohemians. The law allowed them to wear only gray and brown shades of clothing. Sewn commoners outfits of coarse and cheap fabrics.
According to the national side of a person, one could learn a lot about his position in society, status and type of activity, profession and place of residence.
The female counterpart of a German outfit consisted of a corsage or sweatshirt, a knitted skirt. Skirts were multi-layered and of different lengths. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Bavarian women wore long dresses instead of skirts. In those days, the female population had a certain assortment of hats. Scarves, straw hats and caps. Scarves were tied in different ways.
To date, there are two of the brightest national types of German attire. This is tahten and dirndl. Tahten is universal for any gender. Dirndl belongs exclusively to the female. This is an outfit consisting of a bra, a fluffy blouse, a corset or waistcoat, a multi-layered skirt or a sundress with an apron or motley decorated with embroidery, ribbons or lace, apron.
Features
The peculiarities of the German national costume were greatly influenced by geography of the terrain. The territory on which the borders of Germany are located is in a fairly warm climate. The landscape of Germany is mixed. Linen fabric prevailed in plain terrain in costumes. The inhabitants of the mountainous area most often encountered thick cloth. In the foothills, where the climate was fairly dry, preferred shoes made from straw or oats. On the coasts, because of wetlands and frequent rains, people were forced to wear leather shoes or wooden shoes.
In addition to climatic factors, fashion and historical events influenced the national German costume. The appearance of the costume was influenced by the national character of the Germans.
Colors and patterns
Mostly costumes were light or gray colors. Quite often there are outfits of brown shades. For holidays and Sundays used clothes of blue or blue. On holidays, the peasants did not work and put on special outfits of blue tones.The clothing of wealthy citizens was distinguished by elegance and solemnity from the costumes of commoners. Rarely, but there were red and green colors.
Costume patterns were dominated by natural, especially floral, motifs and national symbols. In addition, distinctive symbols of the area, heraldry, orders and emblems could be sewn.
Fabrics
Simple peasants mostly wore coarse and inexpensive fabric. The most common materials for sewing German costume were flax, woolen fabric and leather. As a supplement could use lace fabric. Some costumes were sewn from the loden. This is a warm, impermeable wool fabric. Wealthy people could afford expensive fabrics such as silk.
Cut
The cut of a German suit free and volume. The sleeve arm is large, the sleeve itself is wide. Dresses did not require too careful care. The costumes kept their shape well. The distinctive features of the cut can be identified reliability and practicality, typical of the German people. The outfits had tightly buttoned buttons and very trimmed forms.
Accessories and decorations
The heads were covered with a knitted cap, which was tied under the hair. Colorful ornaments and ribbons were distinctive accessories of the nobility. Hats, often miniature, could be decorated with feathers. Various scarves were used. Ribbons and small ornaments were put on the neck. Some ornaments carried national symbols. The costumes were supplemented with signs or coats of arms, giving alongside belonging to a certain territory.
Footwear
Buckled shoes complemented the costume.
The shoes mainly consisted of low shoes, without heels, with a small platform (comparable to modern men). Put on shoes knitted stockings in white or blue. The shoes were made of wood or straw, sometimes with leather supplements. There are some models that look like modern Czechs.
Varieties
The national costume is called Trachten. This name translates as "wear." This is a universal name for both women's and men's suits. Specifically, women's clothing can also be called Dindrl. Like most national costumes, German is subdivided into female and male, casual and festive. Costumes were divided into winter and summer periods.
There is also a children's national outfit.
Female
Women's German national costume was called Dirndl. Initially, he was considered a costume servants. Then the name became universal for all women's clothing. The costume consisted of a white blouse. For festivals and Sundays there was a version with a wide sleeve. It included a suit and a sundress consisting of a corset with zippers or lace-up and a skirt with many folds. The dress was complemented by an apron of bright fabric.
The apron sewed below the skirt and had many folds. The aprons were striped, plain or embroidered. By apron and Bantu tied to it can be determined. I would also like to note that of great importance was where the apron bow was tied. Widows tied him in the middle, unmarried - on the left, and married - on the right. The national women's costume also consists of vests, corsages, jackets and coats. More summer option were dresses with sleeves. And leggings with boots with a rather thick sole were put on their feet.
Child
Children were often dressed in national clothes. The costume for the boy consisted of breeches with suspenders, shirts with a vest and shoes. The addition was a hat with an eagle feather. Clothing for girls repeated outfits adult women. The costume consisted of a sundress or dress, a skirt with a waistcoat, a shirt and an apron. Dress colors matched the colors of adults.
Male
The national men's suit consists of a vest, jacket or jacket and trousers. Pants are often replaced with leather pants. Pants, as a rule, were wide and had a short length.Together with the pants wore low stockings of light, mostly blue shades. Pants had a flap in front, fastened with two buttons. Karma was often sewn on the pants for carrying a hunting knife. Braces were not a mandatory element of clothing, but quite common. Sometimes the suspenders were replaced with a regular belt. Bottom pants gathered with the help of ordinary laces with tassels. Popular were the trousers. The coat was usually double-breasted.
The length of the coat in men could tell about his marital status.
Great attention was paid to hats. Often it was customary to wear green hats with a feather attached. The tie was often attached to the suit.
Luxury Wedding Dress
Wedding attire always had a solemn character. The wedding was usually worn national costume, decorated with embroidery. It could be strict suits of light colors that emphasized the figure. In addition to the dress, there was a bouquet of flowers, which according to the tradition after the wedding were kept as a keepsake.
Traditional clothes of the colonists
The traditional clothes of the colonists in women consisted of a white shirt and blue skirt. An apron apron and a laced bodice and cap were worn above. The male version of the suit consisted of a white shirt with collars, a vest, short trousers and a jacket. Shoes or buckled boots were usually worn on the feet. The main headgear was a black wide-brimmed hat or cap.
Modern models
In the modern world, the national German costume is still daily worn by residents of Bavaria. There it is considered a very prestigious indicator of good taste. National attire is quite expensive, so dresses are worn with great dignity. The modern costume is made exclusively from natural fabrics: cotton, flax, wool, natural leather.
Modern models do not particularly adhere to the canons of the national costume. There is a deviation from the acceptable length of the skirt. Previously, it was customary to wear skirts no higher than the height of a beer mug from the ground. Now skirts have a chaotic length, but still they are below the knee. Some modern outfits are complemented by national features, mixing, they personify the continuity of generations.