Dirndl, Dress of Past, Makes a Comeback in Bavaria (October 25, 2013)

What is a dirndl dress? Let's try to find out by watching this video.

Now let us read an article from The New York Times.

September 28, 2013

Dirndl, Dress of Past, Makes a Comeback in Bavaria

By MELISSA EDDY

MUNICH, Germany — If there is one thing that Claudia Nowka understands, it is the desire of every woman to stand out at Oktoberfest. Nine years ago, dreading that she might sit down at a beer table only to see another woman wearing the same low-cut, tightly laced, traditional Bavarian dress, she designed her own dirndl in red satin, topped with a colorful apron.

Long considered the dress of an older, more conservative generation, the dirndl of the Alpine regions of Bavaria and Austria has become a popular symbol of the good times and good life of Germany’s most prosperous region. This is especially apparent during the two weeks of Oktoberfest, which ends Oct. 6, where a dirndl (pronounced DURN-dul) for women and its male counterpart, lederhosen for men, have become must-have outfits. “Ten years ago, nobody was wearing dirndl and lederhosen to Oktoberfest,” said Thomas Andersch, a Munich native. "Now it looks strange if you show up in jeans.”

But designers and ethnologists say dirndls are more than just a costume. Simone Egger, an assistant professor of European ethnology at the University of Munich, sees the revived popularity of the dirndl among young people as a reflection of the confidence of a new generation of Germans who are turning to tradition to define themselves in the face of the encroachments of globalization.

“It has now become standard for every Bavarian to have traditional clothing in their wardrobe, and from here it has simply expanded,” she said. “Everyone wears them.”On of the largest makers of traditional Bavarian clothing said it sold about 16,000 dirndls last year, a 750 percent jump from 2002.

In many ways, the symbolism of the dirndl has not changed over the decades. The dresses first began appearing in rural regions of Bavaria and neighboring Austria in the 1800s. In the first half of the 20th century, versions of the traditional peasant dresses were introduced into Munich’s fashion as leisure wear for wealthy women.

After the war, many people rejected the clothing for political reasons, its associations with the Nazi party, or the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union. But today even that stigma appears to have lifted. “Everyone is longing for a world that is intact,” said Mr. Hittenkofer. Most of his customers range in age from 20 to 40 years old, he said, and are fashion conscious and politically more left-leaning than the dirndl devotees of previous generations. “This generation is incredibly conservative,” he said. “Many struggle for orientation in the globalized world, but discover they are able to find themselves in traditional clothes.”

Kathrin Hollmer’s first pink-and-white dirndl was a gift from her grandmother when she was a 5-year-old growing up in the Bavarian countryside. Now 25, she is part of the generation that helped bring the dresses back into vogue. Ms. Hollmer owns seven dirndls, including three vintage dresses she found in secondhand stores.“For me the dirndl has always been associated with good times, and with a feeling of home,” she said. “I always wore one on happy occasions, a relative’s birthday, to celebrations in church; whenever something nice happened.”

The dirndl saw a minor revival with the 1972 Munich Olympics, when the hostesses wore light blue ones as their official uniforms. The dress captured the international imagination as something synonymous with all of Germany, to the chagrin of Germans from Cologne, Hamburg or Berlin, where the dirndl is not representative clothing.

Dirndl traditions continue to evolve. For example: the bow. Shopkeepers often tell customers that if a woman wears her apron strings tied on the left, it signals that she is single. A bow worn to the right means she is already in a relationship. “When a dressmaker whispers this to a customer, they have the feeling they are getting secret information,” Ms. Egger said. “So it has become tradition, although it has no actual roots in the history of the dirndl.”
Discuss in a group the answers to these questions:

1. Where is Bavaria?
2. What is happening there with the dirndl dress?
3. How are the ways of thinking changing for the people there?
4. Why are their ways of thinking changing?
5. Do you think this change is a good thing? or a bad thing?

Now, think about Japan: Work in a group. Brainstorm some traditional things that are making a comeback in this country. Then discuss.

HW for 11/8 class
 Prepare a 5-minute presentation in which you will:
1. introduce something that has made a comeback in Japan
2. explain what it is and how it is making a comeback by giving several examples.
3. explain why it is making a comeback
4. explain your opinion about this comeback

You may use a powerpoint, handouts, or other materials to make your presentation. Do a good job!