The most expensive dirndl in the world - and what you didn't know about traditional costume
Dirndls are chic, make a great "balcony" and dress every woman. These fun facts about traditional dress for women are widely known. But did you know what the most expensive dirndl in the world costs and that there is high diving in traditional costume? Here are these and even more curious facts.
The most expensive Dirndl of the world
Dirndls come in all price ranges. The neon-coloured mini dirndls, also known and disreputable as "Wiesnfasching", are comparatively cheap. For "real" dirndls with a silk apron and lace blouse, you have to pay significantly more. But even these expenses are nothing compared to what you have to shell out for the most expensive dirndl in the world. This exclusive model costs no less than 100,000 euros. Pure wild silk, embroidered with 150,000 Swarovski crystals in 300 hours of work, has its price.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder or: The Wiesn Carnival
Far distant from wild silk and Swarovski are the outliers among the Dirndl styles that can be "admired" year after year at the Oktoberfest. From dirndls made of thermoplastic in the club colours of Schalke 04 to dirndls made of gaudy red leather or in peacock look, everything has been there. If you like it...
From the five-metre tower in Dirndl
A tradition that enjoys great popularity in many communities in Bavaria is high diving. As if that wasn't exciting enough, the organisers go one better. You are only allowed to compete in traditional costume, and so year after year you see ladies in dirndls and men in full traditional costume jumping as artfully as possible into the pools. The organisers have also come up with something for last-minute participants: If you don't have a dirndl with you, you can borrow one at the open-air pool.
The bulletproof Dirndl
It certainly makes sense that safety standards at the Wiesn are constantly being improved. However, Colombian tailor Miguel Caballero took this idea too far for public taste. In 2006, he designed a bulletproof dirndl and later declared it a marketing stunt. But it backfired both in Munich and in Bogota.
The Dirndl Boom of the "Weißen Rössl"
In 1930, the operetta "Im Weißen Rössl" celebrated its premiere and triggered an unprecedented dirndl boom that also spilled over the pond. In the USA, the play ran 223 times on Broadway, including snappy hits like " What can Sigismund do for being so beautiful". The result: the dirndl conquered the world. From Lake Wolfgang to the land of unlimited possibilities.
