LederHOTTT!

Living in Thüringen, one is not exposed to either Lederhosen or Dirndl, the image of clothing that the world has of Germany.

Emo-Lederhosen

It’s hard to tell from afar, but there are distinct cultural differences within Germany. Thüringen is famous for its bratwurst and potato dumplings; Bavaria is home to Oktoberfest and fancy dress every day of the year.

My first real exposure to Lederhosen and Dirndl was while visiting the Regensbloggers earlier this year and I fell in love. At the time it was the Lederhosen clad Emo-boy that fascinated me.

The fact remains that I now adore Lederhosen. It’s funky looking and, believe it or not, everyday wear in München. I saw people wearing it as they went about their daily business while shopping, strolling through parks, or whatever else it was that they were doing.

Scott's a local!

Zurika’s husband, Scott, wore his Lederhosen during our city tour Saturday.

His is a relatively simple and attractive ensemble—with leather shorts and appropriate other accoutrements—the simple white shirt with wooden buttons and embroidery, plus shoes and socks that matched perfectly.

We stopped in one of the high-end department stores, Loden-Frey, which has an entire floor dedicated to Lederhosen and Dirndl.

I haven’t really mentioned Dirndl before, but Dirndl is the equivalent dress for women—usually it’s brightly colored, cheerful, and makes even a flat-chested woman look like she’s got tits the size of watermelons.

And expensive. At Loden-Frey, Dirndl start at 200€.

Meanwhile the Lederhosen bug bit me—and it was a good thing that I left on Sunday, when all the shops are closed, because by the time I left, I was ready to buy my own Lederhosen. Scott’s set costs roughly 200€, which is, I suppose, a good starting place, but I want to have an ensemble that includes one of the high collared jackets. I saw some of these attractive jackets at Loden-Frey that cost 500€.

The biggest problem is, of course, that Weimar is not in Lederhosen land—and I’m not entirely clear how often I would be in a position to wear the duds without attracting too much attention of the wrong kind; perhaps only Halloween—but by late October leather shorts, even with knee high socks, might still leave too much exposed for comfort.

Even with all that said, the rumination continues.