Dirndl
The Alpine maid’s dress that became bourgeois summer fashion and then a national symbol.
The dirndl was everyday wear for maids in Bavaria and Austria until summer visitors from the cities adopted it in the late 19th century. It has since moved between folk dress and fashion. Examples are in the Volkskundemuseum in Vienna.
Materials: Cotton or linen, often printed or checked
Manufacture: A fitted bodice with a full skirt and apron, worn over a short blouse.
The apron, whose bow by tradition shows whether the wearer is married.
The fitted, laced bodice over a white blouse.