Ethnic Dirndls

It’s that time of year again! Well, almost. The 2011 Oktoberfest kicks off on Saturday and I’ve been noticing storefront windows all over town full of Dirndls.

Over the last few years I’ve noticed some new trends, notably Ethnic Dirndls made out of Saris. I A newsletter email landed in my inbox yesterday highlighting a local designer that makes Dirndls out of African fabrics. One thing I never thought I’d see: cowrie shells on a Dirndl!

The items below from left to right are from:

Hubercraft Dirndl Shop – She has some really stunning items. I’ve always admired her Dirndls made out of kitschy retro fabric, but the Sari stuff is really high class. If I ever have the kind of money to lay out thousands of Euros per year on Wiesn gear, Hubercraft is going to be on my list of places to go.

Anina W – Ornate Dirndls for those who don’t shy away from ostentation! She has some nice Sari items as well as slightly more modern takes on the traditional Dirndl (pink gingham, etc.)

Noh-Nee – See her collection of Dirndl A L’Africaine. She also has Fatboy type bean chairs in African fabrics. I did a little snooping around the site and discovered that the store is run by two sisters Marie Darouiche and Rahmee Wetterich who are originally from Cameroon. Looks like they’re doing well, there are a ton of press clips from magazines like Freundin, Burda Style and Elle!

[UPDATE:] I just went to run some errands, and what did I see in the front window of Slips? A Noh Nee Dirndl, a few blocks down on Reichenbachstrasse at Menu 12, another one! looks like Marie and Rahmee are doing quite well in their marketing efforts!