Lederhosen...Germany's Kilt

[James Hood]

This past spring, daughter was doing a final master's class in Berlin and invited her father to join her for some German travel when classes ended.

As her fraternal family is heavily deutsch, the offer was accepted and we had a lovely, memorable experience. Great sightseeing, accomodations, vibe, food, beer, people...'felt oddly "at home," despite being a 2nd generation American.

To the purpose of this thread however; one personal goal was to seriously investigate knee-length Lederhosen and if appealing, bring a pair home. As it happens, daughter now has a full dirndl and her Vater a splendid Lederhosen.

We were in Munchen (Munich) during Carnival and a bunch of locals wore Lederhosen, tho nowhere near the number who chose (ironically, "America's pants, blue jeans") costumes or street clothes.

On the streets and towns of southern Germany, only a handful of local men wore Lederhosen, but they were not seemingly noticed as unusual.

Submitted for your thoughts and comments, sitting at the keyboard in Lederhosen with German folk music on the CD player. (no kilt, or pipes, today; Americans have this tendency to veer away from ethnic purity, begun by our grandparents and parents...and we certainly "do not always" endevour to keep the gene pool ethnically linear....)

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

This was discussed in detail over on the now-defunct site "Umlaut Marks the Kraut".

[O'Searcaigh]

This was discussed in detail over on the now-defunct site "Umlaut Marks the Kraut".

[Meggers]

This was discussed in detail over on the now-defunct site "Umlaut Marks the Kraut".

LOL!!!!

I have to tell that to my German mama. She will love it.

Actually, speaking of my mom, she is like 100% German with a little fleck of Scottish in her (we found one random Scot in her family tree) and my dad is the Irish and Scottish side of me. Ive always been fascinated with my Irish/Scottish side and wanted tartan skirts and such my whole life. Finally my mom got offended and was like "You know it's just as cool to be German too!" and I told her that I agree but Im not going to walk around in leiderhosen the same way Id walk around in tartan. She had to agree there.

Alas, though an American, I find the "Americanization" of world culture saddening: The blue jeans, T-shirt, Walmart, McDonald's-ization of everything and everyone. I get just as strange looks from people here if I wear a Tracten jacket as a kilt or worse still, even just a tweed sport coat with vest (waistcoat for you Brits), tie, moleskin slacks and actual leather shoes. The "official" uniform is blue-jeans (or shorts), T-shirt and flip-flops -- or athletic shoes for more "formal" occasions. Hardly anyone seems to have any "class," "style," or even "fashion" anymore -- just sloppy casual conformity. I was raised with the idea that how one dressed was a reflection of one's self respect and respect for others. Proper "ethnic" dress of any kind reflects that.

On that same note, Im very saddened that the world and even Americans consider those things as being what IS American. When I think of American traditions, I dont think of Mickey Mouse, Walmart, McDonalds, or any of those things. I think of apple pie, quilts, small midwestern towns with 4 generations of family living on the same block, farm houses, cows, mountains and dense coniferous forests, etc. Why does the world define America by freakin McDonalds? That's annoyingly offensive to me.

Not saying what you said is offensive. Just that I wish people saw America for its traditions too and not for our stuff that's still relatively new for even our country's standards. We may be a new country but we certainly do have culture and traditions and things that Americans can wear and call it ours. Even if it is jeans and t-shirts. Whats the difference between cowboy boots with jeans and shalwar kameez or kilts? Just because we see one as being exotic and traditional somewhere else doesn't mean that ours is any less exotic and traditional to them.

[Ryan Ross]

This was discussed in detail over on the now-defunct site "Umlaut Marks the Kraut".

Bwahahahahaha...

Seriously though, I have heard this advice before, as a guideline for coolness (whatever that is):

"Do wear a kilt to celebrate your Scottish heritage. Don't wear Lederhosen to celebrate your Bavarian heritage."

...all that said, if I had some German heritage, I know that I'd want to (and WOULD) make leather shortpants look sexy... on a man.

[artificer]

*giggles*
This thread just reminds me of a very interesting conversation I recently had about the power of dirndls.

Don't get me started. If ANY country has a more eye-popping national/regional dress for women, I actually DON'T want to see it.

Bwahahahahaha...

Seriously though, I have heard this advice before, as a guideline for coolness (whatever that is):

"Do wear a kilt to celebrate your Scottish heritage. Don't wear Lederhosen to celebrate your Bavarian heritage."

...all that said, if I had some German heritage, I know that I'd want to (and WOULD) make leather shortpants look sexy... on a man.

I blame Ren & Stimpy for the death of the Lederhosen in the US. I'm basically 100% German (or areas that WERE Germanic at the time my respective relatives left), and I've never owned a pair- Even though my father and his father, & so forth were widely photographed in them as children.

I will admit to internet 'window-shopping' for a pair recently. Something with a longer leg in loden green. But if I get a pair, I MUST get a pair for my son (he's six).

ith:

[CopperNGold]

This was discussed in detail over on the now-defunct site "Umlaut Marks the Kraut".

What can I say? That is funny!

[James Hood]

Mr. MacMillan, thank you for the reply re; Breeks. Most enlightening.

And being primarily decended from Wurst-chomping, Lederhosen-clad, Bier swillers, your above comment about Umlaut-users produced an audible, hearty chuckle.

Rename the thread, "Germany's breeks?"

[Tobus]

When I lived in Germany in the mid-1980s, lederhosen were commonly seen at festivals such as Oktoberfest. Mostly on older men. The younger generation seemed to avoid wearing them. I would imagine that most 'ethnic garb' in its native country suffers from the same effect. Younger folks typically want to be seen as hip and cool instead of traditional.

Sadly, lederhosen have attained much of the same reputation here in the USA as kilts. A lot of people view them only as a 'costume', or can only associate them with ridiculous caricatures of a foreign culture.

[O'Searcaigh]

Alas, though an American, I find the "Americanization" of world culture saddening: The blue jeans, T-shirt, Walmart, McDonald's-ization of everything and everyone. I get just as strange looks from people here if I wear a Tracten jacket as a kilt or worse still, even just a tweed sport coat with vest (waistcoat for you Brits), tie, moleskin slacks and actual leather shoes. The "official" uniform is blue-jeans (or shorts), T-shirt and flip-flops -- or athletic shoes for more "formal" occasions. Hardly anyone seems to have any "class," "style," or even "fashion" anymore -- just sloppy casual conformity. I was raised with the idea that how one dressed was a reflection of one's self respect and respect for others. Proper "ethnic" dress of any kind reflects that.