Lederhosen and Kilts as a Costume.

[Ayin McFye]

So, as we all know, it's now October. Which means in thousands of places around the world, people are celebrating Octoberfest.

I'll be going to an Octoberfest this weekend, as I truly enjoy all the German beer, bratwurst, music, and dancing.

I contemplated purchasing some Lederhosen to wear to the festival, did some research and quickly learned it can be equally if not more expensive than buying kilts. (depending on your tastes)

A good pair of Lederhosen, or Bundhosen can cost between 200 and 300 dollars. An authentic set of suspenders can cost around 100-150 dollars. Shirt around 65 dollars, and hat around 50 dollars.

Basically if you want to get an authentic German outfit, you'll probably spend at least 300-400 dollars, obviously you can spend that much on kilts as well and even more, and you can do the same with German outfits.

The reason I bring all this up on a kilt forum is this. The thought crossed my mind to go to a costume shop, and drop 60-100 bucks on a Lederhosen costume to go to the festival in. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I thought "How would I feel if I saw someone in a kilt Halloween costume at a highland games?" and I quickly decided I would be upset and disgusted if someone did that.

I would love to attend an Octoberfest in fully authentic gear, however I have made the choice to not go wearing a cheap pair of leather shorts, and a $10 pair of suspenders.

10 Years ago I would have bought the lederhosen costume from the Halloween store and worn it and not even thought twice. Now I plan to set aside a little bit of cash over the next year so that I can go properly attired next year, however this year, I will either wear my kilt, like I did last year, or just go wearing p#nts.

The point to all of this, is thru the years here on XMarks, I have grown and learned that various pieces of clothing around the world are not costumes, and should not be treated as such. You can feel free to disagree with me, because that is your right, but I will choose to treat other cultures attire with the kind of respect that I hope to receive from them.

Cheers!

[Panache]

Welcome to a larger and far nicer world Ayin!

Cheers

Jamie :ootd:

[jeremy j starche]

I understand what you mean brother.

I have far more German that Scots blood in me and carry a German sirname to boot. I've long looked at lederhosen, wanting to own a complete and proper outfit.

Unfortunately, around here there is little difference between the "Irish Fest" the "Italian Fest" and the "October Fest." The same people show up, 90% of the food is from the same venders. Only the music changes.

Heck, the only people I know who speak German are either first generation immigrants or Amish.

[Arizona Scot]

Good on ya Kris, sounds like an adult decision, be careful you might be on your way to being respectable.

[Dall_Piobaire]

When I saw this post, I really thought to myself, "self" I thought,"enough is enough!!!" Then I read what you had to say and was so relieved!

int:

It was, at one time, simply a utilitarian article of clothing, worn by many not always held in the greatest esteem. Then it became a fad because of the fancy of a Queen, and it was a "must do" If I am not mistaken it became all the rage with many of the gentry who were swallowing up Scottish lands for their own personal vacation areas. But all that has passed, and, in my opinion, and my opinion only mileage may vary, it is now a symbol of a great country. Ask anyone, you mention kilt, and thoughts of Alba are not far behind. It's just the way it is!

I am not saying it can't be worn in contemporary ways, even skydiving, or chinking oil, or pumping gas, but I feel it should be worn properly and with the respect that the spirit of the thing carries.

Again, I must say, this applies only to me, and how I see things, my opinion extends only to the end of my fingertips!

Standing applause Ayin, well said!

Scott

[MrLion]

My brother and I went kilted to the Oktoberfest in Mt.Angel, Oregon.
What a blast that was! We talked with one of the "directors" who was fully decked-out in a very nice lederhosen outfit, he came over to us to ask what we were up to:
We told him, "Well, this is a cultural heritage event and we're wearing our cultural attire.... we're not German." He was fine with that, we enjoyed a nice chat and even took a picture with him. A shop owner that sold lederhosen showed us his kilt hanging in the changing room. Several men told us that day that they had kilts at home; we told 'em to wear them next year!

[Dall_Piobaire]

You outta post that pic Mr.Lion titled a step towards cultural diversity

[walkerk]

Well, Ayin, you can certainly go dressed as a modern German at Oktoberfest in München: wear Levis. Good on you for not wearing a costume. No telling what would have been said about pictures taken of you in such a get-up and posted over on that Umlaut-marks-the-kraut discussion forum (under "Lederhosen do's and don'ts.") Will look forward to pictures of your outfit next year. Remember - you'll still need two to five years to get the proper sheen on the leather.

[Frank McGrath]

When we were in Munich last year for Oktoberfest, I priced lederhosen ast several stores. We even went to secondhand stores. They must value their cows highly. I wanted to be as correct as I could be. We were amazed how many people wore trachten as daily wear. I did buy a wool vest and my Austrian bride bought a drndl at a department store. She has several as she was raised in a German Restaurant and she just looks so darned good in a drndl. I wear a green vest and black pants when we get dressed up to go "German". But, I have also worn my kilt when we go out to party. Costumes are just that. Costumes. When we wear our kilts, we wear them proudly. If I was going to wear lederhosen, I would buy authentic styles and wear them proudly, too. Save the costumes for the halloween party at your kids school.

[EagleJCS]

You could try the Goodwill or Salvation Army store - you may find some lederhosen there. I remember when my uncle passed away (years before the internet explosion and e-bay), we wound up donating his lederhosen & suspenders - which he had gotten in Germany - to the local Goodwill. We had no idea what value to put on them, and didn't think anyone around here would buy them.