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This year's Oktoberfest in Munich is almost over. For the past 14 days, the Wies'n was filled with girls in beautiful Dirndls and boys in their Lederhosen. Dogs weren't allowed – and that's probably for the best! The hustle and bustle, the noise and one too many steins of beer would simply be too much for our beloved four-legged friends.
That dogs and traditional costume can still go together, though – that's what we want to show you today.
Why Did We Get Dressed Up in Dirndls?
At the end of August, we found ourselves in the Salzkammergut for the second time. Why? Because Martina was maid of honour at the intimate yet beautiful traditional wedding of Renata and Andreas (from Fischgenuss) in Bad Aussee – and she wouldn't have missed it for the world. You can of course read the full travel report about it.
There's also an older blog post featuring our Che about this stunning region.
Renata is a seamstress, and that's how Martina came to own her very first Dirndl – made-to-measure, no less! Martina had to travel to Vienna for a few fittings, but every kilometre was absolutely worth it. A truly bespoke Dirndl has to fit to the millimetre, and master seamstresses take that very seriously indeed.
Embroidery is another of Renata's artistic skills. Every flower beneath Martina's neckline is hand-embroidered. On the wedding day, the beautiful traditional dresses worn by the bride and maid of honour drew admiring glances from locals and tourists alike.
I've already told you in this article that my aunt, who has her workshop near Amstetten, is also a seamstress. She specialises in Dirndls too, but she can make absolutely anything – and I really do mean anything!! For a riding demonstration, she made me a complete Bedouin costume for both me and the horse. It fit like a glove and was covered in what felt like 100,000 little rhinestones, each one sewn on individually.
Years ago I used to go to the Almdudler Ball in Vienna regularly, and that's why I've owned a custom-fitted Dirndl of my own for quite some time. Just how much work and passion goes into making one, though, only truly hit me once I started sewing myself. The love and precision lie in the details – and it takes real skill!
The Perfect Setting for Dirndl & Dog! But Where?
The original plan was to take photos in the mountainous surroundings of the Salzkammergut, dressed in our Dirndls with our four favourites. But since we had a bit of bad luck with the weather and didn't want to expose the silk aprons to the typical driving rain, we came up with the idea of doing a Dirndl photo shoot at home among the vineyards instead. And that's exactly what we did!
On a sunny autumn weekend, braids are plaited, bodices are laced up, and the favourite man is drafted in as photographer. Atlas, Tiago and Neroli are dressed up in their new, matching collars in shades of brown, and Murphy gets to debut his colourful, equally perfectly fitted harness for the very first time.
Everything was ordered from the lovely Karin at Monty's Pfotenshop.
So off we went into the vineyard rows, trying to keep 4 dogs in a good mood long enough to get some great shots. The boys cooperated beautifully, as always.
Murphy decided at one point that snuffling around in the grass was far more fun than looking at the camera – fair enough, you little rascal.
The sighthounds, on the other hand, had a field day when a deer crossed the meadow behind us towards the end of the shoot – the scent lingered in the air for quite some time afterwards.
And when the treats came out of the skirt pocket, Tiago simply couldn't contain himself :D
So, Back to the Question: Do Dogs and Dirndls Go Together?
Let's put it this way: you probably wouldn't take Martina's special-occasion Dirndl out for a dog walk without a specific reason. An everyday cotton Dirndl, on the other hand – I could easily imagine wearing one on a short hike with the dogs, even if I haven't actually done it yet. But what hasn't happened yet can always still happen.
The smiles on the faces of passing walkers, joggers and hikers speak for themselves!
AND every good Dirndl skirt has pockets hidden under the apron – the perfect place to keep dog treats. So there are absolutely no excuses ;)
If reading this has made you want a Dirndl of your own, Renata and Brigitte would love to hear from you!
