The idea of a girl in lederhosen used to sound quite tomboyish, but for a few years now, Oktoberfest ladies have been proving that lederhosen can look great on women too – and that they don’t need to borrow their boyfriends’, either. In fact, because women have more adventurous fashion tastes than men, their leather breeches are more colourful, more inventive, and more exciting than the traditional pairs.
Some women’s lederhosen are made of deerskin or goatskin, just like the traditional versions for men, but others are made of denim in faux-lederhosen look, for example. And while some feature traditional braces that can be worn attached or discarded like their male counterparts, other ladies lederhosen are of a different design altogether and are cut more like jeans shorts or hotpants…
The possibilities are endless, because us girls are happy to chop and change, while the boys stick to their “pair for life” in an almost touchingly clingy way. But of course, this means that we often have to ask ourselves how to actually wear our new pair. If you’re wondering how to make a style statement with ladies’ lederhosen, here are our Oktoberfest looks.
Classic
The first lederhosen onto the market for women were more of less copies of men’s breeches with a slightly more shapely cut. Certainly, in terms of colour, they stuck to the camel, turf, and mahogany shades and were traditionally knee-length. This type has remained popular with many lady lederhosen fans, and looks best with a classic Oktoberfest checked shirt or – for a slightly more feminine touch – a corset-style top with a lace-up front. Wear a Bavarian cardigan over it to keep warm, but try opting for a thicker, chunkier knit that you would if you were picking on to go with a dirndl. In terms of footwear, you’ve got to make like a boy and go for rustic boots (the traditional Haferlschuhe brogues are even available in women’s sizes now).
Girly
While some girls are happy fighting the men on home turf, others find the traditional leather shades somewhat unappealing – “who wants to be reminded of a horsehair barstool”, they say! For the girlier girls out there, a flood of more colourful lederhosen has hit the shops, coming in everything from baby blue to bright pink and often featuring floral embroidery. If you’re planning to go with this innocent, fun-loving look, then you’ll need something fresher and altogether more feminine. We recommend t-shirts and tops rather than check, perhaps off the shoulder or with fun prints, and would wear ballerinas rather than boots to complete the look.
Hot
Hotpants-style lederhosen are a big deal this summer. If you’re wanting to rock the look, that’s fine, but beware: there’s a lot of skin on show and anyone wearing them will need to go with it 100%. That means pumps to really show off your legs and a tight, short check shirt worn with a few buttons open to make sure that the cleavage is doing its work too…
