Oktoberfest Costumes for Women

When autumn comes to Munich, it’s time for Oktoberfest, and that means it’s time to shop for Oktoberfest costumes for women. You want a proper German outfit in which you can eat, drink and be merry, but especially drink. Oktoberfest is all about enjoying fabulous beer with traditional food and music.

Oktoberfest is all about great traditional costumes and even better beer.

Oktoberfest is the reason the idea of the Bavarian barmaid is so popular. It’s she who keeps everyone happy, as she keeps serving up the beer. And for people who live in Bavaria, Oktoberfest is actually less about the drinking than the chance to walk the town in fine national costumes. The festival actually begins with a traditional costume parade including marching bands and dance troupes.

For women, it is all about the dirndl. The basic dirndl is a dress with a close-fitting bodice and full skirt gathered at the waist, usually about knee-length. The material is colorful and can be strikingly patterned, often with bold details like braiding and piping. The bodice is worn over a frilly peasant blouse, usually white, and the skirt is covered in turn by a colorful apron.

To be really traditional, women also wear a choker that features an Edelweiss pendant. They can further accessorize with chain necklaces that are covered in hunting prizes, such as a deer horn or bear claw. But these can be dangerous combined with a lot of alcohol, so unless you are Bavarian, it’s better to just stick to the basics.

If you are Bavarian, or want to dress the part in a costume that is traditional, go to Okoberfest Products, where you’ll find a large selection of dirndls in all sizes as well as jewelry and other accessories for Oktoberfest costumes for women. Some of the prices are a bit steep, which is to be expected when you are going the more traditional route. However, most are made of nontraditional polyester, which does make for easier care.

Another site for great traditional costumes is German Import House. The clothes are hand-designed and each dirndl is colorfully embroidered. You can choose from a variety of blouses, dirndls and aprons. They also sell dirndls for little girls.

You can also try the Bavarian Shopping Mall, where the dirndls are all full-length but very well made and cut and 100 percent cotton.

If you want your costume simpler and sexier, you can also shop on Amazon, which has such fun costumes as the Sexy Fraulein, which includes an off-the-shoulder top, lace-up bodice, short green skirt and petticoat, which no one else seems to add. Amazon also has three choices of Beer Garden Girl costumes, all of which are very sexy and feature miniskirts.

For something slightly more traditional and less revealing, but still very costumey, try Halloween Manor, which has a costume suitable for festivals or plays as well as parties. The blouse is white with red trim and satin bows. The black velvet vest is trimmed in red. The red skirt is long with black satin trim and the apron is black satin with ribbon trim. There is also a belt front with red trim and floral appliqué.

If you want a costume that looks great and is unique, you may want to try making one yourself. The period pattern designer Folkwear offers a dirndl pattern, as do Simplicity, McCalls and many others. This way, you can use cotton or linen and mix and match colors and trims as you choose. You can use leftover trim to design your own headpiece, too.

Don’t forget vintage shopping and eBay. Sometimes costumes that were used in plays or festivals get sold here and they can often be of better quality than anything in the cheaper costume shops. If you’ll be going to Oktoberfest parties with any regularity, you should definitely invest in a good costume. Looking good will make the beer taste better!

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