Today, Munich is celebrating as the first keg of beer is tapped – and no, you’re not reading an article meant for mid-September that got mis-scheduled. No, today’s tapping ceremony is for the Starkbierfest, quite literally the “Strong Beer Festival”, or – as we like to call it – the Spring Oktoberfest. Unlike its more popular autumnal cousin, however, the Strong Beer Festival happens without fairground rides, without hordes of tourists, and without tents, but does have all of the usual tasty food, frothy beer, and – natürlich – beautiful Bavarian clothing.
In fact, the Strong Beer Festival, generally held in the run-up to Easter in February and March, is something of a fashion laboratory for the Oktoberfest later in the year: you’ll often spot the year’s trends here first. At the same time, however, the oft chilly conditions mean that drinkers often sport somewhat different traditional looks with lots of wool and loden. 
In fact, if you’re intrigued by the festival (and with “Strong Beer” in the title, who wouldn’t be?), then why not head over to Munich at some point in the coming three weeks – and sort yourself with an authentic Bavarian outfit like the ones below. These combinations are guaranteed fashionable and will keep you warm and cosy in the last of the cold weather to (quite literally) boot.
Dirndl and knits
This year, colours are getting less bright: the look is about using dark background shades as the setting for splashes of lilac, green, or blue. So why not move with the trend and get a black cardigan like this one, featuring fun details like sewn-in hearts for that fashionable and feminine touch? What is more, the hip-hugging cut will accentuate your figure despite all those layers against the cold. Matched with a knee-length dirndl in a rich dark pink, this outfit offers strong colour contrast for a strong beer.
Lederhosen with jacket
Alternatively, ladies can opt for a lederhosen look, like with this pair of almost knee-length leather breeches and suede pumps (which can, in case of icy conditions, be swapped out for hard-wearing, robust boots). Combined with a Bavarian knitted jacket in a cosy wool/nylon blend in a fashionable fuchsia shade, it’s a good look if the weather is still decidedly wintery and can stand up to some punishment in the breweries – which, given the effects of beer at 7.5% ABV is probably no bad thing. (Yes, this is another of those Bavarian occasions where we select clothing based on how easily it disguises stains…)
Loden jacket: now or never
If you’re the proud owner of lederhosen and have always been looking for a good excuse to extend your collection of Bavarian wear, then here is the excuse you’ve been waiting for to add a real Alpine loden jacket. After all, buying a jacket specially for the Oktoberfest can often seem like a waste of money with temperatures generally in double figures for much of proceedings; but at the Starkbierfest, the combination of colder weather and the high proportion of Munich in-crowd visitors means that you’ll see plenty of loden blazers – known as Janker – paired up with silky satin waistcoats. It’s a fantastic look, and a visit to one of the Munich breweries at this time of year is the perfect opportunity to rock it yourself. And although your standard lederhosen from the Oktoberfest will go perfectly with the jacket, if your concerned about the cold, just take a look at our collection of full-length lederhosen.