Traditional Bavarian shirts: back to the future

Trachtenhemd-Pfoad-Stehkragen-Almsach-BARDO-weiss56be035aaf4125790c0f8eddfb“Sometimes, to take a few steps forward, you have to take a step back.” We’ve all heard that old chestnut a few times, but in men’s Oktoberfest fashion this year, it’s never been truer. If almost a decade’s worth of seasons featured bright colours, new-style fabrics, and unusual cuts, since about 2014, the pendulum has been busy swinging back the other way. Now, with silky dress gilets and linen waistcoats in beige and grey, with rustic jackets made of leather or even canvas, we’re approaching peak tradition: and so it makes sense that, this year, traditional Bavarian shirts are back.

Called Trachtenpfoad to distinguish them from the typical checked or white Trachtenhemden shirts that are the standard-issue variants we all know, these traditional Bavarian shirts look almost like museum pieces and would be quite at home on the set of Poldark. While, typically, Oktoberfest shirts have simply used check pattern or buckhorn buttons to distinguish themselves from everyday tops, a Pfoad really is a quite different type of clothing.

Trachtenhemd-Pfoad-Stehkragen-Obis-DIOMO-blau-natu56be02832f71dIts most obvious olden-days throwback is its half-length button placket (known in English as “Henley” or, more commonly, “grandad” style), turning this shirt into a top – i.e. one than needs to be pulled over the head. After all, we’re talking about a traditional top for traditional guys who aren’t worried about their hair getting messed up a bit. Another archaic feature is the crew neck, meaning that this kind of shirt lacks a large collar; the fabrics, too, are linen or linen-cotton blends – no new-fangled stretches here! Small details such as horizontal finishes below the buttons and rounded hemlines mark out a Pfoad and remind us that this is a traditional piece of clothing once conceived for the country workers of Bavaria.

Trachtenhemd-Pfoad-Stehkragen-Spieth-Wensky-BRUNO256be037725cecThen again, history never repeats itself entirely. While the blue-white striped, loose-fitting retro canvas models offered by OS-Trachten are the purest incarnation of this return to tradition, modern influences are making themselves felt, too. Spieth & Wensky is offering more tailored, formal versions, for example, avoiding easily-creased linen and offering fashion details such as decorative piping either side of the placket and thin coloured lines on the inside of the cuffs.

Whichever specific version, it’s important to remember that this kind of traditional Bavarian shirt works well with most lederhosen, but is that bit too rough-and-ready to combine well with smarter black shiny leather breeches: these need to be worn with a full shirt. On the other hand, these kind of looser-fitting grandad shirts do work well with jeans or other informal trousers, allowing wearers to create outfits that are okay both on and off the Wiesn. The best tops to wear over Pfoad-style shirts are knitted waistcoats and cardigans (anything with a sheen will clash) as well as linen or leather jackets (avoid loden as this too is more formal). One last tip: the traditional look of this kind of shirt is an invitation to wear the straps which are usually provided with lederhosen, but frequently neglected!

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Ein herzliches Willkommen sagt Ihnen Alpenclassics e.K. Tracht- & Landhausmode – schön, dass Sie den Weg zu uns gefunden haben. Dafür, dass er sich gelohnt hat, garantieren die edlen Materialien, strahlenden Farben sowie attraktiven Schnitte unserer Trachtenlederhosen, Dirndl und anderen Schmuckstücke. Stockerpoint Trachtenmode von A-Z. Mit unserer Trachten- und Landhausmode sind Sie immer bestens gekleidet – auf dem nächsten Volksfest ebenso wie zu vielen anderen Anlässen.

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