If we’re talking about Bavarian women’s fashion for the winter, the first thing most of us are likely to think of are woolly cardigans and sweaters. Not that there’s anything wrong with or about that: Bavarian knits keep you nice and warm and feel soft and cosy. Nifty little cardigans can complement a dirndl nicely, and recent years have seen a range of longer button-down cardigans inspired by men’s fashion to match women’s lederhosen.
Nevertheless, although they may have given us lederhosen and the right cardigans to go with them, the boys have been keeping something else rather more to themselves: loden jackets. They’re what Bavarian men wear when plain knitted wool just doesn’t cut it anymore – i.e. when it’s raining so hard or snowing so mushily that the garn will soak up water, or when it’s so windy that it whistles through the gaps in the mesh and chills you to the bone. Or, more simply, when it’s about making an impression at an evening do and a simple knit isn’t dressy enough – too soft, too flowing, not sharp enough.
A classic loden jacket is made of wool too, of course, but loden a very special type known traditionally in English as broadcloth. To the touch, it feels like velvet or felt – and certainly looks like felt, too – but it’s actually just wool compacted, milled, and treated until it becomes so thick that it is waterproof, retains heat, and keeps its shape. In fact, loden is stiff enough to carry lining and can be cut to give a suit-jacket-style silhouette. That’s why it’s so suitable for dressy occasions in the winter.
Now, these qualities have not gone undiscovered, meaning that Bavarian women have had their own loden pieces for several years already. Often, though, they looked like little more than afterthoughts, versions of the classic men’s jackets taken in a bit at the waist. The colours were charcoal grey and coffee brown, with the odd bit of forest green piping and gold buttons as the highpoints. But of course the best thing about women’s fashion is that girls are happier to experiment with different colours and have a great eye for fun details, right ladies?
Bavarian loden jackets made for women
That’s why we are absolutely delighted with the winter collections for 2016-17, showing as they do just how much more can be done with Bavarian jackets for women. So finally, there are some real statement pieces out there, like the jackets by Spieth & Wensky, which are both as smart and sharp as their male counterparts, but filled with the kind of feminine detail missing from previous efforts. The colours, especially, are exciting, with red and green both as floral patterning or on the seams and, most strikingly, as the overall fabric colour.
Then there are Orbis’ new designs, revolutionary in other ways. While the colours remain reserved (although, of course, using blue – however dark – is in its own way a mini-rebellion…), the fabric is a real revolution: the polyester-polyamid-lycra blend ensures that these jackets are not only waterproof, warming, and shape-retaining, but also have a subtle-yet-striking sheen to them. Combined with rich detail such as decorative buttons and darting, these pieces are dressy enough for smart evening festivities.
Orbis has also gone for something completely new, founding a new genre in women’s Bavarian jackets: the frock coat. It’s a real treat for girls who like traditional shapes – and who know just how important a long overcoat can be when the temperatures really head south – but who like practical pieces that can be combined with jeans or a range of other outfits. This jacket really lifts whatever it is you’ve got on and makes a strong statement. So let wool be all cuddly and warm – it fits nicely under a coat…