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| German Woman in Traditional Costume - Source |
The costume that is most commonly associated with German fashion is possibly the dirndl. This folk wear, properly called Trachtenkleidhung, or Tracht, conjures up images of the countryside, tradition, and peasant lifestyle. These elements also were one of the corner stones of Nazi ideology because they promoted the peasant as the backbone of Nazi Germany and the origins of Nazi ideology and pure German culture. To follow up on 'Gretchen', here is a post on the traditional wear that Nazi ideology would have preferred all their women wear but in reality this look was not very popular.
Although this was the costume that was promoted by Nazi Germany, this look was largely unpopular for a multitude of reasons noted by Irene Guenther. One of the reasons why this look was so unpopular was because it was completely impractical. To make the costume truly German, women were to make the materials from scratch themselves. . . including making their own cloth! Already busy, many women saw this as too much and did not want to add any more work to their already occupied lives (along with making their own dress materials, they were encouraged to make their own furniture too). Another reason why these costumes were not popular were because they showed wear and tear too easily. Living and working in countryside, the Tracht in its purest form was possibly best reserved for special occasions.
Ironically, although the Tracht was not popular in Germany, it gained popularity in the U.S. and other countries once Marlene Dietrich began to wear the look. Popular elsewhere, women in Germany gradually picked up the look but only for a short while. Once the Tracht fell out of popularity, it did not disappear completely from German fashion as Dirix Emmanuelle’s work 1940s Fashion shows. In actuality, the Tracht was subtlety integrated into German clothes as were other French and American influences. Folk elements inspired by this traditional wear was integrated in a variety of ways into German women's wear which is evident in the patterns in Der Golden Schnitt.
Some of the folk elements that were integrated into German women's fashions and even in American fashions were embroidery of leaves, vines and other natural elements, puffed sleeves, aprons as a fashion accessory, gathered skirts, and peasant blouses too. Based on the images you have already seen here, there were many different styles of this traditional costume and just as many variations too. These variations could have been due to a variety of reasons including regional differenced, an attempt to stay somewhat fashionable or to adapt to the challenging lack of resources and shortages and rationing.
How often was this worn is often a question that comes up and unfortunately that is a complicated one to answer. If we reserve ourselves to only studying women in photographs and film footage, then we may be under the impression that this costume was word a great deal. This folk wear was a common garb in propaganda too which can be seen in countless propaganda posters and most famously in Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will. So, with that said, we need to be very careful and mindful of what kind of images we are looking at. Lets say we are looking at magazines and fashion images . . .then we may get an opposite impression. so, how often was this look worn then? I would argue, based on the scholarly works of other, and the primary sources available that this look was worn on occasion for special or traditional reasons. For everyday life, I would argue that clothes more typical of the 40s were worn.
How often was this worn is often a question that comes up and unfortunately that is a complicated one to answer. If we reserve ourselves to only studying women in photographs and film footage, then we may be under the impression that this costume was word a great deal. This folk wear was a common garb in propaganda too which can be seen in countless propaganda posters and most famously in Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will. So, with that said, we need to be very careful and mindful of what kind of images we are looking at. Lets say we are looking at magazines and fashion images . . .then we may get an opposite impression. so, how often was this look worn then? I would argue, based on the scholarly works of other, and the primary sources available that this look was worn on occasion for special or traditional reasons. For everyday life, I would argue that clothes more typical of the 40s were worn.
Sources:
Dirix, Emmanuelle and Charlotte Fiell. 1940s Fashion: The Definitive Sourcebook. London: Goodman Fiell, 2013.
Guenther, Irene. Nazi Chic?: Fashioning Women in the Third Reich. New York: Berg, 2004.
Guenther, Irene. “Fashioning Women in the Third Reich”, in Life and Times in Nazi Germany edited by Lisa Pine. New York: Bloomsbury, 2016.
