Besides “What shoes should I wear?” and “Hmmm, do you think I can handle a third litre of beer?”, there’s one question that ladies in Bavaria will frequently find themselves having to answer: “Is this dirndl the right length?” Sometimes it’s too short, sometimes it could happily be a little shorter. Sometimes you hear that dirndls are getting shorter again; sometimes, all you see are adverts for ankle-length models. Because when it comes to dirndl length, it’s a question of “How long is a piece of string?”

For the longest time, of course, the length of a dirndl was no topic of conversation: traditional dirndl all went down to the ankles, end of story. It was a time of strict dress codes in which women were not to show any flesh except for on the hands and face; in some strongly catholic areas, women even had to keep their hair hidden well into the twentieth century. And these customs remained more or less unchanged even after morals had been loosened; anyone wearing a dirndl wanted to look traditional in any case.

With the development of Bavarian fashion, however, questions started to be asked. After all, the whole idea was about taking traditional elements and making them into modern outfits – and modern dresses and skirts had been short for many years by this stage. So for decades, it was about just how much length could be shortened on a dirndl skirt. In any ways, it was a game: the louder the traditionalists complained about “party dirndls”, the more the designers took away.

Dirndl length: the long and short of it

Yet by the millennium, if not before, a lower limit was reached: in contrast to miniskirts, dirndl skirts do not hug the legs, so a dirndl which is too short can get way too revealing way too fast. Even the most self-confident of ladies on a mission to show off her legs shied away from the shortest skiorts, and the absolute minimum length for a dirndl skirt settled at around 50cm. Anything shorter became the hallmark of cheap and tacky tourist wear.

At the same time, the makers of Bavarian fashion clothing began to experiment a bit, moving away from the simple equation which had, too date, been the dominant gauge: i.e. trendy equals short, traditional equals long. It was becoming clear that some girls who wanted to try out new colours and fun design influences didn’t necessarily want to run around in mini-length dirndls; others, meanwhile, clearly wanted short skirts, but weren’t as fixated on shocking pink and plunging necklines as had been assumed.

In the years since 2010, this had led to a whole new variety in dirndls, especially in what German refers to as the “midi length” of 60cm, increasingly 70cm. It’s about quality materials, sophisticated patterns and details, and real quality workmanship; but in these types of dirndl length, too, there are plenty of colourful fabrics and fun patterns for those who like things trendier.

Dirndl length: too much choice is no choice

So today, there is a greater choice of styles and lengths than ever before – and it’s becoming more and more difficult to choose. You can have a dirndl that is demure, yet short, or loud but long – and everything in between. That’s great on the one hand, but too much choice is, as they say, no choice; what is more, the rules that used to act as a guide have all but gone.

That’s why we thought we’d give you a few tips to help you get your bearings in terms of dirndl length without denying the variety and fun which can be had:

• Comfort Whether the skirt goes over them or stops just above them, a skirt which is roughly down to the knees is usually the best one – generally because it’s the one that most girls feel most comfortable with
• Context How formal an occasion are you dressing for? Flesh is not immaterial in terms of formality, so a dirndl which is just right for the Oktoberfest might not be best one to wear if you get invited to a Bavarian wedding.
• Combining What are you looking to wear the dirndl with? An elbow-length blouse makes a 60cm dirndl look far longer than it might with an off-shoulder blouse, for example. Shoes, too, can be used to emphasise or distract from length, as can cardigans, jackets, and shawls.

These are three important point to consider if you find yourself wondering how short is too short or how long is too long in terms of dirndls. Of course, luckily, there are no dress codes to be enforced anymore and it’s mainly about how long we want our dirndls to be…