Oktoberfest fashion trends 2014 (for him)

You’ll often hear people saying that there aren’t any trends for men when it comes to Oktoberfest wear. After all, aren’t lederhosen made to be worn for a lifetime? And what true Bavarian man really cares about something as fickle as fashion?

Now, there’s some truth to that. Especially compared to the fast-moving trends affecting dirndls and ladies fashion. But unless you are actually wearing Bavarian clothing as part of a set Tracht – i.e. traditional peasant costume – you wearing Bavarian fashion.

And fashions change! Even with things like lederhosen, where recent years have seen a clear trend toward shorter, above-knee shorts at the expense of the knee-breech cuts. And in terms of what people wear with their lederhosen, there are clear trends too: satin waistcoats with shirts in strong colours like orange or apple green have been the big trend in recent years, but now it’s time for a change and these pieces will soon start to look dated.

So if you want to make sure to you’re moving with the times for the Oktoberfest 2014, make sure to read through the following tips about Oktoberfest fashion trends 2014.

Lederhosen length

2014 will most likely be the year in which longer models turn the corner and start to become more popular again. Until they do, however, it’s still the over-knee shorts where the innovations are happening, although they’re not as short as they were…

Lederhosen colour

…and nowhere near as colourful. In 2012-2013, there were a range of really bright shades out there which are now being toned down: colour is staying, but instead of fire engine red, it’s about brick red, while deep green is giving way to grassy tones; interestingly enough, the bright street-marking yellow of recent years has sunk without a trace.

The trend towards bright colour is unbroken in one area of lederhosen design, though: the stitching. The big looks for 2014 are red on light, camel-coloured leather or four-to-five-shade embroidery on darker materials.

If you’re reading this and panicking about your own trusty lederhosn, don’t worry: the really visible trends for men in Bavarian happen above the belt – on shirts more than anything. And if you do want a new, trendy lederhosen but are loath to throw out your favourite, why not just stock it in the attic until it comes back round again?

Deconstructed check

In recent years, the good old chequered shirt has gone through quite a few changes: from the traditional blue, red, or dark-green small check through new colours like aqua and apple and then into loud, big check patterns. In 2014, this deconstruction of the traditional Bavarian chequered shirt is set to continue, with the next step being to break down the pattern into its vertical component. Which means that this year’s trendy check shirt is only one half check…

Prints

…or perhaps not chequered at all. In 2013, the girls were experimenting by wearing printed t-shirts with their ladies’ lederhosen, and this year, you can expect this to start becoming trendy for us guys, too. No collar, no check, just a t-shirt or long-sleeved top with traditional Bavarian imagery printed onto it. Even the chequered shirts are affected, too, with prints becoming more and more common over the pattern – and not just in the shoulder area to which they have been confined in recent years.

Last but not least, other important guy-trends happen below the belt (no, not there) in terms of the socks and shoes that get worn with lederhosen. This year’s Haferlschuhe, for example, the traditional Bavarian leather footwear are, just like the lederhosen themselves, not as bright in terms of colour as in recent trend collections. But the real novelty is not the shoes…

Loferl

… It’s the socks! The big thing this year are Loferl, a kind of trainer-sock/football sock combo with the ankle area removed. These fetching foot and calf-warmers have long been a part of the real Bavarian Tracht and are now coming into the maintstream. So make sure you keep those calf muscles nice and tight!