Radical changes in Oktoberfest colour trends

It’s been a long time since there was so clear and radical a change in Oktoberfest colour trends between two seasons. Just one year back, we were still writing about how yellow and oranges, gold and rust, and pastel tones were still all the rage after three years, but Bavarian fashion in summer 2014 is suddenly using a completely different palette.

Basically, this year’s Oktoberfest wear will be bright and simple. No complex pastel shades, no creams and natural styles, no dark or light variants: colour is being stripped back down to its basics. Forget olive green, salmon pink, and sky blue: this year, it’s about green, pink, and blue. No qualifiers needed!

In terms of trending colours, red is this year’s most visible in Munich fashion, especially for the girls. Whether it’s on a shiny polyester apron or as a ribbon on the front of a dirndl dress, or even as part of the check pattern on one of this years hot denim dirndls (jeans dirndls are also a 2014 trend); red is also a decisive part of the increasingly popular combination of lady’s lederhosen with a relaxed t-shirt or long-sleeve top.

Green and blue, preferably as pure and unadulterated as possible, also big in this year’s colour trends – sometimes, you’ll even see them together, which is slightly counterintuitive, but can work… The only things breaking up this sea of blues and greens on dirndls and aprons are light decorative weave as stripes or  floral patterns. Meanwhile, girls’ leather shorts are simply awash with strong blue and green colours such as blue moon or green apple which work well on nappa leather with sheen: this kind of bright, shiny, sexy lady’s lederhosen is a guaranteed head-turner in 2014. Boys, you too will be able to enjoy the flattering qualities of blue and green on your checked shirts to go with your leather breeches: this year, patterns on shirts are secondary, it’s the colours that count.

As both a background and a foil to this primary colour rampage of red, blue, and green, there’s not really much that does the trick beyond black, white, and pink, all of which have enough power to stand up to these loud colours. Black has even made it onto the check patterns on dirndls – worn with bright red aprons – while pink’s march to dominance in recent years continues, with entire dirndl outfits now available in pink and even men’s checked shirts going pink. Until recently, it took years for women’s trends to bridge the gap into men’s fashion; now the lads are having to keep up!

And, of course, white. Can we call that a trending colour? After all, it’s always the canvas on which all Bavarian shirts and blouses are based. Yet this year, its role is even greater than usual after seasons where stitching and decorative details were often two-tone or even in black: 2014 is all about simple, but bold and powerful white details.

Which goes for Oktoberfest clothing in 2014 generally: simple, bold, powerful.