Three Wise Men – Three New Lederhosen

The new year is here, and so are some new lederhosen for 2016. And since today is the traditional day for Bavarians to get their Christmas presents (or, nowadays, open another round of gifts…), we thought it’d be a good moment to list the new pieces the boys in our team want to get their hands on.

We’ve decided to limit ourselves to three wishes – both because space in our wardrobes is at a higher premium than ever, and because today is Dreikönigstag, or “Three Kings Day”. In English, the 6th January is generally referred to as Epiphany, but it does actually mark the day the Three Wise Men are said to have reached Bethlehem.

So in this continued Christmas spirit, we’d like to ask the first of the Magi, Caspar to bring us Mike, a pair of short leather breeches in an understated shade called “old grey”. Other details are equally subtle: the vine patterns and other forms of ornamental stitching, for example, and the beige piping; the knife-pocket, too, in its traditional crest-shape, is one of the many things about this pair of lederhosen that makes us want them. It’s, quite simply, a classic example of short-length, goat’s skin lederhosen for everyday use which, thanks to its neutral colour, can be combined with pretty much every shirt and pair of socks in our considerable armoury. Could be combined, could!

As for old Melchior, we’d like him to pay us a visit bearing genuine deerskin lederhosen. I mean, they cost about a month’s rent, but if anyone can afford them, it’s a rich Kings of Orient who would otherwise spunk all their cash on gold, frankincense, and myrrh (I mean, seriously, something that can’t even be pronounced?). The new 2016 pair we’re after are currently referred to by manufacturer Stockerpoint somewhat cryptically as “H1010” (still easier to say than “myrrh”, though) and their colour is “stoaoid”, which is not a form of anabolic steroid, but the Bavarian dialect word for “old as the hills” – literally “stone old”. You really can’t get more authentic than that.

You’d think that would be a hard act to follow, but we think that Balthasar – or “Balti” as we like to call him – can manage it if brings us another pair of deerskin lederhosen. The other ones that have taken our fancy are knee-length, classic Oktoberfest leather breeches, also currently without a real name (“H4040”). I mean, these really are the real deal: decorative vines stitched across the front, a reinforced band around the seam, and a deep, rich brown colour. If only we could get our hands on this exclusive pair, we’d never need any more ever again. Honest…