Oktoberfest Costume Tips

What is Oktoberfest?

Everybody knows that Oktoberfest is a festival where, if you like, you can dress up in Lederhosen and Dirndls, drink a truck load of beer, eat, dance and literally party til you pass out. But did you know that the Oktoberfest dates back to the wedding of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese on 12th of October 1810, so it’s was originally a wedding anniversary. Now who wouldn’t want to celebrate that! In 1872, the organizers moved the date to September because of the chilly German weather. So every year, the Oktoberfest starts on the 3rd Saturday of September so no-one freezes their exposed legs off and gets to enjoy the end of the warm weather. The festival ends on the first week of October and lasts 16 days, which is when it all begins for us here in Melbourne, if not before. So if you can’t afford a ticket to Munich, doesn’t matter, you certainly won’t miss out. Oktoberfest is all over Melbourne.

What To Wear To Oktoberfest

Generally people tend to wear traditional Bavarian dress. For women, the dress is called a Dirndl, which is a dress with a blouse underneath and for men, it is called Lederhosen, which is leather shorts with a shirt. You can opt for traditional costumes but they can certainly break the budget. Hiring a costume is a sustainable and cost effective way, or you can buy a fake one, but still look the part for around the same price.

Now if your personality pertains to being a little more over the top and you want to stand out from all the lederhosen and dirndl, wear a costume like a beer bottle, a hotdog, or jump on the back of a small Bavarian guy’s shoulders in a Carry Me costume. You could also wear a beer stein hat, or the good ole hands free beer drinking hats, god i remember those from the 80’s 😀

…Or Create Your Own Oktoberfest Costume

• Shorts
• Suspenders/Braces in various colours, either red, German striped or the traditional blue check.
• White knee high socks
• Tyrolean AKA Alpine Hat, usually green or grey with a small feather. *See models Chilli & Lacey below 😀
• Checkered or white shirt
• Boots or any old leather shoes

• Dirndl
• If you can’t get a Dirndl then a long skirt
• White long or short sleeved blouse with lace trim on the sleeves
• A wide belt or wide elastic belt to act like a corset, or a vest that laces up at the front
• A maid’s apron, usually a half apron. If you have one lurking around from the hen’s night you may have been to, or attach a ribbon to a white scarf to tie around your waist
• Long white socks, tights or thigh high stockings
• If you don’t have long hair then perhaps a blonde braided wig, or a wig you can braid yourself
• Mary Jane style shoes, ankle boots or high heels, if you can handle it all day.

And did you know… there is also a traditional “bow” trend which shows your relationship status by the way you tie your apron. If you tie your bow on the left side, it means that you are single. The right side is for ‘in a serious relationship’, in front means you are ‘virgin’ and in the back means you are ‘widowed’… Looks like i’ve been widowed for a long time now 😛

If you’re struggling to find an outfit for Oktoberfest or you just don’t have time to run around looking, check our range of costumes for hire and sale online or come and see us. Our sizes range from really small to a fuller figure, both male & female. Try on as many as you like, and if love one but it doesn’t quite fit right, don’t worry, our professional seamstress will alter it for you.

Once you’re all set to go, it’s time to get out there and have some fun. Happy Oktoberfest