Dirndl#
Dirndl, female dress copied from the Trachten, consisting of a top (Austrian: "Leibl") and blouse, wide skirt and a colourful apron. Originally, the dirndl was the working dress of female servants (Austrian "dirn": maid, maidservant); hence the term "dirndl" as an abbreviation of "Dirndlgewand" (maid's dress). Around 1870/1880, the upper classes adopted it as a modern dress under that name and wore it on their summer holidays. Today the wearing of the dirndl is generally regarded as a sign of national pride; in material, colour and shape it is increasingly subject to modern influences.
Literature#
F. Lipp, Frauentrachten I und II, in: Oesterr. Volkskundeatlas, 4th instalment, 1971; F. Lipp et al. (eds.), Tracht in Oesterreich, 1984.