Lederhosen ("leather trousers" in German; singular: "Lederhose") are knee-breeches (knickerbockers or shorts) made of leather. Lederhosen is a frequently misspelled and mispronounced word in the English language as "leiderhosen" or "liederhosen."

They are made, in order of quality, from elk, goat, calf, or pig hide. Usually, they are handsomely and elaborately braided or embroidered with monograms, designs, edelweiss, hunting or peasant motifs. The buttons are generally made of rough-hewn elkhorn. They are also usually accompanied by leather suspenders (British, braces).

Traditionally, lederhosen were worn by Germanic men of the Alpine and surrounding regions, including Austria, the highlands and mountains of Southern Germany, the German-speaking part of Italy known as South Tyrol, which was formerly a part of Austria until after the Great War, and Switzerland. La Couturière Parisienne, however, claims that lederhosen were not originally only a Bavarian garment, but that they had been worn all over Europe, especially by riders, hunters and others—and not only by the peasant folk. Only the flap (drop front style) may actually be a unique Bavarian invention. It became so popular in the 18th Century, that it was known in France as "à la bavaroise," or in the Bavarian style.

Lederhosen have remained regionally popular and are commonly associated with virility and brawn. Some men still enjoy wearing them when hiking, working outdoors, or attending folk festivals and Beer Gardens; they are rarely seen elsewhere. Nevertheless, they have remained a symbol of regional pride. Their role in Bavaria is thus comparable to that of the kilt in Scotland.

• The Turkish oil wrestlers wear a kind of lederhosen called kisbet, which are also beautifully embroidered and remarkably like the Alpine lederhosen, but without the suspenders; these are covered in olive oil just as the wrestlers, so as to make the grip of the adversary slippery, but wide enough -in order not to hinder movement- for his oiled hand to reach for a slightly firmer grip inside.

See also

• Clothing
• National costume
• Tracht
• Austrian folk dancing

External resource

• The Virtual Lederhosenmuseum

German clothing | Austrian culture | Bavaria | German culture | German loanwords

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