Leather Shorts

Oktoberfest is in full swing replete with steins full of some of the finest beers, oom-pah music, and lederhosen.  For the uninformed, lederhosen are the coolest things ever.

I actually spent time in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and recall those times with a smile. 

Canadians should know that The Alps actually wind their way through several countries including the ones mentioned above.

Because of the rugged territory, equally rugged clothing was needed to survive the harsh conditions and tough work.

Americans believe they own the market on creativeness and like to think the greatest inventions emerge from the United States.

An immigrant from Bavaria, Levi Strauss, became immersed in the Gold Rush in California.  He quickly realized the trousers miners were wearing lacked durability.  He was not a good miner but, he was a great tailor hence, he invented a cloth named denim and sewed them into dungarees, aka. Blue Jeans.

Before this genius move, Herr Strauss invented lederhosen.  Lumberjacks, mountain climbers, farmers, and hunters, all use them for their durability.

Made of leather, these britches come in two lengths – above the knee, and just below the knee – and are supported by suspenders.

The originals were buttoned, but now they are zippered with the benefit of two zippers, each offset from the middle for more flexibility by creating a flap rather than a hole.

Clearly kin to the early jeans days, lederhosen were culturally pigeonholing. Men who worked hard and with their hands were considered peasants, so wearing these utilitarian clothes indicated the wearers were uncultured.

Still, they remained popular by Bavarians and are still worn as a badge of distinction much like South American garb, kente cloth outfits, and Scottish kilts, are today.

Especially during Oktoberfest these tough versions of short pants can be espied in most beer halls across Europe.  They are worn with checked shirts and thigh-high socks with climbing boots.

Sure, many readers will chuckle about this essay of praise to robust work shorts that use suspenders to keep them up while gardening and such.  Yet, they see nothing amusing about guys parading around with dungarees, chaps, bolo ties, and scarves wearing cowboy hats.

The pride and function behind all these outfits seem reasonable when you understand the history of their origin.

I rue the fact I never bought a pair when I was trekking across the Alpen-land.

It should be noted that my sainted wife HATES these products of genius, and promises to leave me if I get a pair.

Now I’m about to scour ebay for some to call her bluff.  Aufwiedersehen!