I’ve not done any research on that area. Perhaps try a general folk dress search and go from there. (Use DuckDuckGo as the search engine for more thorough results.) Sorry I don’t have any starting points for you. Best of luck!

Do you know where I can find information on the tracht from Eastern Prussia which is now part of Russia. This is the region my family come from but I can’t find any info on how the clothes were made. I’d love make one myself.

It´s nice seeing someone actally putting in some research (wich is to be ecpected from a website like this of course!)
And I really hope that you will make another Tracht form a diffenent Part of my country someday. Even though they have similatities, the all have a very unique look 🙂

Thank you for the comment! Yes, I try to be honorable to the dirndl and Tracht as I research this regional clothing. Indeed, modern dirndl fashion doesn’t cover other parts of Germany and is based directly from Bavarian styles… that, as you said, were what became the Oktoberfest fashion and highly marketed to tourists.

Thank you for the insight!

As always in history, the poorer rural population was several decades late with adopting the newest fashion trends and the more extreme trends weren’t adopted for reasons of practicality. Then sometime during the industrial revolution the rich urban population started romanticizing the simple farm life and rural people. Their oldfashioned clothing of that time (“Tracht” means literally “the clothing which is worn”) suddenly became A Thing Frozen in Time and in the following decades it developed in parralel to current fashion. Bodices were boned less strongly, the number of underskirts decreased and the pleats in petticoats got wider and reduced in number, but in the end, even a modern Dirndl is just a historical dress adapted to current fashion.

By the way, a similar developent can be seen in the Scottish Kilt. It started as just the thing people wore every day and was later romanticised and resurrected with adaptations to current fashion.

Hi Rita!
I HAVE used linen from Germany – from Laura und Ben – which was very nice quality. I’ve also used a basic linen/rayon blend from JoAnns that had a good hand (I purchased in store so was able to touch it). The linen from Fabrics-Store.com is good quality and I’d recommend, along with linen from Renaissance Fabrics. But I’m all for using local businesses if you’ve found some!

As for laces (and trims) – the variety is endless! Think of those one would use for Edwardian blouses. Net laces are beautiful as insertions. I used a 4″ wide cotton one (maybe from JoAnns or Beverly’s) for one of my blouses (inset around the sleeve). Embroidered and woven ribbons are wonderful for aprons. Farmhouse fabrics carries wonderful trims. Simply keep an eye out as so much that’s available can be used on dirndls. You can also browse my dirndl trim Pinterest board to give you ideas on what’s currently being used.
Prost!