From 19 September to 4 October, Munich hands itself over to beer tents, brass bands and a sea of Dirndl that can start to look remarkably similar by the third Maß (or the third day). A dress that is meant to fit everyone tends to end up looking like it belongs to no one in particular, and a Dirndl straight off the rack, paired with the same mass produced Blumenkranz as the next ten women in line, can tip a look from festive into Zirkuspferd territory faster than you’d think.
The fix isn’t more Tracht. It’s fewer, better choices: a Dirndl that is actually yours, a piece of Haarschmuck no one else at the table is wearing, an accessory with some history behind it, and a plan for the hours after the tents shut their doors.
Here is IRMASWORLD’s edit for the next two weeks.
THE DIRNDL, MADE PERSONAL
LODENFREY.
Head straight to the third floor, where LODENFREY’s Trachtenabteilung carries our own Jasmin Khezri Collection Dirndl, a small, exclusive capsule made for women who want the silhouette without the fancy dress feeling.
Maffeistraße 7, 80333 München
HAARSCHMUCK, NOT BLUMENKRANZ
WERKSTATT:MÜNCHEN.
For hair that says more than a flower crown ever could, this Munich jewelry atelier’s sculptural, handcrafted combs and pins read as art rather than accessory, and a single striking piece does the work an entire Blumenkranz usually tries to.
THE CASE FOR VINTAGE
Cat with a Hat.
This Glockenbachviertel institution deals in vintage jewelry, and one of a kind pieces from decades past, exactly the sort of find that makes a Dirndl look like it has a story instead of a price tag.
Baaderstraße 53, 80469 München
Alva Morgaine.
A self described vintage wunderkammer, Alva Morgaine curates authenticated pieces from the 1930s through the 1980s, including genuine vintage Tracht, hair combs and the kind of belts and bags no factory ever reproduces twice.
Hans-Sachs-Straße 9, 80469 München
FOR HIM & HER, A PROPER HAT
Ralf’s Fine Garments.
Founder Ralf Fischer curates menswear from small, considered labels, and his selection of hats turns a Lederhosen look from costume into something closer to tailoring.
Fraunhoferstraße 29, 80469 München
THE NIGHT CAP, WHEN THE TENTS CLOSE
A tour through Munich’s after Wiesn bars, from Bar Montez to the Muschelsaal.
Bar Montez.
Tucked inside Rosewood Munich and named for the 19th century performer Lola Montez, this is live jazz, serious cocktails and low light instead of brass bands, exactly the reset a night at the Wiesn calls for.
Kardinal-Faulhaber-Straße 1, 80333 München
Dorothy.
A day bar by afternoon and a candlelit spot for something stronger by evening, Dorothy runs on a “no reservations, just love” philosophy and sits a five minute walk from Marienplatz, worlds away from tent volume.
Petersplatz 10, 80331 München
Schumann’s Bar am Hofgarten.
Charles Schumann‘s bar by the Hofgarten has been Munich’s benchmark for classic cocktails since the 1980s, proof that the city’s real institutions were never inside a tent to begin with.
Odeonsplatz 6, 80539 München
Augustiner Stammhaus.
The Stammhaus itself is a proper Bavarian beer hall, but ask for a table in the Muschelsaal, its ornate, shell decorated back room, for a quieter and considerably prettier last stop of the evening.
Neuhauser Straße 27, 80331 München
AN ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRYSIDE
A Landpartie into the Mangfall mountains and out to the Starnberger See, far from the Wiesn queues.
Gasthaus zum Fischmeister.
Forty minutes south on the Starnberger See, this lakeside Gasthaus in Ambach serves fish straight from the lake on a terrace that makes a Wiesn morning after feel very far away indeed.
Seeuferstr. 31, 82541 Ambach
Schwarzentenn Alm.
Above Kreuth in the Mangfall mountains, this family run Bergwirtschaft rewards a proper hike with Brotzeit, sweeping views and absolutely none of the queues back in the city.
Königsalm.
Just up the valley from Schwarzentenn, Königsalm is the classic Berggasthof pairing, a hearty kitchen and a sun terrace that turn the whole excursion into a proper day out rather than a detour.
TEA TIME
Wintergarten at Rosewood Munich.
When even Munich needs a break from beer, the Wintergarten serves a properly composed Afternoon Tea, quite possibly the most elegant way to spend the quiet hours between lunch and the next Maß.
Kardinal-Faulhaber-Straße 1, 80333 München
Two weeks of Wiesn, made easier: fewer, better choices for the tents, and always somewhere quieter to land once they close.