Gay Lederhosen: Tips for Your Perfect Austrian Leather Outfit

Wearing a traditional folk costume is an essential part of daily life, defining one’s own identity in the mountains of the Alps. In the German-speaking South Austrian state of Carinthia alone, more than 80 different kinds of traditional garments are officially registered, one more beautiful than the other, for people of all genders, of course. Unsurprisingly, we as gay couple travel bloggers traveling to Austria wanted to know more about the tradition of wearing real Austrian Lederhosen as they are traditional national clothing coming originally from the farmers. And of course, we still needed the perfect outfits for our Almdudler Almrausch Party during the Pink Lake Festival in Pörtschach am Wörthersee.

Therefore, we got in contact with the “Heimatwerk Kärnten” under the direction of Reg.R. Dir. Ewald Opetnik. With its long-standing tradition in preserving the historical heritage of the folk costumes of the Carinthian mountains and valleys at the so-called “Trachtenarchiv” (archive for folk costumes), the Heimatwerk Kärnten is a family-owned outfitter for most of the local costume groups as well as for locals, visitors, and tourists, who like to wear real leather pants and/or traditional dresses from the Alps. After arriving at the store in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, we recognized for the first time, that there is much to learn about how to buy the right Lederhosen, which is meant to last a lifetime. Enjoy our photos, video, and tips on how to buy and wear your Lederhosen in the Austrian Alps during Pink Lake Festival and experience a day in a traditional garments shop in Carinthia through a couple of men‘s eyes.

“Gay Lederhosen”: How to buy & wear South Austrian Garments

The Heimatwerk Kärnten store is located right in the center of the Carinthian city of Klagenfurt, just on the eastern shore of Lake Wörthersee. Customers arriving with their own or a rental car can park in a private space behind the building. We entered the shop from the front, “Herrengasse,” marked with a huge red flag. The vaulted entrance was already spectacular and led us to the central part of the building, beautifully decorated with wooden boards bearing sayings, mannequins wearing beautiful dresses and blouses, and a glass roof. The men’s dressing room was upstairs. There we met Reg. R. Dir. Opetnik, the owner of the Heimatwerk Kärnten, who introduced us to the world of traditional garments, costumes, and dresses of Carinthia, Austria, and the Alps.

6 Tips for your Lederhosen (especially in Summertime)

The role of tradition in clothing was one of the most interesting parts of our conversation while trying on different models of Lederhosen. It was such fun to see how short legs are definitely not made for knickerbockers (pants legs over the knee), while wool knee socks should support slim calves. The fact that the Heimatwerk Kärnten also tries to reach out to the younger generation with “renewed” traditional garments was very charming, as we thought folk costumes, aka Tracht and Lederhosen, are only for very conservative local costume groups.

And their stringent rules of how and when to wear them. But if you are not a member of a group for the cultivation of customs and traditions, it is all about new trends, your style, and your taste. After quite some time, we found our favorites: brown knickerbocker lederhosen for Daan and a short dark one for Karl. Ready to rock the Pink Lake Festival 2017, Reg. R. Dir. Opetnik had some special tips for us on how we should wear our lederhosen, especially in the hot summer in the Southern Alps. Check them out!

Tip 1: Pull your socks down and show some leg!

Socks are a necessary accessory, but they can be hot, especially in summer. So don’t hesitate and pull them all the way down. Men in socks are even more handsome when wearing traditional shoes called “Haferlshoes” or some matching leather or hiking shoes. After all, in conventional costume groups, knee socks have to be pulled up over the knee with the lederhosen pant legs.

Tip 2: Show some hair and open up your traditional shirt!

While you have to tuck your shirt in at the office, you can be more relaxed with your traditional shirts. Open up the highest buttons and show some hair. And roll up the sleeves of your shirt, ideally over the elbows. You can also wear a more modern shirt or a polo shirt with traditional floral patterns, as we did together with the owner of the Heimatwerk Kärnten (see photo below). The people in Austria call it simply “fesch”!

Tip 3: Unlace your Knickerbocker Lederhosen!

If you went for a Knickerbocker Lederhosen with two laces at the end of your pant legs, leave them unlaced. Especially with a dance night ahead, you will see how nice it is to get some fresh air in your pants. By the way, wearing Lederhosen is like wearing a second skin. The leather will take on the temperature of your skin, and you will sometimes even forget you are wearing leather pants.

Tip 4: Pull the front of your hat down!

We had no idea what was essential to know about wearing a hat, even though we love wearing our caps. A hat should sit comfortably on your head when you pull down the front and up the back. When buying a new traditional hat, you should know your hat size. Especially if you are looking for a specific type, it is advisable to call ahead and request your size.

Tip 5: Buy your Lederhosen tight and not comfortable!

Yes, a Lederhosen has to be tight, very tight. A good way of testing the right size is to sit down with the pants closed. If it is working, even with a bit of pressure around your waist, it is the appropriate size. Please keep in mind that the leather will widen by up to 2 centimeters around your waist and up to 3 centimeters around your upper legs, depending on the leather type, quality, and thickness of your Lederhosen of choice, of course.

Special Tip: Wear your braces upside down!

The best way to explain how to be super special cool is to watch our video above this text. In the video, Daan shows you how to undo the buttons on your braces in the front, turn them over your head and back, and pull them through your legs, then fix them again in the front. This tip comes from Reg. R. Dir. Opetnik himself, with a wink, said, “… this tip is only for a time after midnight…”. And now it is time to enjoy your gay lederhosen and be proud to continue a part of the Austrian tradition.

When to wear your Lederhosen?

Choice made! We found our Lederhosen. But when can we wear them? Are there any guidelines, no-go zones, or prohibitions on when to wear traditional garments and lederhosen? Well, lederhosen and all the other conventional clothes are made to be worn all year round to every occasion you can think of. Even for a wedding, everyday work, hiking, shopping, or even a funeral, you have to dress in Lederhosen. During our trip to the South of Austria, we wore them for a party night at Pink Lake Festival, a hiking trip into the Carinthian mountains, and during the day in Velden am Wörthersee. We sometimes even forget that we were in traditional costumes since our lederhosen were so comfortable. We are excited to travel back into the mountains to wear our gay lederhosen again… We found our new favorite outfits!

Interesting posts for your Gay Trip to Austria:

• Attend the LGBTQ+ Festival Pink Lake Wörthersee >
• Stay at the gay-friendly ROCKET ROOMS Hotel in Velden >
• Activities in & around Carinthis with view over the Austrian Alps >
• Get a feeling of the gay-friendly side of Carinthia in Southern Austria >
• Read all about Austrian Alps: Gay Travel Guide Austria >
• Our City Trip to Austria’s Capital: Vienna Gay City Weekend >
• Music Trip to Northern Austria: Sound of Music & Mozart in Salzburg >

Historical Background Heimatwerk Kärnten:

The Kärtner Heimatwerk was founded in 1953. It was assigned to preserve the tradition of folk costumes and garments in the South Austrian state of Carinthia. As part of the Carinthian government, most of today’s local costume groups in the valleys of Carinthia were founded and outfitted by the Kärntner Heimatwerk. The archive of all Carinthian traditional costumes is part of the Heimatwerk, too. In 2006, the economic part was signed over to Reg. R. Dir. Ewald Opetnik. Since summer 2016, the Heimatwerk Kärnten has been officially owned by the Opetnik family. Lucky us, we had the chance to get first-hand purchase advice from Reg. R. Dir. Opetnik himself, including all the tips we are sharing with you in our blog article.

Gay Lederhosen Tips for Traditional Austrian Garments

Lederhosen made in Austria are built to last a lifetime. They are easy to clean, long-lasting, and sturdy. You definitely get what you pay for, but unfortunately, that is not an insignificant amount either. Our two outfits, consisting of 2 hats, 1 Lederhosen without braces in dark leather with green embroidery, 1 brown Lederhosen with braces, and 1 green check shirt for Karl, total €672. And this was not even an expensive pair of Lederhosen since they can go up to more than €2,000 apiece.

But knowing we will have them for a long time, the material and manpower are, where and when possible, made in Europe. Locals are sitting and sewing in the in-house stitching rooms of the Heimatwerk. This gives us the feeling that we did the right thing to finally get your personal gay Austrian Lederhosen during our trip to Carinthia. For more photos, stories, and real-time updates, stay up to date on Facebook, Threads, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. See you in Austria and around the world!

Thank you to Tourism Carinthia and Heimatwerk Kärnten for making this article possible. Nevertheless, our writings, photos, and opinions are our own, as always.

Karl & Daan.