Dirndl Delights

Since 1999, Munich-based Lola Paltinger has merged traditional German costume with glamour, couture, and exquisite detailing into unique prêt-à-porter dirndls. Her spectacular designs have not only won many a German and an Oktoberfest heart, but also taken off in Hollywood, worn by Salma Hayek, Kim Kardashian, and Katy Perry, among others.

With their sumptuous textures, intricate details, and whimsical take on traditional dress, the dirndls revel in exactly the kind of playful romanticism, freshness, and joie de vivre that animates Ellen von Unwerth’s Bavarian fantasyland in Heimat.

The book features some of Paltinger’s designs, bedecking models in settings as varied as a beer tent and a sun-kissed lakeside. For Paltinger, it was a joyful meeting of creative minds: “Ellen von Unwerth always is and was one of my favorite photographers,” she comments “She really has her own style. I love her aesthetic and her compositions. It was a really great honor for me, that my dirndls are part of this amazing book. The dresses were so beautifully staged.”