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Lederhosen were commonly worn with both knee socks and to a lesser extent long stockings. There were also Loferl. The photographic record suggest that Loferl were much less common than the other hosiery choices. This was especially true for boys. This is the case even if you just look at boys wearing Lederhosen being worn as a folk costuming. We are not sure how to translate this. We have seen 'split socks' being used, but do think that this is a very good translation. It implies that the Loferl were sold together with a bottom part and we have no information suggesting that was the case. We think that before World War II, Loferl were often knitted at home. This was true of hosiery in Germany, but especially true of Loferl as they were much easier to knit than hosiery in general because it had to conform with the irregular form of the foot. Loferl are a calf band. The foot part part is often not seen and some photographs suggest that the shoes were worn without any foot part. Loferls were particularly common in areas of Upper-Bavaria when wearing short pants Lederhosen (kurze Lederhosen). The knicker-length Lederhosen were always worn with knee socks. The shorts style was worn with both knee socks and tom a much lesser extent the cloth band. During the summer boys might also wear them with ankle socks. We first note them in 19th century Bavaria. We have no idea how common they were how they developed. We suspect that they were for boys going barefoot when wearing Lederhosen. A reader writes, "It seems to me that the Loferls began as garments to warm the legs but then they became characteristic garments of folk costumes." The images we have found, however, are mostly adults in folk costumes. We do not have much in the way of 19th century photographic evidence, but we have found some art work. A good example is a Paul Hermannn Wagner painting. We do not know when Wagner painted the work, but believe it could have been painted any time 1880-1930. We do have some 20th century photographs. And all of them show loferl being worn as part of a folk costume, much more commonly by adults than boys. The earliest photographs we have found comes the early-20 century. The studio portrait here is a good example (figure 1). Loafer appear to be strictly a male item worn with Lederhosen. This includes girls wearing Dirndls. We have not noted girls or adult women wearing Loferl.
Lederhosen were commonly worn with both knee socks and to a lesser extent long stockings. There were also Loferl. The other option was going barefoot. We are not sure about the 19th century, but this was not veru common in the 20th century except in rural areas.
We have no idea how common they were how they developed. We suspect that they were for boys going barefoot when wearing Lederhosen. One legend perhaps aporapha, suggests priests in an unknown Bavarian village insisted that the faifthful cover their knees to attend religious services. Women already did this, but then often did not. To ease compliance, men came up with a solution. they cut the top of their knee-length socks to create what we now see--Loferl.
A reader writes, "It seems to me that the Loferls began as garments to warm the legs but then they became characteristic garments of folk costumes." Obe fashion author writes, "Born out of the necessity for warmth and durability, these socks quickly became a staple for locals facing harsh winters and challenging terrain. The combination of functionality and protection offered by Loferl socks made them ideal for the demanding Alpine environment." 【Floerchinger】
We suspect that they were durable because the part of hiery that wears out the fastest is the foot part. this aia little different for long stockings which the knee part often wears out first, especially for children.
The photographic record suggest that Loferl were much less common than the other hosiery choices. This was almostvexclusively a boy's item. And is the case even if you just look at boys wearing Lederhosen being worn as a folk costuming. We first note Loferl in 19th century Bavaria. We do not have much in the way of 19th century photographic evidence, but we have found some art work. A good example is a Paul Hermannn Wagner painting. We do not know when Wagner painted the work, but believe it could have been painted any time 1880-1930. We do have some 20th century photographs. And all of them show Loferl being worn as part of a folk costume, much more commonly by adults than boys. The earliest photographs we have found comes the early-20 century. The studio portrait here is a good example (figure 1). We have a very extensive archive of German 20th century studio portraits and snapshots, but rearely do Loferl show uo, exceot when boys re dressed up in Tracht outfits for sppecial occasions. We noyice a boy with his father in the early-50s, both wear similar Tracht outfits with Loferl, except the boy is barefoot. They may be a farm family or perhaps it is an early phase of the post-War German Economic Miracle. This is the last time we see a German boy barefoot with Loferl. Although in recent years the Barefoot Movement has taken on some interest in Germany.
We are not sure how to translate Loferl. We have seen 'split socks' being used, but do think that this is a very good translation. It implies that the Loferl were sold together with a bottom part and we have no information suggesting that was the case.
We think that before World War II, Loferl were often knitted at home. This was true of hosiery in Germany, but especially true of Loferl as they were much easier to knit than hosiery in general because it had to conform with the irregular form of the foot. The highly varied patterns of Loferl in part reflrcts the home knitting involved. We do see Loferl being sold in Germany tosay as a set, bith the calf part and the foot part.
Loferls were particularly common in areas of Upper-Bavaria when wearing short pants Lederhosen (kurze Lederhosen). We begin to see German boys outside of Bavaria wearing Lederhosenn after World War I. The Loferl as far as we can tell, however, have remain almost exclusively a Bavarian matter.
The knicker-length Lederhosen were always worn with knee socks. The shorts style was worn with both knee socks and to a much lesser extent long stockings and Loferl.
During the summer boys might also wear them with ankle socks or go barefoot. Loferl were, however, not a very seasonal item as they to a large extent seen as part of a folk costume.
We are not sure about the original usage of Loferl. They seem a rather impractical item, but a way of keeping the legs warm and not have torry aboutvthe foot part wearing out does seem like a practical idea. The only use we now see for Loferl is to complete a Bavarian folk costume. We see a shift from the practical ofrigins as Loferl evolved into a recognizablec symbol of Bavarian traditiond. The Loferl completed the iconic Tracht attire during festivall;s, especially Munich's Oktoberfest.
The images we have found of Loferl are mostly adults in folk costumes. We see far fewer boys wearing them.
Loafer appear to be strictly a male item worn with Lederhosen. This includes girls wearing Dirndls. We have not noted girls or adult women wearing Loferl.
Floerchinger, Bobbie. "The fascinating tale of Loferl German socks: Tradition and folklore" (June 20, 2023).
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