The Dirndl skirt (a full skirt with a gathered waistband) has come a long way since its origins in traditional German costume. Lots of prominent designers have included Dirndl skirts in their collections recently.

The History of the Dirndl in Austria and Germany – Tracht History

The dirndl is a female dress copied from the Trachten, consisting of a top (Austrian: “Leibl”) and blouse, wide skirt and a colorful apron. Originally, the dirndl was the working dress of female servants (Austrian “dirn”: maid, maidservant); hence the term “dirndl” as an abbreviation of “Dirndlgewand” (maid’s dress). Around 1870/1880, after Kaiser Franz Joseph made it fashionable to wear Lederhosen and Tracht, the upper classes adopted the dirndl as a modern dress and wore it on their summer holidays. Today the wearing of the dirndl is generally regarded as a sign of national pride; in material, color and shape it is increasingly subject to modern influences.

The word dirndl also describes a young woman in many regional dialects of Austria. So a dirndl could be wearing a dirndl.

You can find two full instructions on how to make a dirndl skirt. Here and Here.