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Of course, if you look closely, there is no such thing as Bavarian costume. Traditional costumes have a habit of changing from region to region, if not from village to village, and it's no different with Bavaria: In her diverse landscapes, different lifestyles evolved and thus, different clothing.
Another dimension that is often ignored is time: Even rural, traditional clothing changed by incorporating elements of high fashion. More of that on a different page...
There are many organisations, even as far away as the US, that are dedicated to the re-creation of Bavarian folk costume, but alas, a great deal of them pays no attention to historical or regional correctness. Instead, they try to re-invent Tracht as something independent of any certain era, and use it as a uniform - which it never was - even prescribing the colour and length of the skirt etc.
It is probably on account of Miesbach being the centre of a re-creation movement
that started in the late19th/early 20th century that the costume of that particular
region (left pic) is today the best-known and considered typical. It is one
of the most elegant and attractive 
costumes, but it is also very particular
to the peasants of a mountainous region during a certain era that even exhibits
influence from the capital, Munich. I cannot describe all the costumes of Bavaria
here, of course, and I do have my preferences: Munich. A Munich lady's costume.
(right pic)
The G'wand (Bavarian for costume) of Munich is quite similar to that of Miesbach as far as the overall makeup of the skirt and bodice and the way they're worn are concerned. The major difference is that whereas the culture of Miesbach was formed by peasants, the culture of Munich, a big city even in the early 19th century, was a citizens' culture. The fabrics are generally richer, the range of colours and patterns wider, and the influence of fashion greater. The waitress on the right here shows clear influence of the fashions of the time (early 1800s). The elegant bodice with its decorative coin-hung chain was considered everyday dress in Munich, but strictly Sunday gear (Sonntagsstaat) in Miesbach: the waitress wears it to work, but the Miesbach woman carries a bible or songbook on her way to church. Instead of the black, flat and stiff wool felt hat a small bonnet embroidered with black rocailles or gold or silver thread sat at the back of the head.
A Graphic Dictionary of Tracht items
Detailed Description of a Bodice
Headdress: Miesbacher & Riegelhaube
Portrait of Helene Sedlmayer, a Munich shoemaker's
daughter, mid-19th c. The costume was a present from the King who commissioned
her portrait, which is why it looks unusually rich for ther station.
Girls in the beer garden, Munich 19th century
Scene from a poacher's life, 19th century painting
(alpine farmers' clothing)
Sacrificial Wax Effigy, Kaufbeuren 1776
Munich Tracht, 1920s
Oberländer Tracht, Bad Reichenhall 1910s detail:
bodice, Kropfkette
Family (probably tourists) dressed up in Oberländer
Tracht, c.1900
Family, Tölz area, c. 1865. The mother wears a Spenzer
(short jacket), the daughter a Mieder.
Berchtesgaden area, c. 1910. Notice the no-nonsense
boots.
Traunstein area, c. 1865
While hunting for Rococo ornaments in the churches of Munich, I ran into the members of a rather unusual Trachtenverein, the Lechler. Different from most, they don't put uniformity forward and don't care for non-local Tracht, but re-create the Munich Tracht of a certain era, the Biedermeier (c. 1820-40). Here are some pictures they graciously allowed me to take.
Commercially made, re-created bodice
Selfmade re-created bodice, very authentic
Old, gold-embroidered bodice being restored. A beauty!
Period Riegelhaube
Old, restored bodice
Re-created male and female Munich Tracht
Munich Waitress
and citizen family (that's the complete version of the right image. Note
the woman to the right: Empire fashion, but traditional Riegelhaube.)
Miesbach women
(orig. of left picture)
Miesbach men
Bridesmaids
from Starnberg - as all above from the "Braun & Schneider website"
note: the women costume images above have been selected for similarity
with the Munich Tracht
Online Lederhosenmuseum
(leather trousers museum)
Gauverband Nordamerika
(North American heritage organisation, not authentic)
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