As of: February 8, 2024, 5:30 a.m
By: Carina Ottillinger
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For the 40th anniversary of Gleisenia in the 2007/2008 season, Melanie Baumgartner furnished the children's prince couple Magdalena I. and Domenik I.
It was one of her first major orders for the carnival company.
© Robert Brouczek
Melanie Baumgartner has been tailoring costumes for the Gleisenia carnival company in Unterhaching for 27 years.
Unterhaching
– In the sewing studio on Leopoldstrasse in Munich, Melanie Baumgartner irons a name label into a black winter jacket.
No dancer should freeze at the carnival hustle and bustle on Sunday in Unterhaching.
It already has “Gleisi”, the fool’s head of Gleisenia Unterhaching, printed on the front.
The club name is at the back.
“Now it’s your turn,” says Baumgartner, handing club president Patrick Weitzel the iron.
He laughs and starts.
This is what teamwork looks like.
She wasn't always a carnival fool
Melanie Baumgartner is the unofficial court tailor of the Gleisenia carnival society.
She has been on the board for years.
The 55-year-old tailors costumes, does make-up and organizes children's balls.
The trained tailor was not always a carnival fan.
But when she visited a crook's ball at Nockherberg in 1996 as a friend, she was amazed at the costumes of the Gleisenia fools.
The woman from Schwabing approached Honorary President Helmut Brandl, handed him her business card and said: “If you ever need clever costumes, give me a call.” Six months later, she made her own princess dress.
President Patrick Weitzel helps out with the final spurt in Melanie Baumgartner's studio.
© Robert Brouczek
Criterion: It has to fit your personality
In Baumgartner's studio, the fifth season begins in October.
When most Munich residents lift a beer mug on the Theresienwiese.
The 55-year-old can let off steam with carnival costumes.
“Everything is allowed,” says the seamstress, who also wears a pink tulle skirt and purple pumps on an ordinary Monday.
Besides turquoise, this is her favorite color.
Glitter, colors, feathers and volume.
There is only one criterion: “It has to fit your personality.” When Princess Lisa I decided on the seasonal color pink, she immediately had a design in mind.
The royal couple can choose
In the fall, Baumgartner showed the future royal couple a huge fabric album.
Lisa I. chose the pink 3-tone taffeta.
“Three silks are woven into the fabric,” explains Baumgartner.
“The color changes depending on the light.” It has become a pompous dress.
Eight tires sit under the pink skirt.
The top is covered with pink lace.
Sleeves and waist are decorated with rhinestones.
The bow tie, pockets and collar are the pink splashes of color on Prince Alexander's suit.
“I sewed a dancer’s sleeve into the Stresemann jacket,” says Baumgartner.
Otherwise the material would rise to the shoulders during the dance.
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A thread can break during dance.
Baumgartner quickly sews the sleeve back on.
© Robert Brouczek
At that time, Baumgartner was not allowed to choose the seasonal color himself.
“Otherwise I would definitely have chosen pink,” she says and laughs.
Instead, Melanie I, “the needled one,” and her current husband Florian I wore a royal blue ball gown with gold ornaments.
Today it's different: the pink color gave rise to the motto: Rock'n'Roll.
All dancers and the little prince couple have to adhere to this.
Baumgartner has woven rock elements into all of the guards' costumes.
The Blacksecrets wear studs and leather.
The Hachinger Flöhe have pink and black bodies and the Nightflyers stand out with silver skirts.
25,000 rhinestones are processed
As soon as Baumgartner has sewn a prototype, seamstress friends and Gleisenia helpers spread out across the three floors of the studio.
The helpers grab a sewing machine, fabric scissors and glitter glue.
The stones that can be found everywhere are particularly time-consuming.
“With the guards’ clothes, accessories and medal cushions, we have 25,000 rhinestones.”
The dress is worth around 4,000 euros
She cannot say exactly how many hours the seamstress spent working on Princess Lisa's dress.
“But the evening before the premiere we attached flowers to the top by 12 p.m..” Baumgartner estimates the value of the dress at 4,000 euros.
She won't say how much it actually cost.
The prince couples have to pay for their costumes themselves.
The club takes over the guard clothes.
Gleisenia paid around 6,500 euros for the 49 active members.
President Weitzel knows that even that is not enough.
“Without Melanie’s commitment, we wouldn’t be able to afford our own costume tailor,” he says.
The word sustainability is also mentioned.
Every year Baumgarnter rummages through the treasure trove in the Hachinga Hall for old costumes.
Once the red fringes are off, the pants from last year can be repurposed.
In addition to Gleisenia, Baumgartner tailors for other carnival companies.
This year she equipped the Moosacher prince couple and a large part of the guards.
Baumgartner had to alter a purchased top at the last minute.
“It cost almost as much as if I had designed and sewed it myself.” It is the last of its kind in the Munich district.