What a summer it's been in Bavaria! First, the sun-shy EU bureaucrats wanted to ban plunging necklines from beer gardens and deprive Bavarian waitresses of their natural joie de vivre. Luckily, the European parliament voted against the sun-protection bill, and just as the Bavarians wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, another calamity struck the proud state.

Two fashion designers decided to challenge the role of the lederhosen -- traditional German leather pants -- as the male fashion accessory a la mode at the Munich Oktoberfest. They invented a skirt for beer-drinking guys.

What is this world coming to?

Munich designers Doreen Anders and Robert Landinger, both in their mid-thirties, are promoting skirts for male drinkers as a more comfortable alternative to the tight leather pants.

"With all that beer flowing at the fest you need to make sure your belly is free to take it in," Landinger said.

The duo has been designing skirts for men for four years. In 2003, their creations were featured in the exhibition "Bravehearts - Men in Skirts" at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. And even though taking over the Munich Oktoberfest may prove to be more difficult than wiggling your way on the New York scene, the designers seem confident enough.

"I think they're going to go down well," Landinger said.

"We've already had a few dozen orders and once everyone realizes how comfortable they are, I think they'll really catch on," he said.