apron

Sartorial Saturday–A Touch of Magic

Did you ever think the word “luxurious” could be applied to a dirndl?

To be honest, it’s not a word I would have associated with my favorite form of national dress, either, but here we are. When Rare Dirndl offered a 50% off sale last month, I knew that it was (possibly my only) chance to add another piece from the “Zirkus” collection to my wardrobe…this time, the Magician dirndl. I had been admiring it since it first came out, and at half off, how could I resist?!?

I accessorized with an edelweiss necklace and bracelet, and a comb from Vixen by Micheline Pitt that is the perfect elegant hair accessory for this look:

I love the deep color of the dress and apron:

The fabric of the dress is so pretty, and catches the light so well!

Here’s a close-up look at the luxury. The beautiful jacquard dress, the sumptuous velvet apron, and the hooks, ribbon trim, and even bodice lining all scream opulence:

I love how it looks with my black lace dirndl blouse, but I’m already thinking about other ways to style it, too!

I can’t wait to see what Rare Dirndl comes up with next!

Sartorial Saturday–Inspired by Cinderella

Last year (how weird is that?!?), I shared a costume-y dirndl look for Halloween, using my purple dirndl as the base for an “Evil Queen”-inspired outfit…now here’s a look at a dirndl “Disney Bound” that I would (and have) actually wear out and about on a normal day: Cinderella style!

I used my periwinkle Everyday Dirndl as the base for my look, and added the silver apron from my harlequin dirndl to capture the Cinderella vibe:

For accessories, I wore an edelweiss wrap bracelet as a choker, and added a blue ribbon with a sparkly hair clip to my hair, and sparkly silver (but not glass!) shoes. For a little extra bling, I also added my charivari chain.

Just for fun, I also created a “before transformation” look for Cinderella using a dirndl, too…I’d wear this one just about anywhere as well! The apron is the same, but I wore it with my herbology dirndl, a less fancy blouse, and added a bandana to my hair:

It’s really fun to combine my love of Disney with my love of my heritage!

Sartorial Saturday–The Top Five Dirndl Looks of 2023

I know I said yesterday that I was sharing my last “Top Five” photos list of the year, but those were photos I took…today I’m sharing my favorite dirndl looks that I wore this year, which are photos take of me, not by me!

I’m starting back in May, when we went to Maifest at Grant’s Farm. I really love the pops of pink of the apron and ribbon against the darker background of the dress, and I also really love the setting of the picture!

My second Everyday Dirndl was purchased specifically with paying homage to the Austrian flag in mind, and the full look is even better than I hoped. I love the white “Surprise Me” apron Erika created for me, and I think my accessories, which featured lots of edelweiss and pops of white and red, are the perfect accompaniment!

Next up is the look I wore to Belleville Oktoberfest. I borrowed an apron from another dirndl to go with my purple dress, and added my iridescent Docs and some purple accessories to complete the look.

Speaking of borrowing an apron, this is the dress that goes with the apron in the previous photo. This time, I added a fancy, sheer floral apron to my harlequin print dirndl for St. Charles Oktoberfest…I love the autumnal color scheme!

And finally, a look featuring my new Christmas apron. Not the look I wore on Christmas Day (which I also love), but the one I wore to the Belleville Christkindlmarkt, adding a green ribbon and red accessories for a festive look.

I really love finding new ways to mix and match my pieces, and I can’t wait to see what I come up with next!

Sartorial Saturday…On a Monday–Festive Fashion 2023

Here’s a look back at my “Festive Fashions” this Christmas…I got really lucky this year, because Christmas Eve and Advent IV fell on the same date, so I got to wear two different outfits to two different church services. For the morning service, I wore my Tassie-Aurea dress from Miss Candyfloss. I accessorized with a sparkly hair comb from Vixen by Micheline Pitt, my most sparkly Christmas brooch, and a pair of Splendette Duchess bangles. I wanted to wear my cape with this dress, but it was just too warm!

For the evening service, I wore a very old dress from Igigi that used to be my every-Christmas-Eve look. I haven’t worn it since before the pandemic, but I decided that since I got to go retro in the morning, evening was a good time to just go glam. I accessorized with the same brooch and hair comb, and switched out my Splendette stack.

After we got home, I changed into my dark green Miss Candyfloss Chantilly-Pine dressing gown, as is my Christmas Eve custom. I kept the brooch and hair comb, and switched out my Splendette stack again, and added my newest Splendette beads.

This morning, I wore my red Everyday Dirndl from Rare Dirndl with my new Christmas apron. I mixed up the accessories, wearing an Edelweiss wrap bracelet-as-choker, and a Splendette stack and earrings, plus a wintry floral crown:

I really love coming up with festive looks, and this year was especially fun!

Sartorial Saturday–Joy to the World

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…the time when I add a new Christmas apron to my dirndl closet!

I’ve really come to look forward to Rare Dirndl’s new Christmas apron every year. This year was extra special, though, because they tried something different. Instead of offering just one print, they let you choose between a “kitschy” or “classic” print, and then sent you a mystery apron to fit the theme. For the members of their Facebook group, they also offered a live event where they previewed the available fabrics, and allowed group members to request specific prints before the sale was made public. I went into the sale knowing I wanted something primarily green, and I was thrilled to find this gorgeous print with phrases from familiar Christmas carols printed on it!

I added a green ribbon to my “Die Heimat” dirndl to go with the color of the apron…I really love the way it pops against the grey!

I chose red accessories, including a necklace and bracelet from Rare Dirndl, plus a fun pair of Christmas ornament earrings I found at Target:

It’s a lot of fun to wear a dirndl to the local Christkindlmarkt!

I’ll be wearing the apron again for Christmas, but in a completely different way…stay tuned!

Sartorial Saturday–Inspired by Austria

I have shared quite a few looks featuring dirndls, aprons, and blouses (not to mention accessories!) from Rare Dirndl, but my new red Everyday Dirndl is extra special, because my inspiration for styling it came from the red and white Austrian flag, the flag of my grandfather’s birth country!

My accessories are also inspired by Austria, with a red flower crown, a pair of Rare Dirndl necklaces (one an edelweiss, and one inspired by the Austrian flag itself!), an edelweiss clip in place of a brooch, and a red edelweiss wrap bracelet. I’m also wearing edelweiss earrings, but you can’t really see them.

The Everyday Dirndl comes with an apron in the same color and fabric as the dress, but you have an option of adding a “Surprise Me” apron to your order, and Erika will choose something from her stock that she thinks will look great with your dirndl. This was my first experience with this apron, and I asked her if she’d be willing to find me something special in white to complete my Austrian flag-inspired look, and she obliged. I couldn’t have designed something more perfect myself!

The “Surprise Me” apron is so lovely…it has gorgeous flowers embroidered on it, lots of sparkle, and a tie that is red on one side and white on the other.

I feel like I could go frolicking in the Alps in this outfit!

I added a new white lace dirndl blouse to my wardrobe, as well. It has an absolutely gorgeous neckline!

This whole look is everything I dreamed it would be, and I like to thank my grandfather would be happy to see me in it!

I continue to be impressed with the quality of Rare Dirndl’s products, their fabulous customer service, and the way they help me honor my heritage in a fresh, modern, unique way!

Sartorial Saturday–A Simple Closet Hack

It’s not often that I have a closet hack to share that makes storage easier/more efficient, but today I’m taking a look at how I store my dirndl aprons:

If you’re thinking to yourself, “That looks like an over-the-door shoe organizer” you’re right! I have actually used this particular trick to store my collection of cropped cardigans for years, but recently, I thought about trying it out with my aprons, too…I had been hanging them over my dirndls, and the ties were trailing everywhere, plus it was hard to see what I had, because they were layered on top of each other. I used one of the larger pocket shoe organizers, because I didn’t want to roll the aprons so tightly that I’d have to worry about ironing them, and it worked out great…no more tripping over apron ties hanging down to the floor, and I can see my entire collection with one quick glance!

Do you have any tricks you use to make your closet more organized?

Sartorial Saturday–A Fancy Floral Apron

Recently, Erika at Rare Dirndl reached out to me and asked if she could send me an apron in return for some of my photos she’s used on her website. She even offered me a selection of choices that she knew would go well with the dirndls I already own, and as soon as I saw this beautiful embroidered floral mesh and lace apron (the same one that comes with the lovely new “Sweet Iris” dirndl, I believe), in a lovely taupe-y/silver-y/champagne-y color, I knew it was the one!

I’m a huge fan of sheer aprons, because of how well the color of the dress shows through them…it also means they take on a completely different look with each dirndl you pair them with! Here I’m wearing it with my beautiful periwinkle Everyday Dirndl:

I accessorized, as I often do, with flowers, including a floral crown, my edelweiss necklace and an edelweiss clip in place of a brooch, my edelweiss earrings (I promise they’re there!), plus some Homes bracelets:

This is such a pretty look for summer, but I think it will transition well throughout the seasons:

I do love experimenting with different dirndl/apron combinations!

I’m really looking forward to pairing this gorgeous apron with more of the dirndls in my wardrobe…stay tuned!

Sartorial Saturday–The Summer 2023 Charity Apron

Last summer, Rare Dirndl introduced a charity apron in support of Alex’s Lemonade Stand…they’re back this year with a beautiful sunflower edition supporting Mercy Corps, an organization with a mission to “to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities.”

Mercy Corps is currently on the ground in Ukraine (thus the beautiful sunflower print with contrasting blue ribbon in the apron ties), as well as Romania and Poland, and they are working specifically to aid Ukrainian refugees by supporting organizations that provide medical supplies and food items.

I accessorized with (what else?), lots of flowers! I kind of wish I had a floral crown with sunflowers, but at least the blue flower in this one matches the ribbon on the apron, right? I also pinned my edelweiss clip to my dirndl in place of a brooch. I didn’t wear my edelweiss necklace this time, though…instead I went bold with my stag!

This is not just an apron with a conscience, it’s also perfect for summer! Since it is such a great look for warm weather, I swapped out the shoes I normally pair with dirndls for a pair of well-loved Birkenstocks, and I think they’re the perfect footwear for this dress and apron combo!

I really want to wear this to a sunflower field when they’re in full bloom!

Erika kindly gifted me this apron, so I didn’t have to make a purchase to help fund the charity’s effort. Instead, I made a donation directly to the organization, and I encourage you to find a charity to support this summer, too!

Sartorial Saturday–What a Difference an Apron Makes!

One of my favorite things about dirndl-wearing is how much you can change the look of the dress by adding a different apron (changing the color of the ribbon lacing also makes a difference)! While I love the pairings of my four dirndls with the aprons they were designed with, I also love experimenting with different looks…I have a total of 10 aprons now, so I have lots of options!

To begin, a look at my very first dirndl, the solid colored “Purple and Floral” dirndl. Not only do I wear it with the flower print apron it came with, but I’ve also styled it with both of my Christmas aprons, a lovely plaid, and my lemon print charity apron from last summer…which look is your favorite?

If I don’t want it to be obvious that I’m wearing a dirndl (who am I kidding…I always want it to be obvious!), I wear my “Everyday Dirndl” with its matching, solid apron, but I’ve also mixed it up with two different lace aprons and the lemon-print…what do you think?

My “Die Heimat” is my most versatile dirndl, as you can see from the fact that I’ve worn it with a total of six different aprons (and counting!). The stag print is the one that came with the dirndl, but I’ve also paired the dress with both of my Christmas aprons, my extra fancy crystal apron, the lemon print (again!), and most recently, my magenta lace apron, which is my new favorite look…what’s yours?

And finally, my “Herbology” dirndl, which came with a plaid apron and also a bonus lace apron, giving me two options right off the bat. I also love the way it looks with my crystal apron, the stag print from “Die Heimat” (very Sound of Music!) and my newest Christmas apron…which do you like best?

Stay tuned to see how I style my dirndls next!