My top two favorite clothing styles are vintage and German national dress…today I’m taking a look at how I combine them!
For this look, I paired the dramatic green Clarisse-Gia blouse from Miss Candyfloss with my favorite Rare Dirndl dress and a lace apron. I’ve worn this blouse with another dirndl, as well…I didn’t intend to style it like this when I ordered it, but the first time I tried it on, I knew it would be a perfect companion to dirndls!
I accessorized with an edelweiss clip worn as a brooch and a Rare Dirndl necklace and bracelet as well:
I really enjoy pairing Dr. Martens Mary Janes with dirndl socks:
I love everything about this outfit!
I have a lot of fun figuring out different ways to wear unexpected pieces of my wardrobe together!
Over 300 unique outfits later, 2025 is coming to a close!
I really enjoy this outfit of the day photography project, because it forces me to think through my outfit choices. I have so much fun styling my favorite pieces new ways (the most drastic restyling of the year came when I cut the bodice off of a dress to turn it into a skirt!), and adding some new pieces to my wardrobe along the way. And now I’m left to consider what my first outfit of 2026 will be, because I want to start the new year strong, sartorially speaking!
Getting a new Christmas apron from Rare Dirndl has become one of my favorite holiday traditions, and this year is no exception! The winter floral apron was made in very limited quantities, and I almost missed out on it…I’m so glad there a small second run, because this is one gorgeous apron!
To really lean into the Christmas theme, I paired it with my red Everyday Dirndl:
Here’s a closer look at the beautiful embroidery. There are so many beautiful colors in the flowers, and even though it’s called a “winter” floral apron, I know I’ll be wearing it all year!
I accessorized with a flower crown and a pair of necklaces from Rare Dirndl, plus an Erstwilder brooch (and a bonus mini brooch worn as a zipper pull!), a pair of Splendette Duchess Bangles, and sparkly hoop earrings from Lane Bryant in red, green, and white:
Instead of a dirndl blouse, I styled it with the green Clarisse-Gia blouse from Miss Candyfloss, which is the perfect Christmasy addition to the look!
It doesn’t get much more festive than this!
I’m already thinking of how I might style this apron slightly differently for Christmas Day!
I still haven’t done a lot of Disney Bounds, but I’m especially proud of this one I created for the Disney Princess who has the style I most admire…Rapunzel, and just in time for Halloween, too!
I used my purple dirndl dress from Rare Dirndl as the base of the look, and added a beautiful pink embroidered rosette apron and pink lacing ribbon, and a purple vacation blouse from Vixen by Micheline Pitt.
I accessorized with a flower crown and floral necklace (of course!), and a pair of Splendette glitter bangles in Rapunzel’s signature colors of pink and purple:
And I added a Loungefly crossbody bag themed for Tangled to complete the look:
I love that I was able to find so many floral elements for this Disney Bound!
I might not have Rapunzel’s hair, but I think I captured the spirit of her style!
Time to look back at all of the Oktoberfests we attended this year! I had a great time wearing my favorite Rare Dirndls various places and celebrating my heritage!
First Chickadee and I went to Grant’s Farm in mid-September. This was a first (or at least the first time in a long time) for us. We were there pretty early, so we didn’t get to see the entertainment, but we did share a pretzel and it was top-tier…super buttery and one of the best we had!
Next was Belleville Oktoberfest, which is always something of a disappointment to me…the pretzels weren’t even very good! But it was an excuse to wear a dirndl and walk down Main Street.
Third was my favorite local Oktoberfest in St. Charles, MO. The music and dancing were amazing and the pretzels were delicious! Plus, it seems like the most authentic one in our area (says the woman who has never been to Munich…).
We always celebrate Oktoberfest at home. I made our standard German feast of schnitzel and spaetzle and red cabbage, with Black Forest cherry torte for dessert (not to mention fondue with pretzels, pickles, and brats for lunch), and not to brag, but the pretzels at our establishment are pretty good, too!
For the second year, we went to Soulard’s Oktoberfest, and I have to say, I really love this (relatively) small event! The pretzels were only so-so, but the cheese sauce was excellent, and the brass band was one of our favorites!
I was worried we weren’t going to make it to Zootoberfest at the St. Louis Zoo, but we managed to get there on the final day. As always, the pretzels are the best in the region (and the beer cheese they serve with them is outstanding), and I got to hear a polka band, complete with accordion!
This was a really fun season of festing…I’ll leave you with Brasshaufen Brass Band (a group we enjoyed both in St. Charles and Soulard) doing one of my favorite Oktoberfest numbers. Prost!
Today I’m taking a look at a beautiful floral lace apron from Rare Dirndl I got just in time for Oktoberfest!
I’ve had my eye on this made-to-order style for a while, and I decided to cash in my “Prost Points” (the Rare Dirndl rewards program) to have this apron made before I went to my favorite Oktoberfest in St. Charles, MO.
Here’s a look at the accessories I wore with it:
I love how sheer lace is, which allows the lovely color of the skirt of the Harlequin dirndl to shine through!
This is such a good staple piece…I’m really looking forward to pairing it with more of my dirndls!
I’m ending the month just like I began it…with a special outfit for Mary Blair March. As promised, here’s a look at the second styling of my Rare Dirndl custom dirndl, featuring the bonus apron I requested!
Like my blue apron, the green version is sheer, which allows the pattern of the skirt to show through. It has an extra-special feature, though…Erika made the ties in two colors instead of just one, so I still have an extra pop of blue!
This time around, I accessorized with blue hair flowers and my complete Meteor Jewelry Co. Starlite set…earrings, bracelet, and necklace, all in the same bright blue:
I added my edelweiss heart zipper pull again, too:
And I wore my new Dr. Martens Mary Janes with my dirndl socks:
As always, I love to twirl!
For this styling, I wore my black lace sparkle dirndl blouse…I like white better with this dress, but it was pretty chilly the day I wore it, and the black has the longest sleeves of all my dirndl blouses.
This is another great look for Mary Blair March!
Eventually I’m hoping to get another blouse (maybe in pale pink?) to add to this look…I love switching out the elements of a dirndl outfit!
As promised, here’s a look at my completed Rare Dirndl custom dirndl, and just in time for Mary Blair March!
It looks just like I imagined it would. I love the yellow bodice against the grey background of the Mary Blair butterflies print skirt:
And the sheer blue apron pops beautifully!
You may have noticed this dirndl is slightly shorter than my other dresses…the construction of the original dress was kind of weird, and to even out the skirt, it had to made a bit shorter. With the petticoat underneath, though, it’s really not that noticeable, and I think the fullness of the skirt also creates the illusion of length.
I accessorized with a pair of SUGARFIX by Baublebar butterfly earrings that I got at Target last year (it’s scary how well well they go with this look!), an edelweiss wrap bracelet from Rare Dirndl, and a pair of necklaces inspired by Mary Blair…an “It’s a Small World” style from Crislu, and an Alice in Wonderland spinner from RockLove:
I also added one of my Rare Dirndl zipper pulls:
Keeping the volume from the skirt of the original dress makes it extra good for twirling!
Two of my favorite features of the dirndl are the trim around the neckline…not only did Erika include two different types of pink ribbon, she also added a beautiful ruffle made from the extra fabric from the dress…and the cool buckle on the apron, which is a totally new style for me!
I love how bright and cheerful this look is…it’s perfect for Mary Blair March and the happiness of spring!
I did actually send it back to Rare Dirndl to have it let out a bit because it was fitting pretty snugly in the bodice, but when it’s back, I’ll have another styling of this dirndl featuring the second apron I had made to go with it!
We have made it to the final step of the Rare Dirndl custom dirndl experience!
On Monday (which just happened to be the 113th anniversary of my Austrian grandfather’s birth!), I opened the custom dirndl shipping box for the last time:
It has been about 11 months since I first inquired about having a custom dirndl made, and almost five months since the kick-off call that really began the process. It was so exciting to see the project come together, and a total thrill to see the finished product!
Since I last saw it (and since the post office tried to lose it!), the final elements were added, including the hooks (a new style for me!), and the lacing. I also got to see the second apron I requested (which has a really cool, new-to-me buckle!), for the first time. No detail was overlooked, including the “Hidden Mickey” I asked Erika to include somewhere on the dress:
Stay tuned for the first of two stylings of my new dirndl on Saturday!
If you’ve been looking closely at my dirndl photos for the last few months, you may have noticed that I added a pair of dirndl socks to my wardrobe:
I have been interested in dirndl socks pretty much since I started wearing Trachten, but I was worried about how knee-high socks would fit my plus-size calves.
Last year, Rare Dirndl imported a few options from designer Luise Steiner, and when I noticed that they came in three sizes, including XXL, which fit shoe sizes 10-14, I figured it was finally time to give them a try. I went with the grey pair, because I thought they would go with most of my dresses (they do!).
They also look great with a wide variety of shoes, including my dirndl-style Mary Janes and also ankle boots, Docs and Adidas.
The fit is fantastic…they’re not too tight at all. The cable knit pattern is really pretty. And they’re a nice, heavy material, which is great for keeping my legs warm in the colder months!
Now that I’ve discovered that I can indeed wear dirndl socks, I may add some other colors to my wardrobe!
