Last year, I debuted my custom dirndl from Rare Dirndl just in time for Mary Blair March. This year, I’m wearing it with a lovely blue Vixen by Micheline Pitt Vacation Blouse, inspired by the bold color styling of Mary Blair herself! The dirndl was already bright and cheerful, but this extra pop of color makes it’s especially vibrant!!!
I accessorized with a an Erstwilder brooch worn as a necklace and a glittery stack of Splendette Duchess Bangles, plus butterfly earrings that are perfect with the butterfly print on the skirt of the dress:
I can’t think of a better Mary Blair March look!
I have another idea for a different styling of this dirndl that I’m hoping to wear before the month is over!
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!
Today I’m taking a look at something pretty different for me…a velvet bell-sleeved dress in the most beautiful bluish-purple shade from Her Universe inspired by my favorite costume worn by Arwen in The Lord of the Rings!
I have had my eye on this dress FOREVER, but even when it went on sale, I wasn’t going to buy it Ladybug was ordering a different bell-sleeved dress inspired by Arwen however, and encouraged me to get this so we could each have a dress inspired by our current favorite movie series. It’s such a beautiful dress, I didn’t take much convincing!
For my first wearing of the dress, Bunny chose my accessories, including a floral crown and necklace (which is actually hers) from Rare Dirndl, and also a pair of twisted metal hoop earrings that came from her collection. She said they were the perfect accessories for an Elf!
She also added my ankle boots from Lane Bryant:
I love the drama of a bell sleeve!
The attention to detail is outstanding…I love the Evenstar embroidery on the sleeve, and the silver embroidery around the layered neckline.
Honestly, the only thing I would change about this dress is the skirt…I wish it was a few inches longer, and just a bit fuller, but I like the look so much I don’t really even mind that it’s lacking those details!
I hope Her Universe makes more pieces inspired by Arwen, because she has some of the most amazing costuming in Hollywood, even after all these years!
Time for one more look back at 2025…this time, my five favorite outfits I put together throughout the year.
First up is a look from April featuring a coordinating Miss Candyfloss dress and blazer, plus some pink accessories including a smart boater hat:
Next is a playsuit and overskirt from Her Universe that I wore on my birthday:
Here’s a surprisingly casual look, featuring a top and skort from Popflex…I love this color palette!
This might be my favorite Rare Dirndl combination from the year…I paired a velvet apron with “Die Heimat” dirndl, which has a suede bodice. I love all the textures and rich colors in this look!
And finally, another pretty different look for me, featuring a sweater from Lane Bryant I’ve had for YEARS and a new denim tulip-hem maxi skirt from the same store. I also added an Erstwilder neck scarf (that matches my Spiffy the Sausage Dog brooch) as a belt:
I love that these five favorite looks quite unintentionally showcase the five basic styles in my wardrobe. The Miss Candyfloss outfit is obviously my favorite retro style, the Her Universe set covers my love of Disney Style (and also crosses over with the retro, which Disney styles almost always do for me), the Popflex look is my standard athleisure style for playing tennis and going for walks, the Rare Dirndl pairing shows my love of national dress, and the casual Lane Bryant look is a little modern and little 90s throwback.
Coming up with new ways to style my favorite pieces in my wardrobe continues to be one of my favorite hobbies, and I’m already working on some new ideas for the new year!
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!
It’s already time for a look back at this year’s festive fashions for Christmas Eve and Day!
My Christmas Eve outfit is often the same…a red, white, and green dress with a velvet bodice and full skirt with a harlequin print. It’s probably the most festive pieces in my wardrobe! I added my standard Christmas Eve accessories including a sparkly brooch and a stack of Splendette Duchess Bangles.
After church I changed into a Miss Candyfloss dressing gown:
For Christmas Day I wore a dirndl with my newest Rare Dirndl apron and a Miss Candyfloss Clarisse-Gia blouse, plus a different stack of Splendette Duchess Bangles, an Erstwilder brooch worn as a necklace, and my sparkly brooch (again):
I changed into a different Miss Candyfloss gown when we got home:
And then I had to change up my accessories, too, because I received a gorgeous RockLove Jewelry necklace for Christmas, and I couldn’t wait to wear it!
I love that I have sartorial traditions to look forward to every Christmas!
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!
