It’s the first Saturday in October, which means Spooky Season is here, and I have just the dirndl apron for it!
The “Owl about the Night” apron from Rare Dirndl is my first Halloween apron…I just couldn’t pass up the print of owls, spiders, and moons on a gorgeous teal background!
The scallop detail on the ties is gorgeous!
I accessorized with a pair of RockLove Jewelry necklaces, including a The Nightmare Before Christmas Sally thistle necklace, plus an edelweiss wrap bracelet:
I love how the apron pops against my purple dirndl dress!
I had these Adidas sneakers before the apron was ever announced, and I can’t believe how well they complete the look!
It’s the perfect outfit for Halloween!
I’m looking forward to wearing this to Legends and Lanterns in St. Charles in just a few weeks!
Did you know Rare Dirndl makes custom dirndls? In addition to bridal dirndls, Erika will create a completely new look for you that represents something important in your life, or she’ll transform an old dirndl that is no longer in style into something more modern, or a regular (or not-so-regular) dress with sentimental meaning into a new creation. I’ve been mulling this over for a couple of years, and then spent some time on the waitlist (you have to fill out a form, and if your project is accepted, wait for your turn to come up), and today I had my custom dirndl kick-off meeting with Erika on Zoom!
I’ve spent a lot of time considering what kind of custom dirndl would best reflect me. As I pondered this while saving my money (custom fashion isn’t cheap!), I knew that it would have to be something truly special, and for a long time, I couldn’t actually think of anything that would be worth the time, money, and effort. And then in the early spring (actually, during Mary Blair March), it hit me! I could have an old dress with a style that I never really liked that features illustrations by Mary Blair that I absolutely love turned into the dirndl of my dreams! What better way to honor my favorite artist who is famous for designing “It’s a Small World” than by having a dress with her art turned into national dress like you might see on the ride?!?
The one thing about the dress that I actually do like is the twirl of the skirt. It’s a bit too long for my liking, but it has a spin like no other. That was one of the primary things I was hoping to carry forward into the project, and Erika said that she should be able to make that work for me! While I love my dirndl collection, I’m really excited about having one special one with a full skirt like my retro wardrobe, brining my love of two different types of fashion together in one piece.
We talked about styles, like whether I’d prefer the bodice to have a square or sweetheart neckline, colors (especially important because color styling was arguably the thing for which Mary Blair was best known), and small details like trim and lacing. Once we had all the preliminary ideas hammered out, I dropped the dress in the mail, and I’m looking forward to seeing sketches and receiving swatches of fabric that will be part of my new dress.
This will be an ongoing project that will last several months, and I can’t wait to share the next step of the custom dirndl process…stay tuned!
After missing out on last year’s summer apron from Rare Dirndl, I knew for sure that I wanted to add this year’s model to my wardrobe.
I absolutely love the vibrant color palette…the pops of green are especially pretty! I love the lines of flowers, too!
I was originally planning on pairing this apron with “Die Heimat” dirndl, but as I was looking at the colors in the apron, I realized that one of the magenta-colored stripes is almost the exact same color as the “Magician” dirndl, so I went with that, adding a matching turquoise ribbon to lace up the front to tie it all together. I can’t believe how beautifully the colors paired!
I went with bright blues for my accessories, too, with an edelweiss wrap bracelet from Rare Dirndl and a pair of hair flowers. I also added an edelweiss necklace and the edelweiss earrings the Fab Five gave me for my birthday…they’re so pretty!
It’s rather a bold color combination, but that just makes me love it more!
I also took some bonus pictures in Lafayette Park, and the park is too pretty not to share them!
I’m loving this summery apron, but is it too early to start thinking about what kind of Christmas aprons Rare Dirndl might offer this year?
The Fourth of July is quickly approaching, and I have an outfit that reflects the red, white, & blue of America while honoring my Austrian heritage!
I paired a white lace dirndl blouse, the dress from “Die Heimat” dirndl with red lacings, and the solid red apron from my Everyday Dirndl for this look:
I added lots of red accessories, including an edelweiss bracelet, a beaded necklace, and a floral crown:
Here’ s a closer look at the lacing and the pretzel zipper charm, which is something that appeals to all cultures!
I think it’s the perfect fashion for the Fourth!
How do you mix your cultural heritage with your present-day life?
Following the lemon apron of 2022 and the sunflower apron of 2023, Rare Dirndl is back with another charity apron…this time, they’re supporting the Clean Air Task Force, whose mission is “to achieve a zero-emissions, high-energy planet at an affordable cost.” In keeping with the earthy theme, the print on the apron features mushrooms, flowers, and foliage in natural colors, with grey denim ties.
I accessorized with a floral crown, my stag statement necklace, and an edelweiss wrap bracelet and clip, which I wore as a brooch:
I felt like my Herbology dirndl and Birkenstocks were the perfect folksy pieces for this look!
This was the outfit I chose for Maifest at Grant’s Farm…I got tons of compliments (and was also mistaken for one of the dancers!)!
Here’s a closer look at the print and lovely bow:
I love that Rare Dirndl supports charities, and also that I get introduced to new charities I hadn’t heard of before!
I’m already looking forward to seeing who they’ll support next year!
Today is Ladybug’s 17th birthday! She got up extra early this morning so we could get a start on celebrating, especially opening presents, before Moose left for school!
I was so excited about our gift to her…she received her first dirndl!
A lot of her birthday ended up being Lilo and Stitch themed (with a good helping of Tron Legacy and Star Wars: The Bad Batch thrown in).
She asked for pineapple salsa from the Lilo and Stitch Cookbook for lunch:
She picked dinner recipes from cookbooks that reflect her various interests…honey lemonade from The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Online Cookbook, spinach salad with shallot vinaigrette from Destiny: The Official Cookbook, and 626 Experimental Fried Rice from the Lilo and Stitch Cookbook.
Her birthday cake, a guava celebration cake, was also from the Lilo and Stitch Cookbook:
We had a really fun day, and I loved having a chance to celebrate another year of this beautiful life for my daughter!
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!
Valentine’s Day is almost here! Or, if you’re German, Valentinstag. From what I understand, it’s pretty 50/50 whether or not you celebrate this holiday in Germany, but even if it’s not a popular holiday there, I still wanted to use my red Everyday Dirndl from Rare Dirndl as the basis of a themed outfit! I added a bright pink apron, plus flowers and hearts to celebrate the day:
Here’s a closer look at my accessories, including both a heart edelweiss necklace and an edelweiss wrap bracelet turned necklace with a red cord. I also added a touch of retro with my pink and red stack of Splendette Duchess Bangles and an Erstwilder brooch:
I love a good twirl!
When I was younger, I always thought you couldn’t wear pink and red together, but in retrospect, I have no idea why, because I really like the combination!
You can’t have Valentine’s Day without flowers, so I added my red floral crown:
I love a bright and cheerful outfit, especially in the middle of winter!
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!
Time for a look back at all of the significant outfits I wore in 2023! I only included looks with purpose, so my super casual grocery shopping outfits, for example, won’t be seen here. But it was a busy year, with a decent amount of travel and special events, so I had a lot of reasons to “dress up,” including a few days with multiple outfits. You’ll see my favorite brands well-represented…Miss Candyfloss and Rare Dirndl for clothes, and Splendette and Erstwilder for accessories. There are also a few “cute casual” outfits sprinkled throughout on days I didn’t feel like wearing a dress or it wasn’t appropriate for the occasion. And there are also a few rare “Sartorial Saturday” looks that I photographed just for fun (like my Daisy Duck Disney Bound), that I didn’t wear anywhere in particular…but most are outfits that really went somewhere!
It was a lot of fun to put this gallery together, and it also helped me keep track of what I’ve been wearing…I think I wore everything in my wardrobe at least once during the course of the year, and you can definitely tell what my favorite pieces are, because they’re on repeat!
