Rare Dirndl

Sartorial Saturday–A Floral Apron for Summer

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?

Sartorial Saturday–Fusion Fashion

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?

Sartorial Saturday–The 2024 Charity Apron

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!

17 (Going on 18)

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!

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–Valentinstag

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!

Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day!

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…On a Sunday–2023 in Outfits

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!

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!