I first met Ingrid at a German American event in Saint Paul Minnesota. I had a small pop-up shop set up at the event and she came with her family. Looking through the racks she started talking to me about her self-proclaimed absolute love for Dirndls. From there she became a regular customer and I had the extreme privilege of creating her wedding gown which was (aber natürluch) a dirndl.
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Dirndls originated as a day dress with an apron and blouse for folks to wear while they worked in rural areas surrounding the Alps. Since washing clothes was not as easy as tossing it in the machine, these 2 separate pieces were very practical because they could wash the blouse and apron more often. Over time the style became more common, recognized as a regional folk dress and eventually it evolved into a style of fashion.
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Growing up being an active member of a German dance group since age for, we indeed had a Dirndl closet in our house. In fact, my dad made a special cedar closet in our basement where all our trachten was kept. Now that I have my own home, we have a closet in one of the rooms dedicated to our trachten as well. It’s not as nice as my parents cedar closet, but all the dirndls, blouses, lederhosen, trachtenhemden, socks etc have their own place.
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Since starting Rare Dirndl in 2010, as the founder and designer, I’ve had my pulse on the Dirndl and its trends. This presentation originally for the folks at the GAHC, dives into the topic of the modern dirndl design and how it has evolved over the past 10 years. From what is happening in Germany vs America to the differences in fabrications and sales avenues, I touch on all the relevant topics you'll want to hear about.
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In a time in history where we unfortunately find ourselves with few events to wear our dirndls to, I’ve found joy in wearing my dirndl to everyday places and to do everyday things. Not only does it give me a reason to feel like I’m dressed up (and out of my sweatpants) but it also makes me happy!
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Hello Everyone, I am Victoria Schwager from the Detroit Donauschwaben. I have my graduate Degree in Social Work and get the pleasure of working in the mental health field everyday. When I am not enjoying work, I am spending time with family and friends.
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When the DNA ancestry tests came out I was immediately intrigued... but I resisted for a long time. There was one commercial that straight up made me not want go through with the test. "Growing up we were German. We danced in a German dance group. I wore Lerderhosen... I decided to have the DNA tested... the big surprise was we weren't German at all." AH WHAT?! Hell NAH! I wasn't going to pay someone to turn my life upside down. I was convinced that if I took this test... I was going to have to throw in the dirndl towel and start my life over.
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