Our Best of German Fest 2014

This year at German Fest Milwaukee we met a ton of new people and had a wonderful time. The weather cooperated (for the most part) and everything went really smoothly from set up Thursday to the final tear down on Monday!











Three things stood out most! So here is our "Best of German Fest Milwaukee" 2014

#1- Schnitzel on a Stick!!

We met the Graf family who own the SCHNITZELs & GIGGLES food truck. They were parked right across from our booth and we had a great time with them. Not only was their food amazing (the Schnitzel was probably the best I've ever had and their fries were soooooooo good!!) but the family was too! Their energy was contagious and it made "going to work" at German Fest that much more fun! Check out their website by clicking here and be sure to like them on Facebook!






#2- CHIKERIA!

I had been in contact with Sonja from CHIKERIA for a few weeks prior to German Fest working on a custom design for her to wear on stage. Finally meeting her on the Friday of German Fest was so exciting, but what was more exciting was seeing my dirndls on stage! She wore her custom dirndl on Friday and Sunday nights and she wore the "Tell-Tale Heart" dirndl on Saturday night. I was totally geeking out and I felt so proud to have my work on the Harley Stage at German Fest. (probably not many designer's idea of fame… but I'm pumped about it!)

#3- The Footsie Wootsie Foot Vibrators!

Working German Fest is tough on the ol' feeties… we are on our feet from 8am-1am and so by Sunday, we are ready for a serious foot massage. Luckily German Fest has these strange foot massager things all over so we decided to give them a try. For 25 cents you get about a minute of ridiculously weird foot vibrating action and it worked! Our feet felt much better… for about 30 minutes and then they hurt again, but it was so fun! We made sure Meagan from SCHNITZELs & GIGGLES tried it too because the feeling is hard to describe and it's just too funny!

And the top seller this weekend… you could probably guess… The Limited Edition "Weltmeister" Dirndl! We still have a few left, but the beautiful yellow dirndl was hands down the best seller of the weekend.

Well, that was one busy weekend down… are on to the next. We are setting up tonight for the Edelwiess 100 Jähriges Jubiläum this weekend! We will be a vendor along with a few others for this wonderful celebration of the oldest Schuhplattler Verein in the country!

Be sure to follow Rare Dirndl on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to see pictures from the weekend and keep up with all the fun goings on.

TTFN ta ta for now!

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DEUTSCHLAND !!! WELTMEISTER !!! DIRNDLS !!!

What an AHmazing world cup! Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my best friends and some of the biggest Germany Fussball fans I know. Watching the game with them was so much fun and celebrating the big Germany win was even better! Schnapps all around!!!

But one of my favorite things about this world cup is that I was able to track Germany's trip to the top with the In Bloom Dirndl in the Design Studio windows! Check out how the In Bloom Dirndl was able to represent so many countries in 1 month as well as be the last one standing!

Start out with the Group of Death!

Game 1- Germany vs Portugal: 4-0 WIN

Game 2 - Germany vs Ghana: 2-2 TIED

Game 3 - Germany vs USA: 1-0 WIN

Game 4 - Germany vs Algeria: 2-1 WIN

Game 5 - Germany vs France: 1-0 WIN

Game 6/Semi-finals- Germany vs Brazil
(we all remember this score): 7-1 WIN!

Game 7/FINALS - Germany vs Argentina: 1-0 WIN!

It was an incredible thing to watch and last night (Sunday) my Facebook newsfeed was flooded with things like this:

Sooo much Germany love going around and I intend to help continue to spread it with the current window display! Not only are the In Bloom Dirndl and In Bloom Vest in the window but also the Limited Edition "Weltmeister" Dirndl! 

I'm in love with the Bright Yellow/Gold Dirndl (like the World Cup itself) with the German Flag screen printed cotton apron and red and black ribbon lace up bodice. For the window display, I paired with a black off-the-shoulder blouse with gathers but it can be worn with just about any blouse, including the new Blouslette on hot summer days!

Click here to pre-order yours today for only $249! Also use coupon code: GERMANY2014 to get FREE Shipping and a FREE Germany Scarf! (expires July 20, 2014)

While I'm sad that I don't get to stream anymore Germany games in the studio while I work, I couldn't be more proud of my heritage and the team that is putting that 4th star on the jersey!

YAY! Deutschland!

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Rare Dirndl Customer Spotlight: Lena Bauman

Lena Bauman - Kitchener, Ontario

My name is Lena Bauman, I am 24 years old and newly married to my husband Bryan Bauman of a year and a half. We currently live in Kitchener, Ontario and I am a proud Donauschwaben and a member of the Kitchener Schwaben Dancers.


I first saw Erika Neumayer's Rare dirndls at Tag Der Donauschwaben 2010 in Philadephia, PA and I instantly loved them. When I got home from the long weekend event, I immediately e-mailed her and asked her to draw me up a sketch with some ideas I had. She was so quick, helpful and I instantly loved her ideas.

Over the years I have purchased 4 Rare dirndls and many aprons and blouses from Erika on the side. I love mixing and matching them as well as accessorizing with different flower or feather hair pieces and different coloured shoes.

 

With all that being said, my favorite Rare Dirndl, and the one I hold dearest to my heart is my custom Germany soccer dirndl. I absolutely adore it and it's the one I will get stopped constantly and complimented on! I could tell instantly when I received it how much hard work and time she put into it and it fit so perfect! As seen in the pictures I mostly wear it to Kitchener- Waterloo Oktoberfest yearly but, with being a part of the Kitchener Schwaben Club I have worn it to many other events as well. With my families German background I couldn't have asked for a better dirndl or Oktoberfest accessory than my Germany Dirndl!







Do you want to be the next Rare Dirndl Customer Spotlight? As the winner you will recieve a $50 Coupon Code for any online purchase, a feature on the Rare Dirndl website and blog, and a gift package worth approx $100!! Click here to get all the details!

Ever wonder what dirndl style you are? 
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World Cup Dirndls?! Actually just "In Bloom" Dirndls!

With the World Cup in full swing, the Rare Dirndl Design Studio windows are all set up with dirndls representing Group G: Germany, Portugal, USA, and Ghana! How did I have time to make 4 dirndls to represent each country? I used the In Bloom Dirndls and Vest and it was super easy!

Germany vs Portugal

The first game on Monday had Germany playing Portugal! 

Our German representative in the window is wearing the In Bloom Dirndl with an Off-the-Shoulder Blouse with gathers, Yellow Semi-Circle Skirt and a German Flag themed custom apron!

Our Portuguese representative is wearing the In Bloom Vest with the Sweetheart Blouse with Lace, a Black Semi-Circle Skirt and Portuguese Flag themed one-of-a-kind apron!

USA vs Ghana

The next game was the USA versus Ghana!

Our American representative in the window is wearing the In Bloom Vest with the Sparkle Organza Blouse, Royal Blue Semi-Circle Skirt, Modern Bavarian Scarf, and an American Flag themed custom apron! 

Our Ghanaian representative is wearing the In Bloom Dirndl with a Black Blouslette, Red Semi-Circle Skirt and one-of-a-kind apron (the fabric I used celebrates 50 years of independence... I bought the fabric in Ghana when I was studying abroad in 2007!)


All of these pieces are available online! [except the Portugal apron... which is just pinned for the window and the Ghana apron... which is mine ;-) ]

Click Here to get stared building your own In Bloom Dirndl look to represent your country! But if you are a little confused as to how this dirndl works… why its so versatile and what makes it the perfect dirndl for Oktoberfest or any other occasion, watch this video!

This weekend I'll be keeping a close eye on the games in order to update the scores in the Design Studio Window. If you have any questions or would like more details about the In Bloom Dirndl, simply reply to this e-mail.

Happy World Cup!!

Ever wonder what dirndl style you are? 
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