Oh, the joys of designing!

I knew i wanted to design dirndls, i knew i needed them to sell, i knew that i needed some separates and i knew i wanted to bring new and interesting techniques and silhouettes to the dirndl market... but how do you do all of that in 10 pieces!?

I worked very hard trying to make a collection that was cohesive as a group, creative and enticing. I ended up using 3 color groups, Neutral, Cool, and Warm. The Neutral group is that largest with 5 pieces, then the cool group with 3 and the warm with 2. However many pieces will be offered in multiple colors. I had a hard time designing a line that felt inspired and creative when they all had such similar silhouettes.

I decided that for the first line, i would keep the silhouettes similar and bring in new colors and textures. I am using satin for the dirndls instead of the typical polyester or cotton. I am also using a very beautiful burnout fabric for some aprons as well as a wrinkled polyester print. I am also using a leopard print. I have gotton some mixed reviews regarding the fabric, but i think its great! The fabric itself never looks wrinkly! The other satins do wrinkle, but its no worse than your average cotton dirndl... it will de-wrinkle itself much better in the heat of a regular summer day whereas cotton will not.

I'm also using gold for zippers, hooks and chains. I feel that many young people do not like gold as much as silver, but it just feels right with this collection and i saw much more gold in paris this past summer than i had ever seen before.

My next concern was price. I want to do all these cool things, but its too expensive. I have worked diligently to make sure that line is priced properly. With the fabrics i've purchased, the trimmings i'm using and the techniques and quality i bring to the table, I feel my prices are fair. Are they more expensive than other American dirndl companies, yes. Are they more interesting they other American dirndls, yes. They are very competitive prices in terms of other German companies that have similar design ideas, but their prices are in euros and you'll have to pay international shipping. So in the end i do feel that my prices are more than fair.

Will the gold chains make people not want to buy the design? Will the prices turn people away? Will everything look as beautiful in real life as it does in my head? Oh the joys of designing!