Sunday, August 11, 2013

Sew What?! A Back-to-School & Back-to-Bavaria Dress

Are you the victim of frequently asked questions?  When meeting new people at a party, do their inquiries usually gravitate toward a particular subject beyond the usual, "What do you do?" and "How do you know the host/hostess?"  Are these unusually-direct questions pervasive no matter the social setting?  From my many observations, Mary is subject to two FAQ's.  "Gee whiz, how tall are you?" And, "Where are you from?"  

Having been born and raised in California (with any cultural or ethnic identity completely bred out of us by previous generations trying their best to be "American"), it never occurred to me that people would think that we were anything but plain, old slices of America's most-tasteless, white bread.  Upon meeting our family, even a few of our now good friends needed some convincing (in the form of government-issued documentation) that we were not of foreign extraction.  It was truly puzzling because I didn't think we looked so very different from everybody else.  We acted the same.   We spoke the same.  For gosh sakes, we had the American flag flying in our yard! 

And then I realized that we were sending mixed signals...

Made with the intention of being a back-to-school dress last year (what, college kids don't get new back-to-school clothes?), this most recently-worn frock is yet another item from Mr. Tiny's sweatshop workshop that was forced to learn to love the deepest recesses of Mary's closet as it watched other skirts, and blouses, and dresses issued reprieve and enter into regular rotation.  Just when it thought it was going to go crazy in stir, this jumper was granted pardon and allowed to leave the dark confines of Mary's wardrobe.  

In making/styling it, I thought that this little number was sort of a nostalgic nod to collegiate costumes of yesteryear.  Seeing it all put together, however, I half expected Mary to be selling schnitzel in the Schwarzwald.

A little corny, a little costume-y, but ideally suited to a night of accordion
music at our local German social club (a lot like the Buena Vista Social Club,
only much oom pah pah-ier), this is simply a dirndl-style skirt with suspenders
 attached to the waistband with buttons.

Corny? Costume-y?  In a way, that is wacky tacky - pushing the boundaries of everyday design ever so slightly for the sake of silliness.

The fabric came from the discount section of one of my favorite local fabric
 stores where the only rotation in stock occurs when someone finally buys
 the remnants.  I'm convinced that some of the material is older than I am.

Our accordion nights are always progressive in nature; we make our way from bierstube to banquet hall, invariably ending up at the Thursday night ballroom dance.  There is a cover charge that we always seem to avoid by being the youngest people in the room by at least fifty years.  Last time, a woman, whom I later found out was the onsite ballroom instructor, credited me with being "a natural."  You'd better believe that "Old Twinkle Toes" over here has been lording that over people's heads ever since!

Barefoot on the ballroom floor
Always a class act!

As it turns out, we do have German ancestry so it is no wonder that we get on so well at the German Club; Mary practically blends right in.  And at least, for one night, her FAQ's varied from the typical height/nationality variety.  In fact, in her back-to-school/Bavaria get-up, she learned pretty quickly how to answer, "Can we get another round of beers over here?" and "May I please have a pretzel?" in her most elementary German.  "Nein!"


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

12 comments:

  1. Great outfit and the skirt is totally cute! I love suspender skirts but feel they don't fit my body type too well. It's so awesome that you sew for Mary.

    I'm Hispanic and have often gotten asked if I'm Italian. I guess they think dark hair,lighter skin and green eyes are more Italian than Hispanic. I find it annoying that people place so much value on race instead of the person.

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    1. Thanks Mariela! If it makes you feel any better, my aunt is Italian (raised in Australia, living in America) and people come up to her and speak Spanish all of the time. Hahahaha!!!

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  2. As a 6'2" female myself, I feel your sisters pain, lol. Do people ever randomly tell her she's wrong? Once I tell my height, people try to insist I'm really taller. But that's better then the point and whisper and stare routine.

    I'm a mixed bag of European myself too, (despite my ancestors having been on this countries soil before it was even a country). I have been told it was my Viking ancestors that gave me my height. My my mothers German ancestors must have helped too.

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    1. I've always thought that height is a wonderful thing (not to discount the shorter among us). Mary is only 6' but often wears skyscraper shoes - resulting in some interesting photo-ops with people much shorter. We've got German, Swiss, English, and Yugoslavian (among others I'm sure) but she gets asked if she is Scandinavian ALL OF THE TIME!

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  3. Awesome creation! Mary will be all set for Oktoberfest just around the corner.

    Funny about the ethnicity thing - although I am German with a little Irish, when I'm walking around Hollywood people always suspect that I'm British until they hear me speak. Even when I was traveling around Spain and Italy I was regularly confused as a British tourist.

    By the way, will you be getting any of those Wacky Tacky t-shirts in a size Medium? I love that design!

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    1. Thanks Robby!! That is so funny; I've never been able to identify a strictly British "look." The medium shirts have sold out but I will definitely let you know when we get more in. Thanks again!

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  4. I long ago asked the lovely Amazon at Philippe's The Original, where she's from (she DOES have an accent) and found out she is one of two Lithuanian imports working there.
    I keep ALMOST asking the height question,, but it seems just a little rude, and/or unnecessary. (While the use of the term "Amazon" above is all in fun... no offense intended!)

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    1. The questions never offend Mary. In fact, we think it is pretty funny how often and consistent they are. ALthough I'm not 100% sure, I think Mary would probably embrace the term "Amazon Woman."

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  5. How lovely... just lovely. I would do a dirndl skirt uniform everyday if i could. i can't wait to age out of propriety!

    live for these posts, especiaily when im home sick. woomp woooomp.

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    1. THANKS!!! Who needs propriety?!?! Although, I guess when you're living in the UK, a little decorum is in order. Get well soon!

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  6. That is SO cute! You make the best stuff...I mean, seriously. And I want a German club to go to! : ( And spill the beans. I am always struck by Mary's perfection complexion. What does she do? Bathe in milk? The blood of virgins? Do tell!

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    1. Thanks Eartha!!! Hahahaha!!! Mary will take it as a huge compliment that you think her complexion is perfect! She'll be equally as displeasedif I say it is all smoke and mirrors...so I won't. She does, however, espouse the wonders of Biotin supplements.

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