A wedding dream, sewn by hand

The journey from material to finished dirndl dress

The curtain opens and tentatively my sister-in-law Carina steps out of the changing room of Katharina Rettenwender’s small dressmaker’s workshop in Filzmoos. She glances down at her figure, enveloped in her new dress and takes a look in the mirror. Her reflection conjures up a smile on her face and makes her eyes sparkle with joy. It really is beautiful and fits as though just made for her. Well yes, it is just made for her and it is a unique item, but that’s how a wedding dress should be :)

You’re probably asking yourselves, how the material ends up as individual finished dirndl dress? Here’s a short summary of the journey my sister-in-law’s dress made:

1. One of the most difficult decisions: the choice of material

Colour and material samples pile up and choosing material for the perfect dress is not easy. Especially as Katharina presents us with numerous patterned materials. How about the light-grey with flowers or the light patterned white material?
Thank goodness that Carina already has a definite idea of colour, so she quickly decides on a grey dress with a velvety shiny ruby coloured apron. The gleaming white apron string reflects the wedding colour of white and sits harmoniously between the light-grey bodice and the apron. The length of the dress and the general cut are discussed. Now it’s time to wait until the material has been ordered and is delivered.

2. The material has arrived - now it`s time to measure up

At the second appointment in the little dressmaker’s workshop measurements are taken and the exact cut of the dress determined. At this point Katharina takes into consideration each individual wish and is on hand for advice. Her tips for figure-flattering cuts also get a mention are warmly taken into consideration by Carina.

3. Now for the details

The “raw cut“ of the dress is ready and my sister-in-law can slip into her dress for the first time. Fits like a glove! :) What’s still missing? The buttons as well as the decorative edging around the neckline. Should they be pearls or maybe lovely shiny silver buttons? And what colour should the decorative edging be to attract glances?These decisions are easy for Carina as she is a big fan of pearls and quickly chooses pearl buttons and a white edging interspersed with tiny pearls.

4. Packed and ready to go

Now we’re here in front of the mirror in the little dressmaker’s workshop. An exuberantly happy smile is an eyecatcher. A smile which tells Katharina straightaway that Carina is pleased with her work. A smile, which shows the person wearing the dress feels 100% comfortable. And a smile that instantly infects all those present - as it come from the heart :)And now it’s time to get married, in a tailor-made dream dress.

Tips and infos: Of course, Katharina can make you a dress for any occasion, just give her a call or visit her in her dressmaker’s workshop in Filzmoos.

KR-Dirndl Katharina Rettenwender
Neuberg 81
5532 Filzmoos
Telefone: +43 660 219 78 97
Email: home@kr-dirndl.at
https://www.kr-dirndl.at/
Photo credits: Katja Eggenhofer, Nadine Premm