My father is from France and my mother is from Austria. They traveled alone to California to further their careers and ended up meeting in an English class offered by UCLA for ELL students. When they decided to get married they traveled back to Europe, where they had two weddings. The first was in Austria at the Church of Maria Straßengel and and the second was at the city hall in Anges. It was very important to my mother that she get married in her home church and for both her to be in full Trachten. They purchased their Diandl and Lederhosen from a Trachten store in Graz called Mothwurf, and these were some of the only things they brought back to California after the marriages. I remember being little and always seeing her Diandl hanging in the closet and dreaming of the day I would be able to fit into it. Since then I have owned many Diandls and each one is special to me because it represents a different part of me. For some reason while wearing my Diandl I feel safe and a connection with Austria. My grandmother told me that she used to make all of her Diandls from scratch and she would do this for all her other children as well. This was when Trachten was just considered to be everyday normal wear and was not linked only to formal occasions like weddings, baptisms or holidays. I was recently gifted my Oma's old traditional Austrian cloth and my plan is to begin sewing everyday Diandls for my daughter & myself, and continue on a tradition that is very close to my heart, and makes me feel a connection to where I come from.  

– Stephanie Doidic

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant