23. October 2008.

An elegant venue – the Royal Palace of Gödöllő – hosted the fabulous fashion creations of János Héjja, and the Herend porcelain artworks that served as sources of inspiration for them. Kossuth award winning actress Ildikó Pécsi acted as the hostess of the evening; she greeted the guests, after which Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Erika Szűcs opened the exhibition. At the exhibition, the so-called Gödöllő patterned dress and porcelain may both be viewed. The naming of the decoration is no coincidence: Queen Elisabeth of Hungary also favoured Herend porcelain; the beautiful Sissi (Elisabeth) received a service from Emperor Franz Joseph I which was used at the Queen’s favourite place of residence: The Royal Palace of Gödöllő.

As the first program of the opening ceremony, the world renowned soprano Thais Kant, of Hungarian ancestry, gave a concert. Concluding the performance, the Hungarian folk song familiar to the audience entitled A Csitári Hegyek Alatt (Beneath the Mountains of Csitár), was performed.
Subsequently, well known actresses played the role of temporary fashion models exhibiting the Héjja dresses that were inspired by the Herend decorations: Ildikó Hámori, Enikő Détár, Alexandra Oszter, Athina Papadimitriu, Emma Bessenyei, Erzsébet Nagyváradi and the beautiful Jázmin Dammak – who was voted one of the 15 most beautiful ladies in the world at the Miss World beauty pageant. In between the introductions and anecdotes of Ildikó Pécsi, the actresses performed popular musical pieces and chansons. Each actress performed twice, therefore the audience had the opportunity to see altogether 14 uniquely designed dresses.

The cooperation of the Herend Porcelain Manufactory and the fashion house of János Héjja in Cegléd started in 2006. As of today, 28 Herend patterns may be seen on 30 unique fashion creations. In the case of both companies, the handcrafted feature is of exceptional importance. Héjja dresses are made of pure silk, georgette or English fabric. The patterns were painted onto the clothes designed for special occasions by Herend masters with special clothing dye. The two wall paintings, painted by a Herend painter, give a unique flavour to the uncomplicated and elegant presentation of the exhibition.

The exhibition will be on display until the end of November.

Related persons

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• Franz Joseph
• Queen Elisabeth