At Achilleio there are already two faithful replicas of Empress Sissy’s original toilets, created by the internationally renowned fashion designer Monika Czedly
You see her walking past you, holding her lacy white umbrella that casts a shadow over her face to avoid the hot rays of the sun. Her walk is silent, you hear only the slight ripple of her heavy, embroidered, off-white dress that bears all her splendor beloved princess of Corfu, Sissyas she was called, popularly known as Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
Anyone who visits the Achilleion Palace in Corfu, one of the island’s most architectural masterpieces, discovers this magical image that transports you to other times reminiscent of a fairy tale.
In this beautiful mansion bought and renovated by Princess Sissy, you see her apparition roaming the gardens, among the sculptures and statues of heroes from Greek mythology and her much-loved Achilles.
She stands in front of the colossal statue of the demigod Achilles and smiles at all those who come to admire it, while she steals all the eyes, seducing them and following her to the statue of “Dying Achilles”.
The melody played by the piano and violin faithfully follows her every step. When you get close to her you realize that this is a beautiful model who has all the grace of Princess Sissy and has immersed herself in her role so well that she feels like a princess herself.
“Wearing one of Princess Sissy’s dresses makes me feel like a princess too. It’s something unique. People feel as if they are seeing the princess herself walking through the gardens of Achilleus. They smile at me and take pictures of me, because they want to keep her image alive“, he will say to APE-MPE Georgia Milioufrom Kozani, a student of the Department of Archaeology, Librarianship and Museology of the Ionian University, who this summer decided not to return to her place of origin and her family, but to stay in Corfu and live this unique opportunity to play the role of the princess Sissy.
“Abroad this is very common and the tourists are something that understands it and harmonizes perfectly with the climate” will say the young student wearing one of the princess’s much-loved gowns, the “white dress”.
In Achillio there are already two faithful copies of the original toilets of Empress Sissi, creations of international fame fashion designer Monika Czedly.
These are the copies of the “blue gown” and the “white gown”, which were also the princess’s favorite.
The original “blue toilet” was auctioned in 2012 in Vienna. The toilet dates from 1890 and was part of the Empress’ wardrobe for Corfu.
“We know this from the label on the back of the dress’s neck, with the characteristic dolphin-crowned embroidery that appears on all the dresses of the special Corfu wardrobe worn by the princess” the director of the Achilleus Museum, Anastasios Diavatis, will tell APE-MBE.
The replicas of Princess Sissy’s costumes were presented, at the beginning of the summer, in the gardens of the Achilleus by the Fashion Designer Monika Czedly herself, who is currently presenting 28 of Sissy’s dresses at the Halbturn Palace in Austria, and is expected to come to the Achilleus in August and the pink princess gown.
The original “pink gown” of Princess Sissy, dates according to the Austrian museum, from 1880. It is a particularly pioneering dress. At the time the women’s movement was very popular with the exception of a brief period from 1878 to 1882 when the women’s movement died out for a while due to backlash against very early women’s emancipation efforts when black dresses became fashionable. It is likely that someone made some alterations to this dress so that the empress could wear it in all seasons.
All the dresses, faithful replicas of the princess’ original original dresses, are expected to be exhibited, Mr Diabatis said, in the halls of Achilleus, with Princess Sissy taking on “flesh and bones” in her much-loved mansion where she lived for at least six months in time.
As for the designer Mónika Czédly, who “brought to life” Princess Sissy, in 1989 she founded the company D’Elia Salon. A Hungarian family business that designs and creates unique toilets in the world. Monika Czedly is known for creating authentic replicas of Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s clothing.
Queen Elizabeth was considered one of the most beautiful women in the world and stood out for her style and her opinion on fashion which was highly unconventional.
The styling and editing of the presentation of the models in the gardens of Achilleus was handled by the well-known Corfu designer Dora Desyllas, while the violin and the piano in the peristyle of the palace are played by students of the Department of Music Studies of the Ionian University, which maintains a close collaboration with the Museum of Achilleiou.
RES-EMP
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