The D’Elia Salon has been a family enterprise since 1886, designing and making wedding and occasion dresses for generations.
The current company was founded in 1988 by Mónika Czédly.
When designing the collections, we take into account the possibility of combining styles and colours, allowing brides to become the designer of their own gowns. Our dresses are only available for first and second wear, what is more, we offer them at very reasonable prices.
It is possible to design individual outfits after a collection of fabric and lace samples by French, English, Italian and Hungarian brands.
We also deal with rentals, tailoring and sales.
Mónika Czédly
I grew up surrounded by clothes. My grandmother and many other members of my family sewed clothes and dyed textiles by hand based on individual designs. The world of competitive dance and performing dresses entirely fascinated me. My mother’s wedding dress and her sister’s one were a regular topic in the family because they had a lot of dress rehearsals. It was very special since they were getting married at the same time. When I was looking for a wedding dress for myself in 1988, I saw the lack of choice for someone who was not in a confection size or had an individual idea. After all that I opened my shop and started making wedding gowns. Since then brides have become part of my life and I am happy to sew dresses.
Over the years I have also involved my daughters in the world of weddings and we have been designing new dresses together.
As time goes by, one looks for new challenges, which found me unexpectedly in 2004.
My family has been in the clothing business since 1886. My great-great-grandfather, Ferenc D’Elia opened his shop next to the Gerbeaud Confectionery at 8 Dorottya Street, Budapest, in May 1886. Since then, sewing has been the true profession and love for everyone in my family. Queen Natalia of Serbia was one of the notable customers of the family shop, which she visited in 1886.
I have been drawing Queen Elisabeth’s coronation dress since I was 5 years old, however, I did not know that time what I was looking at in the photos I had seen in books. As mentioned, I design and make wedding dresses. I opened my first shop in Budapest in 1988, and moved to Gödöllő in 2001, where I reopened the D’Elia Salon. Elements from the coronation dress appear regularly on my dresses.
Since 2004, I have been consciously researching the life of Queen Elisabeth (1837-1898), especially the history of her dresses. By 2007, I had made Queen Elisabeth’s dress known from the Rabending photo of 1866. This dress was thought to be the Hungarian coronation dress for 150 years. By the time the dress was finished, I was sure that this was not the gown in which the Queen was crowned at Matthias Church in Buda. Then I swore I would make the real coronation dress by 2017. And so I made it! On 8 June 2017, after 150 years, we presented the „Real Hungarian Coronation Dress” to the public at the Royal Palace of Gödöllő. We were able to make the replica from the remaining pieces of the real coronation gown. In the 13 years during this time (from 2004 until 2017), we found authentic materials for several dresses of the Queen and since then, I have done more than 14 replicas of Queen Elisabeth’s dresses.
We have established a travelling exhibition with which we join Hungarian and Europeans museums based on different themes. In 2009 I opened my first exhibition in the Royal Palace of Gödöllő with only seven replicas of the Queen’s dresses. The first time was in 2017, when we presented the 14 dresses in a temporary exhibition in several rooms of the Royal Palace, in which the Queen loved staying. A real dream come true for me with this exhibition!
In connection with this exhibition, we have also set up a fashion show where we present Queen Elisabeth’s life through her dresses with period accessories, hairstyles and a show. These programmes have become very popular at the Royal Palace as well as other representative places.
We have been glad to work with the Royal Palace of Gödöllő for over 10 years now, as well as with the City of Gödöllő.
In 2014, “Entrepreneur of the Year Award” by the City of Gödöllő.
In 2017, “Elisabeth Award” by the City of Gödöllő.
In 2017 and 2018, I was awarded the “Hungarian Masterpiece Award” by the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for my replica of the Real Coronation Dress as the only original masterpiece in the world and also for my replica of Queen Elisabeth’s Hungarian ceremonial dress of 1854.
In 2020, “For the City of Gödöllő Award”
Mónika Czédly
Textile technician, fashion designer, retailer
D’Elia Salon – 8 Odray János Street, Gödöllő, 2100 – Hungary
Contact: info@delia.hu
Replica of Queen Elisabeth’s real coronation dress SUBTITLED
See the Contributors below the YouTube video.