#Fashonista and #SamediLibrairie

Austria and Hungary – few countries have closer and tighter knit bilateral relations.
One area where cooperation between Austria and Hungary is particularly strong and important is the economy: Austria is the fourth most important trading partner for and the third most important investor in Hungary. Approximately 1,400 Austrian companies secure over 70,000 jobs here.

Together with the Budapest offices of the Austrian National Tourist Board and the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, which are both departments of the Austrian Embassy, we have decided to launch a series of lifestyle events in 2025 to showcase the creativity and innovative strength of the Austrian economy.

Stylish clothes are a girl’s best friends
Since I love beautiful clothes, it quickly became clear that a fashion-related event would be part of our lifestyle focus. We developed various ideas, and the final result can be seen at one of our national holiday receptions this year: Austrian designer Luise Hecher presents ball and evening wear, which she designed and manufactured especially for this occasion, at a fashion show in the Austrian Residence.
In addition to wearable fashion for all occasions, which Luise Hecher creates in her “Modewerkstatt” (‘fashion workshop’) in Vienna's hip 7th district, her work also includes costumes for theater, opera and ballet, as well as numerous commercials. One of Luise Hecher's projects, for example, was the design and manufacturing of costumes for a film about Empress – Queen in Hungary – Sisi.
It's very important to me to feel well-dressed. This is obviously related to my job, but above all, it gives me personal confidence when I'm happy with my appearance. And just as tastes vary, different aspects of clothing are important to everyone. For me, comfort and versatility are paramount. Since I usually have very long work days with a variety of activities and don't usually have time to change between appointments, my clothes have to be comfortable and suitable for a wide range of occasions.
When I look at old photos, I realize that my taste and appearance in clothing have barely changed over the years. Even in pictures from my childhood, I mostly wear pants and flat shoes. I've remained true to that style.
Not surprisingly, my personal style role model is Marlene Dietrich, who made the pantsuit socially acceptable for women.
I have a particular weakness for leather clothing and I love jeans. Is there anything I personally don't particularly like? Yes, long dresses; so, ball gowns are more like workwear for me.

Bookworm
Another passion of mine is reading. I love exploring other languages, cultures and eras this way. I'm currently discovering new Hungarian writers. I also like to share what I'm reading on social media. I usually use the hashtag #SamediLibrairie; for me, there's no better way to start a weekend than with a new book.
As an avid reader, I read a wide variety of genres, and due to my job, I naturally read a lot about politics. Some books have been with me for decades, and I re-read them again and again – in particular "Radetzkymarsch" by my favorite author Joseph Roth.
By the way: I often decide to buy a book because I like the cover. And when I go on vacation, at least half of my luggage consists of books.
In my opinion, books are also the best gifts – they say a lot about the giver. My favorite gift-giving memory therefore also involves a book: a few years ago, a dear friend and I gave each other the same book for Christmas – "Engel des Vergessens" (‘Angel of Oblivion’) by Maja Haderlap, a bilingual Slovenian-German Austrian writer.

What’s next?
When it comes to the fashion scene, bookstores and antiquarian bookshops, Budapest still holds many surprises for me, and I'm looking forward to discovering them!