Dóra and Fidzsi at the Fashion Show

Dóra Sápi walked on the catwalk of Tappancs és Tűsarok (Paws and High Heels) fashion show with her guide dog Fidzsi and her sister Réka. This is what Dóra says about her not everyday experience:

“When early summer Barathegyi called me to ask if I participated in a fashion show as a model, I was rather surprised. Of course, I like clothes, make-up, like women in general, but I never considered myself to be trendy, or suitable to be a model. However, I love dogs and I’m glad about every program in which I can take part with Fidzsi, so I said yes.

I was waiting for the first encounter with the intended fashion designer very excitedly. I was afraid that she might want me to wear a dress that is not my style or I don’t like it. However, my doubts have been allayed as I met Dóri, the fashion designer of Fibula. She immediately said that she imagined the costume design as a joint work and we would figure out everything together. I told her that I like shiny things as I see them the most and a kind of dress would be the best for me as a dog-owner, on which the dog hair is not visible. Together we palpated and looked at the pieces of previous collections. Then I came across the burgundy colored satin dress which I fell in love with immediately and on the basis of which Dori vegan to design my dress. The shiny satin fabric was perfect for preventing dog hair and we discussed that it will become a dream dress with sparkling beads at its neck.

Then several months of planning and fitting on came. We had a choice of material, went over the location and had a final rehearsal. Finally, the big day came.

In the picture Dóra is walking on the red carpet hooking on her sister and holding the leash of her yellow guide dog
Dóra on the red carpet with Réka and Fidzsi

Curiously, I climbed up the stairs to enter the room assigned to be the locker room. My dress has hanging on a hook. I just saw it for the first time in its final stage. It was beautiful: I could hardly wait to get it on. But first I had to fix my hair that was ruined by the wind and calm Fidzsi, who became more and more excited as her colleagues were coming one by one. I thought I would be very excited, but actually I had no time to be nervous. I put on the dress, sat down for make-up, had pictures taken of me and eventually I found myself hearing our music anf my sister whom I had chosen to accompany me, starts down the stairs. It was fantastic walking down the red carpet with Fidzsi and Reka at my sides secure in the knowledge that now I look really good. I rarely wear high heels and skirts, but I was so confident as if I was walking about in this outfit every day. This feeling was only intensified when at the end of the fashion n show some of the audience came up to us to congratulate. The evening passed over in the blink of an eye like the preparation before the show and I once again standing in jeans and a sweater holding in one hand Findzsi’s leash and a paper bag with my dress inside in the other.

I will miss the planning and organization, because ultimately it took almost half a year. It was cool to meet new people, solve the problems arising with them in a team and brainstorm what would be the best. This, I think, fully managed: the message of the fashion show, namely, that fashion and good looks is just as important to the visually impaired as the sighted and they do to achieve that reached lots of people.”