19/10/2026
ABODI TRANSYLVANIA — Preserving our heritage.
Ursula wears an antique lajbi/lejbi/melles, a traditional sheepskin vest dating to the late 19th or early 20th century, features scarlet leather appliqués faded to pink, intricate floral and spiral motifs, dark glass beads, and metal rivets. Collected by Dora Abodi’s mother, and gifted to our art collection, it preserves a precious fragment of Transylvanian cultural heritage. The lejbi is probably from Transylvania.
Similar late 19th-century and early 20th-century garments are preserved in textile institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/127508
Museum of Ethnography in Budapest and Kallos Gyűjtemèny in Transylvania has similar pieces, however each piece is different in embroidery patterns and colors and embellishment depending on which village are from.
She wears a traditional Kalotaszeg ceremonial crown headpiece “gyöngyös párta” from the 1970s or 80s, collected by , richly adorned with pearls, beads, and colorful details. Probably from Magyarvista/Vistea.
The look is completed with ABODI Transylvania white shirt and a multilayered white cotton skirt, reconstructed from vintage underskirts and finished with broderie anglaise trim and the Vampire Castle Mini, bringing ABODI’s distinctive aesthetic into a contemporary dialogue with tradition.
At ABODI Transylvania, collecting, preserving, and sharing our traditions is also an act of standing against cultural appropriation. We believe Transylvanian cultural heritage must be approached with respect, context, and acknowledgment of the communities that have kept it alive. When brands and artists outside Transylvania draw from our traditions without being part of Transylvanian community, it is the lack of respect for the people behind them, the voices of the originating community risk being erased.
Our heritage is not simply an aesthetic to borrow. It is a living culture, and we are committed to protecting its stories, craftsmanship, and identity for future generations.
Photo taken in the backstage by
