Fashion Disneyland here I come…

I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a website that has made be salivate so much about over travelling.  Especially to a place like Arnhem in Netherlands.  However, during 1st-30th June, the second largest city in Netherlands will play host to the Fashion Biennale, the second one ever and this time, it’s Happy Happy Happy!  It promises to provide 10,000 m2 of fashion-related experiences over the month with several locations across the city holding exhibitions but also getting the whole city festooned in fashion.  Films, performances, catwalk shows, exhibitions all going off during the month.  Basically, it’s the Disney Land of fashion recreated.  I’ll just throw some exerpts out from the site that have got me frantically figuring out how I can get time off to hop along to Arnhem and searching for cheap B&B hotels to stay at whilst I’m there:

The fashion hautes…
"Lanvin, Maison Martin Margiela, John Galliano and Viktor & Rolf hang in a garden landscape of fragrant roses, butterflies and delicate sounds from countless musical boxes."

A former bricksowrks is transformed into…
"The Wizard of Oz, transporting visitors past castles in the air, looking-glasses and clouds towards the end of the rainbow, where there are dresses by Spijkers & Spijkers. There is also work by Bernard Willhelm, Jan Taminiau, Yoshikazu Yamagata, Rodarte, Bas Kosters and other Dutch and international designers to be found in the midst of this Happy fashion fairytale."

The catwalk that belongs to the public…
"The longest catwalk also returns as ‚Äòthe never-ending catwalk’, a spectacular fashion parade through the heart of the city."

Fashion is free for all to enjoy…
"Clothing, accessories and photos in all sorts and sizes hang like laundry on washing lines above the city centre’s streets and alleyways."

Then there’s the rollcall of names involved – established and up & coming, a celebration of fashion today…. Basso & Brooke, Bernhard Willhelm, Cassette Playa, Cathy Pill, Gareth Pugh, Matthew Ames, Peter Pilotto, Rodarte, Romain Kremer, Sandra Backlund (recent Hyeres 2007 winner!), Three as Four…

The awesome Diane Pernet will also be documenting everything as she always does so well and presenting You Wear it Well. 

So not everyone can take a little journey to Arnhem but other fashion capitals could get something out of the BIennale as a special Arnhem Mode Biennale collection of 10 dresses will be sold at Colette in Paris, Pineal Eye in London, Appartment in Berlin and Opening Ceremony in New York.

Not that I will settle for that.  No, somehow, the journey to this magical happy land of Arnhem will happen…