Never in my life would I ever have thought I’d have a dress on display in a museum exhibition in Europe. This is exactly what happened and I decided to visit the Cool Japan exhibition in person at Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden, Netherlands.
MUSEUM VOLKENKUNDE – COOL JAPAN EXHIBITION
Seeing My Dress On Display in Leiden, Netherlands
HOW IT HAPPENED
Just 2-3 months into starting my blog late last year, I received an e-mail from Museum Volkenkunde. They had found my blog post 5 Things to Do in Asakusa online and wanted to see if I could lend them the Alena Akhmadullina dress for an upcoming exhibition. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Once I confirmed that this was a real email from a real museum, I quickly responded and agreed.
I found this dress on sale last year in June when I was traveling in Moscow. I had been eyeing this collection for a while so I snatched the dress up right away. Several designs from this resort collection by Alena Akhmadullina were inspired by Hokusai’s famous work “Great Wave Off Kanagawa”. This correlated perfectly with the upcoming Cool Japan Exhibition at Museum Volkenkunde, which aims to showcase Japanese culture and its influences on European designers. There are many categories in this exhibition and my dress falls under the ‘Fashion’ section. Check out this excerpt on fashion and the essence of Japanese style here with a section about my dress! (You may need to use google translate) Also, check out the Cool Japan exhibition website for all the other items on display.
THE VISIT
It certainly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to have your clothing displayed in a museum, so naturally I had to visit in person. I organized my month-long travel plans so that Amsterdam would be the last leg of the trip. We took a train from Amsterdam Central Station and got to Leiden Station within 40 minutes and walked 5 minutes to Museum Volkenkunde. Upon arrival we were greeted by my coordinator Fiona and the curator, Rik Herder, who took us on a tour around the exhibition. I was amazed at the attention to detail of the entire space and how authentic all the display items were. It felt as though I was in Japan.
When I grew up in Australia, Japanese was a compulsory subject in middle school. I loved the language and the culture, so I continued to study the language and went on multiple student exchanges in Tokyo. My longest stay in Japan was 3 months where I studied Japanese at a language school. So visiting this exhibition was like reliving my childhood memories! I was recently informed that this exhibition was so well received that its exhibition dates have been extended to October 29th. So if you happen to be near Leiden, or visiting Amsterdam before then, make sure to check out the exhibition and my dress!!
– COOL JAPAN EXHIBITION DETAILS –
Hours: 10am-5pm (Until October 29th)
Tickets: €14 for adults, €6 for students
Website: http://cooljapan.volkenkunde.nl/
Location: Steenstraat 1, 2312 BS Leiden, Netherlands
– OUTFIT DETAILS –
Two-piece Shirt Dress from Storets
Otaboo Boots by Christian Louboutin
Sasha Structured Bag by X Nihilo
Needing Fame Aviator Sunglasses from Quay Australia
Classic Black Belt by Dolce & Gabbana
Hat from H&M (Similar here)
Collier de Chien Bracelet by Hermes
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| Photography by Austin Donohue |
Visiting Amsterdam and looking for the most unique and authentic experience? How about staying on a houseboat!