So once back outside after a heady fashion rush at the MoMu, I get to loiter the cobblestoned streets of Antwerp. On this particular day it is a national holiday so the stores are closed and crowds are minimal, which actually makes it quite fun to windowshop…
and pretend to know what’s going on behind pretty doors…
The best part about Antwerp is that no matter how many times I’ve been here, there are always new corners to discover…
and random churches that harbor hidden gems such as displays of antique lace:
Best of all, even the well traveled spots in this town never get old to me!
My mind’s eye is all about colors like mustard yellow, Peruvian turquoise, clay orange, and avocado green. But by far I favor the color black for all practical intents and purposes. So Antwerp’s ModeMuseum (MoMu)’s current exhibition of BLACK. Masters of Black in Fashion & Costume (running through August 8, 2010) is right up my alley.
I’ve always liked the city of Antwerp because roads like these…
lead to the MoMu:
Beyond its traditional façade are a modern entrance
and a sunny, lofty interior:
Before you enter the main exhibition, there is a display of the MoMu Award 2010 winner Mariel Manuel’s quirky collection:
Then it’s on to a fantasy world where the color of night rules…just as I like it. Zwart is Dutch for black. And what better way to meet zwart than to be greeted at the door by this first piece, a Givenchy couture gown by Riccardo Tisci…
followed by provocative groupings of black clothing,
accessories (I especially love the leather harness in the first picture of the series below), and jewelry
by Belgian and international designers like Olivier Theyskens, Ann Demeulemeester, Victor & Rolf, and Junya Watanabe to showcase the history, evolution, and art of fashion in the context of the color of black.
I really enjoy this comparison between a McQueen and an 18th century gown…can you guess which is which?
Now you can’t possibly let me leave this entry without a nod to my favorite designer who made black de riguer, do you? Next to the simple black Chanel sheath dress, there is a quotation from a 1926 Vogue review: The Chanel “Ford:”…the frock that all the world will wear–its model “817″ of black crepe de chine…it will become a standard wardrobe component for all women of taste…” . I can’t think of a more apt or prophetic description for the little black dress.
It’s truly impossible to photograph the color of black, especially when flash photography is not permitted, so I’ll leave you with this one last shot that I tried to take a few times to capture all the details of the lace and beading used in the capes:
Tags: Ann Demeulemeester, Antwerp, Chanel, Givenchy, Junya Watanabe, Mariel Manuel, McQueen, MoMu, Theykens, Victor & Rolf
This gate to Chinatown could have been photographed anywhere in the world so why not in Antwerp? I don’t eat that much Chinese food when I’m in LA, but on the road, some good har kow (shrimp dumpling) always settles my stomach for some reason.
So after Breendonk I catch dim sum rather late in the day with a friend in Antwerp to celebrate the new year. I know Chinese food is about as universal as it gets, but a true measure of how good (translation: authentic) the food is at the particular restaurant is the quality of the har kow–whether the shrimp filling is tender with just enough crunch or whether the skin has just the right consistency. I’m no foodie, but I’m quite particular about this dish so I’m happy to report this particular joint passes with high marks:
As soon as I leave the couple of blocks that make up Chinatown, however, there’s no doubt that I’m in the Dutch region of Belgium:
With a bit of free time left on my hand, I try to get myself into Rubenshuis (the former residence and now a museum of Rubens) but I’ve just missed the closing time. You can get in for free on the last Wednesday of each month but no amount of money can get me in today:
So I try my luck at the ModeNatie building, which is a concept structure that houses the MoMu (ModeMuseum or Museum of Fashion), the Flanders Fashion Institute, a magazine, among other things.
but I also get there too late because I’ve been loitering around the main squares getting lost in all this gorgeous architecture:
Here’s some of what I saw at the Papenstraatje, just one of many beautiful corners:
Where else but here can you find a Hilton hotel and McDo in such exquisite buildings?
Anyway, I have missed visiting this literal fashion powerhouse on two separate trips to Antwerp now so I will have to book it into my schedule before I leave Europe this time. The Yohji Yamamoto store is also closing its doors so I don’t get to see the gorgeous clothes up close. I will definitely go back…sales are still raging here but I haven’t had much time to do any real shopping.
Between the great fashion and diamond shopping amidst ornate architecture, I haven’t even remembered to take pictures of the millions of restaurants all over Antwerp. These restaurants are so beautifully done they would give Hollywood a run for its money in hip factor. It would be so great to live here. Antwerp, I’ll be back!
Tags: Antwerp, har kow, ModeMuseum, MoMu, Rubenshuis, Yohji Yamamoto
