Before we descended on the fashion stores of Antwerp, we brushed up on our fashion history at the Mode Museum (Nationalestraat 28. Tel: +32-3-470- 2770. www.momu.be). The museum, opened in 2002, is dedicated to all elements of Belgian designers, including archives, housing of former fashion collections, conservation, and exhibitions, along with storage of over 33,000 objects. The museum is closed for renovation until it reopens in September 2021. Recent exhibitions have included an Olivier Theyskens (he rose to fame after Madonna wore a black satin dress he designed to the 1998 Oscars) retrospective, Martin Margiela Designs for Hermes, and Shoes in Fashion. During the renovation, MOMU literally took to the streets and painted and decorated the covers of 16 utility boxes with never-before-seen items from their collection.
The flagship Dries Van Noten store (Nationalestraat 16. Tel: +32-3470-2510. www.modepaleis.com) stocks the complete collection of the designerโs lines including menswear, womenswear, accessories, shoes, and fragrances. The store takes up the first two floors of a building from 1881, with a red marble front and rounded corners, and the interior is a study in eclectic luxury. Dries Van Noten is known for his mixing of two or three of his exuberant prints and patterns on one garment, and looking through the store you admire his genius. It was almost impossible to select just one item to buy, and my fantasy now is to win the lotto so I can buy out the store.
Grilled Vetetables at Graanmarkt 13
Photo: Heikki Verdurme
After my Dries Van Noten high, I came back to earth and hit the nearby menswear boutiques, discovering local shops and designers such as Arte, known for its fun streetwear, Christian Wijnants, who designs cool, patterned knitwear, and Vier, a skate shop featuring the โAntwerp hoodieโ worn by Kendrick Lamar in his music video โKings Dead?โ.
One afternoon we went on an architectural excursion to the outskirts of Antwerp. Zurenborg was developed as an upscale neighborhood at the turn of the century and has an extraordinary collection of Art Nouveau, Neoclassical, Greek Revival, and Neo-Renaissance mansions and apartment buildings. The gorgeous architectural details, including doors, window frames, iron work, mosaic tiles, and glass awnings and cornices, are a marvel to look at. Walk on Cogels Osylei, the main street where most of the homes are concentrated, and the side streets nearby.
For dinner that night, we splurged for a five-course meal at In de Balans (Kaasrui 7. Tel: +320-3226-3175. www.indebalans.be) with an innovative menu by chef Piet de Buysscher who dishes up his specialties in an open kitchen. Our dinner included oysters with lemon yogurt, Prosecco, and raspberries, entrecote with truffle mousseline and seasonal vegetables, and for dessert, a Sicilian pistachio cannoli stuffed with fresh ricotta.
Graanmarkt 13 (Graanmarkt 13. Tel: +32-3337-799. www.graanmarkt13. com) is a three-level concept design and fashion shop with a collection of clothing, accessories, objets dโart, and home accessories. In the lower level is a trendy, chic restaurant with an emphasis on vegetables, winning the award for Best Vegetable Restaurant 2015 of the Flanders region. The twocourse menu at lunch, and the threecourse menu at dinner, offers a tapas style plate with either all vegetables or a mix with meat or fish.
If you are only in Antwerp for a day, the must try restaurant is The Jane (Paradeplein 1. Tel: +32-3808-4465. www.thejaneantwerp.com). Located in a former chapel of a military hospital. The cavernous space was redesigned by Piet Boon in 2014, who turned it into a dazzling contemporary showplace. The food is equally dazzling, where a multicourse set menu for 185โฌ per person is served at lunch and dinner. The young chef Nick Bril frequently hits the road to get inspired, and when he returns to the restaurant he is bursting with fresh ideas from his travels. The Jane can also prepare a custom menu for people with food allergies, if you let them know ahead of time.
Pistachio Cannoli
Photo: ltummy
Antwerp has a sizeable gay population and there is a diverse selection of clubs, bars, and cafes. Two of our favorites are Cafรฉ Hessenhuis (Falconrui 59. Tel: +32-3231-1356. www.facebook.com/groups/195551583837932), a popular club an expansive dance floor located in the trendy Eilandje area. It opens at 4 P.M. for drinks and snacks and is closed on Sunday; and Cafรฉ Den Draak (Draakplaats 1, Tel : +32-3290-5304. www.dendraak.be), a fun and friendly cafรฉ, attracting a younger crowd, and is located in a pink house in the LGBTQ Center.
When it comes to accommodations, you know a hotel is uber-cool if Wallpaper Magazine picks it as one their best urban hotels. August Hotel (Jules Bordetstraat 5. Tel: +32-3500-8080. www.augustantwerp.com), what was once a convent, is located in the same building as The Jane restaurant and has the same design vibe. The 44 rooms are done in a minimalist yet luxurious style and have a calming effect. The former chapel with sky high ceilings, has been transformed into a sleek bar and lounge and it extends out to the garden area with a covered, heated terrace. August also has a retail shop with home accessories, and a takeout restaurant. A wellness spa was recently opened.
Boulevard Leopold (Belgiรซlei 135. Tel: +32-48-667-5838. www.boulevard-leopold.be), a hybrid of a hotel and guesthouse, is a stylish 19th century converted townhouse, with three rooms and two apartments. The rooms and public spaces are decorated with a well-curated collection of antiques and flea market finds, but the rooms have modern day amenities such as espresso machines, WIFI, and flat screen televisions.
If you are more into a cozy but luxurious B&B, De Koning van Spanje (Korte Nieuwstraat 12. Tel: +32-47-331- 2998. www.dekoningvanspanje.be) is owned by a lovely couple, Georgette and Karl Timmermans. They lovingly restored this 16th century house in the old quarter of the city and turned into three spacious suites with a bathtub, a whirlpool, and a separate walk-in shower. In the morning, Georgette serves a breakfast of softly scrambled eggs and freshly baked pastries and breads on antique dishes, and tea and coffee in delicate, fine china cups.
