From Sundance, a Los Angeles Festival
p.32 & 33
With its experimental architecture, bijou furniture markets and numerous concept galleries and fusion eateries, Antwerp has long been known as Belgium’s capital of cool. The trendy little city, a buzzing hive of creativity, attracts an increasing number of artists, designers and other globetrotters with its thriving avant-garde style scene. This year’s fashion festival, which happens next month, will be the biggest it’s ever been. Here, a sampling of where to hang out in Antwerp this summer.
Antwerp Fashion Festival: the city’s runway event in September
What started out as an annual evening event to celebrate the city’s booming design fashion culture proved such a hit that it’s been upgraded to a two-day affair for 2014. Belgium’s next generation of aspiring talent is collaborating on a runway show scheduled for Friday, September 12. The next day, Antwerp’s fashion district will stay open late for the city’s own version of New York’s now-defunct Fashion’s Night Out. Runs Sept. 12-13, antwerpfashionfestival. com.
A bird’s-eye view of the tables at the Jane.Credit Eric KleinbergThe Jane: fine dining with a rebellious twist
Michelin-starred chefs Sergio Herman and Nick Brill are the brains behind this recently opened restaurant, housed inside the chapel of a former military hospital. The minimalist-meets-gothic interior, dreamed up by the Dutch design outfit Piet Boon, boasts tattooprinted stainless steel surfaces, a giant neon skull, mosaic floors and a huge spiked chandelier by PSLAB (you can’t miss it). The cosmopolitan menu, made up of small gourmet bites such as jellied oyster ceviche and pumpkin falafel, is just as memorable as the décor. Site ‘t Groen Kwartier, Paradeplein 1, 2018 Antwerpen, thejaneantwerp. com.
Graanmarkt 13: a fashionable compound and place to stay
Tucked behind Antwerp’s busy Leopoldstraat, you’ll find Graanmarkt 13, a lofty, 19th-century townhouse with three floors of art, ceramics, furniture and fashion for sale from the likes of Cedric Charlier, MGSM and Marni. The whitewashed walls, understated furnishings and floorto-ceiling windows, overlooking the leafy outdoor square and sublevel restaurant, impart an immediate sense of calm. And now, the elegant rooftop apartment is available for rent. Graanmarkt 13, 2000 Antwerpen, graanmarkt13.be.
Order up at Kornél.Credit Sien VerstraetenKornél: where caffeine and culture collide
Off the usual tourist trail lies the quiet, arty district of Old Berchem, where a cozy cafe-cumgallery, Kornél, draws a hip local crowd of friendly, creative types. In addition to the organic java and homemade brownies, there’s a vibrant exhibition space filled with works for sale by emerging local artists. Sint-Lambertusstraat 1, 2600 Antwerpen, kornel.be.
ModeMuseum inspiration overload
Fashion is the beating heart of Antwerp: the city has produced such talent as Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester and Martin Margiela. Dedicated to showing the best of Belgium talent, MoMu provides a platform for local style stars of past and present. Right now, work by Madeleine Coisne, a Royal Academy of Fine Arts graduate and winner of this year’s coveted MoMu fashion award, is on view. Nationalestraat 28, 2000 Antwerpen, Momu.be.
Hotel De Witte Lelie: the chic
(MoMu): little urban getaway
Elegant but unassuming, the 10-room De Witte Lelie (which translates to “The White Lily”) is a welcoming urban hideaway with vaulted ceilings and large-scale ceramics crafted by local artisans. In the summer months, the intimate, bloom-strewn garden terrace makes an excellent spot for an early evening aperitif. Keizerstraat 16, 2000 Antwerpen, dewittelelie.be.
Schuttershofstraat: shopping mecca
Belgian