70 AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER 15 2008
does not, at first glance, come across as an
emerging global fashion capital. It seems
quiet and not the least bit flashy. But once
the aggressively hip, fun details come into
view, the true imageofAntwerp emerges.
Attheheartofthiswalkableandextreme-
lybikeablecity is the stunningmain square,
called the Grote Markt. Surrounding the
famed Brabo Fountain — which depicts
the Roman soldier Silvius Brabo tossing
the severed hand of the giant Druon Anti-
goon into the Schelde River — stands the
city’s ornate guildhalls and the Renais-
sance town hall. Looming
nearby is the Brabant Gothic
masterpiece
Onze-Lieve-
Vrouwekathedraal
Antwer-
pen (Our Lady’s Cathedral of
Antwerp), the largest church
in Belgium. All of it exudes
old-world charm, but wander
in any direction and you’ll spy
hintsof superstylishnesspeek-
ingout.
Almost every one of the
winding warren’s cobble-
stoned streets fanning out
from the center of town leads
immediately to a little square
filledwithhip restaurants and
cool shops. In the city center
and to the north are a hand-
ful of churches with works by
Antwerp’smost famous artist,
Peter Paul Rubens, and some
of the city’shottest restaurants
in the docklands district. To
the east of the city center is
the train station, a popular
pedestrian shoppingareawith
all the internationalbignames
(H&M, Zara, etc.), and the
diamond district, where 85
percent of the world’s rough diamonds are
traded. To the north is the world’s fourth-
busiest port. And to the south liesHetZuid
andNationalestraat, the heart of this city’s
burgeoning fashiondistrict.
The storefrontsonNationalestraat,Volk-
straat, andLeopolddeWaelplaats read like
a who’s who of the Flemish fashion world.
DriesVanNotenhashisflagship store right
across from the ModeNatie — a building
that houses the ModeMuseum Provincie
Antwerpen, the world-renowned fashion
department of the Artesis Hogeschool
Antwerpen, and the Flanders Fashion In-
stitute. Then, further south, another of the
city’s most celebrated designers, Ann De-
meulemeester, has a shop that appears at
first to be an art gallery—which is fitting,
given that her pieces are often compared to
works of art byher artist friends/collabora-
tors JimDineandPatti Smith.
The neighborhoods around ModeNatie
have become such mainstays of the fash-
ionworld that evenmajor designers based
outside Belgium are opening shops here.
Yohji Yamamoto — whose only other
IF YOu GO
For Eating ...
AsAntwerp is one of Europe’s oldest and richest
port cities, its culinary influences come from all over
theworld.
LucyChang
(Marnixplaats 16-17, 011-
32-3-248-95-60,
) serves fancy
pad thai in an industrial-emporium space. In the
docklands district, try
MuroTurks Eethuis
(Ver-
schansingstraat 61, 011-32-3-237-43-65, www
.muroderman.be), a recently refurbishedgrill that
whips upAnatolian specialties like ground-lamb-
stuffed eggplant, chicken pitas, and crispyTurkish
pizzas. For a splurge, try
Dôme
, the best restaurant
in town (andVanSteenbergen’s favorite). It’s in
a stunning art nouveau building and offers food
preparedby French chef JulienBurlat and hiswife,
SophieVerbeke, former stylist for DriesVanNoten
(GroteHondstraat 2, 011-32-3-239-90-03). Finally,
don’tmiss theworld’s best fries—with some curry
sauce— at
FrituurNo. 1
(Hoogstraat 1).
For Shopping ...
Hit theModeNatie-area storesmentioned, aswell as
Walter
(St. Antoniusstraat 12,
beirendonck.com) for pieces byBrunoPieters and
ChristianWijnants. At
LXP
(Hopland53,
.com), you canpick up items byChloe, Dior, andTim
VanSteenbergen. And for the best shoes in town,
hit
Elsa
(Nationalestraat 147,
.be), which carries Fiorentini +Baker, HusseinCha-
layan, andother hard-to-find footwearmasterpieces.
For Sleeping ...
Try the
Hotel ‘t Sandt
(from$211, Zand 13-19, 011-
32-3-232-93-90,
, a29-suite
hotel in theOudeStadneighborhoodwith rooms on
the topfloors that offer amazing views of the cathe-
dral. The
HiltonAntwerp
(from$260, Groenplaats,
011-32-3-204-12-12,
) is centrally
located; it’s right around the corner from themain
square. For a stylishandaffordable stay, try
Bou-
levardLeopold
(from$140, Belgiëlei 135, 011-32-
486-67-5838,
, a three-
guest-roomB&B run inanineteenth-century Jewish
Quarter houseby a friendofAnnDemeulemeester.
Shopwindows in theModeNatie
