DANSK Magazine

The Antwerp Chronicles Part VII

The next chapter in the Antwerp saga came when we visited the legendary MoMu fashion museum.  Here, a terribly kind curator had dreamt up my dream fashion exhibition: ‘Masters of Black’ – with lots of stunning Olivier Theyskens. (Okay, okay, so I lied a little. My dream fashion exhibition would probably be ‘An Ode to Thierry Mugler’ or ‘James Marsters models Men’s Underwear throughout the Ages’.)

Now, if you’ve ever wondered why Belgian designers are so fond of black the answer may just be in their heritage: our fashion oracle guide informed us that in the 16th century, the Antwerp region was at the forefront of dyeing cloth black.

As we strolled through the dimly lit rooms (no flash photography allowed – ye olde Crackberry did not perform so well, alas) and looked at Victorian mourning dresses and Coco Chanel’s LBD from 1926, it dawned on me that pretty much all the pieces – even down to a plain, modest bonnet from the 1600s – wouldn’t look out of place in today’s fashion sphere. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the power of black.

www.momu.be / images courtesy of DANSK