304 TRAVELLERS’ NEEDS
Brands of Belgian beer on sale at a specialist beer shop, Bruges
FASHION
Belgian fashion has become
a force to be reckoned with
since the 1980s, when a group
of designers, the Antwerp Six,
rose to fame. Among them
were Dries van Noten, Ann
Demeulemeester and Walter
van Beirendonck. Although
each is very different, they
all developed a novel urban
look, which was sometimes
anarchic and controversial,
and sometimes demurely chic.
Led by the famous school of
fashion at the Royal Academy
of Fine Arts, Antwerp is a
key player in international
fashion and a good place to
shop. Dries van Noten has an
outlet at Het Modepaleis. The
shop called Louis carries the
work of many top designers
including Raf Simons and
Martin Margiela. Likewise,
Verso has Kris Van Assche
and Dirk Schönberger, as well
as international brands.
Boutiques are also seen in
Kammenstraat, National-
estraat, Kloosterstraat and
Schuttershofstraat. Coccodrillo
is best for shoes.
Leading designers also have
shops in other cities, most
notably in Brussels (see p86).
Annemie Verbeke has an
outlet in Brussels as well as
in Antwerp. Olivier Strelli has
branches in 11 towns and
cities in Belgium.
CHILDREN’S CLOTHES
Belgians produce some very
attractive clothes for children.
These are available from
specialist high-street shops,
such as Filou & Friends, as well
Clothes, purses and tablecloths
trimmed with fine Belgian laceDIAMONDSAntwerp is the global capital
for diamonds – the Jewish
Quarter near Centraal Station,
is where 70 per cent of the
world’s diamonds are cut and
polished. Retail outlets at
Pelikaanstraat and neighbour-
ing streets offer diamonds at
prices that are 15–30 per cent
lower than prices in the high
streets of other European cities.
A good place to start is the
Diamond Museum (see p154)
or Diamondland, the largest
diamond shop in the city.
Bruges claims to have been a
pioneer in diamond cutting
and polishing in the 15th
century, a story celebrated in
the city’s Diamantmuseum,
which also has a shop.BELGIAN LACELace (see pp26–7) has been a
traditional product of Belgium
since the 16th century. Hand-
made lace is expensive. It is
available at specialist outlets
such as Manufacture Belge de
Dentelles in Brussels as well
as The Little Lace Shop and
Kantcentrum (see p116) in
Bruges – both cities long
associated with lace-making.
The tradition of handmade
lace has been dramatically
undercut by machine-made
lace, particularly from the Far
East, and is also available for
sale in outlets in Belgium. It is
therefore important to insist
on a certificate of authenticity.JENEVERBelgium produces more than
270 types of this high-quality
gin (see p166), including fruit-
flavoured jenever, Liège pékèt,
straight jenever and associated
spirits such as brandewijn and
corenwijn. Some are still sold
in traditional ceramic bottles
that make intriguing gifts for
aficionados of fine spirits.
Belgian jenever is a gin to be
drunk pure and on its own,
not with a mixer or even as a
chaser. To taste the full range
before buying, it is best to go
to an authentic specialist bar
such as De Vagant in Antwerp
or ‘t Dreupelkot in Ghent.BEERIt is well worth bringing home
some bottles of Belgian beer
(see pp282–3). There are at
least 400 different beers to
choose from, and a huge num-
ber of brands. Specialist beer
shops such as The Bottle Shop
and the Brugse Bierpaleis in
Bruges, and a number of
others in Brussels (see pp87)
offer the best. Supermarkets
carry a large stock of many top
brands, at the best prices.as department stores such as
Inno (which has branches
in 11 towns and cities) and
even the major supermarkets.BISCUITS AND PATISSERIEBelgium has simply fabulous
pâtisseries. Every town has
several top-class specialist
pâtissiers producing sumptuous
chocolate cakes, glazed fruit
tarts and a range of simpler
tarts based on almonds and
crème pâtissière. Turnover is
high and competition fierce.
Therefore, tarts and cakes are
remarkably good value for
money. Belgium also has a