Fashion and diamonds! What more could a girl want.

LOCATION:

 

Antwerp, Belgium

 

To be perfectly honest, Antwerp was not initially on my radar. But after doing a bit more research, I decided I would stop for a night on the way to Brussels. I knew there was a strong diamond connection, but was pleasantly surprised to find my hotel was located right in the middle of the diamond district - meaning that I passed shop after shop after shop. I stopped to look in each of the windows, and probably drooled more than one time. Antwerp has had a long history in the diamond trade, and up until 2012, an estimated 84% of the worlds diamonds passed through here for cutting or polishing. In the last year though, many of these services have been outsourced to cheaper locations.

One of each, please!

 

The other thing I learned I doing some research is that Antwerp has quite a fashion scene. One of the best fashion schools in Europe is here, and it has an impressive museum which I was excited to check out. The primary exhibit featured silks from the Abraham Archive, which dates back to 1878. Another cool exhibition was from new students, where the assignment was the shape study of a dress.

The rose silks were beautiful.

Here is a finished product.

It is no surprise I was drawn most to the animal prints.

Where can I find a coat like this? Seriously. Love it.

This was my favorite piece, the picture doesn't do it justice!

 

From one of the students... At least your hands would stay warm!

 

Sometimes my favorite part of fashion design is the sketches.

After the fashion museum I made my way to the Sint-Anna tunnel. It was opened to the public in 1933 as a passageway under the river, so residents no longer had to rely on ferry service. The wooden escalators are still in use today, but were a novelty in the 1930's!

Wooden escalators, for two stories.

The tunnel is 0.4 miles each way and is open to bikes and pedestrians. Surprisingly clean inside!

I also saw the main square in Antwerp, and learned some of the interesting folklore surrounding the city. Legend has it that the river was once guarded by a giant, and he cut off the hands of sailors who refused to pay his toll. Roman soldier Silvius Brabo defeated the giant and as punishment cut off his hand and threw it into the river. The story is of course untrue, but is where the city gets its name - hand-werpen (werpen = to throw), and the giant hand is still a symbol of the city.

A statue of Silvius Brabo

A giant hand sculpture, near the main square.

 

One last thing about Antwerp was just its overall opulence. Even storefronts and office buildings were beautiful. Though this is Belgium's second largest city, I feel like one day was enough to see the main sights. Now, off the largest city in Belgium, Brussels!

 

This was just an average street corner, with McDonalds and The Gap below!

 

 

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