What's up Hivers! Today I'm inviting you to join a tour of show highlights in Hasselt Fashion Museum. The exhibition Dress Code was on view earlier this year.
Before I ordered a Museum Pass during the pandemic last year, the only fashion museum I knew in the country is MOMU (the Fashion Museum of Antwerp), because of the renowned Antwerp Six and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. But MOMU has been under renovation for years and will only reopen next month. In fact, Hasselt Fashion Museum was officially founded in 1988, earlier than MOMU's 2002. Sadly I ignored this small museum for so long, just like many other hidden gems in Belgium. So at least the stupid Covid has done something good too.
As the biggest city in Limburg region, Hasselt was a leading textile centre since the late Middle Ages, and it transformed into a trade hub at the end of the 19th century. The large number of master tailors and fashion boutiques also contributed to the foundation of the fashion museum.
Housed in a 17th-century convent, Hasselt Fashion Museum has a collection of around 18,000 garments and accessories from 1750 to the present day. These fashion items are mostly from Belgium and other parts of West Europe. It certainly can't beat the V&A Textiles and Fashion Collection in terms of period and range, while it has its own advantages, for example, there were less than 5 visitors in total when I was there.
You will see collections from famous couturiers such as Poiret, Lanvin, CD, Chanel, Courrèges, YSL, Balenciaga, Vivienne Westwood, Versace, Armani, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons, Kenzo... Special attention is paid to the Belgian fashion history and local designers like Martin Margiela and Raf Simons who are both from Limburg.
The exhibition explored 5 themes in fashion: form, fabric, vanitas, identity, and stories. While walking through different rooms, I enjoyed cracking the dress codes of those personal and cultural stories. Now it's your turn. :) Let's go through my photos of highlights to get on the discovery journey! What will you see? How will you feel?
在低调的小国比利时，有个低调的小省林堡，在低调的省会小城哈瑟尔特，有个低调的小馆名叫时尚博物馆。如果不是因为去年疫情没处去而办了全国博物馆pass，我一直都不知道这个小博物馆的存在。
好多年前在北京三里屯看到Martin Margiela的店，因为店名开头的"Maison"，误以为这是一家法国时装，后来来了比利时才发现，原来创始人Martin Margiela是林堡出生的奇怪的知识又增加了，早于大名鼎鼎的安特卫普六君子一年毕业于大名鼎鼎的皇家艺术学院，毕业后去巴黎打拼，创立了马丁马吉拉时装屋，John Galliano掌门后，改名为“Maison Margiela”。马丁为人低调，极少在公众场合露面，从不在时装发布会上现身。这个时尚博物馆里展出了一些他以往的经典设计。
而另外一位设计师Raf Simon，我以前知道他是比利时人，因为他做过很多大牌的创意总监，似乎比马丁有名。但是今年初来了这个博物馆才知道，他也是林堡出生的奇怪的知识双增加了。虽然一直觉得英雄不问出身，然鹅，人怕出名猪怕壮，他一出名，省会的博物馆里自然也要提几笔以表自豪。
扯远了，回到这次的服饰展。看着那些层层叠叠的旧时裙装，我的脑海里闪现出电影Coco Avant Chanel中的画面，年轻的香奈儿挣脱重重束缚，开创了一系列简洁优雅的现代女装，又美又飒~ 真是庆幸自己不用活在那个可以用裙撑当地球仪教地理的年代啊(￣▽￣)"……
图文 by Donica
