IT MUST BE BELGIUM: The VIP opening for “The Antwerp Six” exhibition at MoMu on Friday night felt more like a family reunion, with Dries Van Noten hugging Walter Van Beirendonck, Raf Simons embracing his buddy Pieter Mulier, and Ann Demeulemeester leading a small group around the show, which opened to the public Saturday.
“That’s my Golden Spindle,” she said to Stefano Gallici, the current creative director of her namesake house, as she pointed to the diminutive fashion prize, which she received in 1982 shortly after graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Art with her classmates Van Noten, Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Marina Yee and Dirk Bikkembergs, who burst onto the scene 40 years ago.
Milliner Stephen Jones, fashion scribe Suzy Menkes, stylist Olivier Rizzo, fashion educator Linda Loppa and production guru Etienne Russo were among those who toured the multi-media display.
Mulier marveled at video clips of a student-aged Van Noten, who resembled “Together Forever” singer Rick Astley in those days.
Pieter Mulier and Raf Simons underneath articles about The Antwerp Six in WWD and DNR.
BOY KORTEKAAS/Courtesy of MoMu
A bit rueful, having just worked his last day at Alaïa – he starts at Versace on July 1 – Mulier said Bikkembergs was his go-to brand as a youngster, especially the pants and ankle boots, with the laces passing through the heel.
“I used to wear that one. I had it in four colors,” he said, as a photo of the boot flashed on a monitor.
Van Noten was soon headed to Venice to mount his debut exhibition at his new cultural foundation at the Palazzo Pisani Moretta, which will feature fashions by Christian Lacroix, Comme des Garçons and emerging Palestinian designer Ayham Hassan.
The VIP guests eventually filtered down to the foyer for the official opening ceremony, and speeches from Belgian politicians.
Dries Van Noten autographs the exhibition catalog for “The Antwerp Six.”
BOY KORTEKAAS/Courtesy of MoMu
Antwerp mayor Els van Doesburg, wearing a sleeveless black pantsuit and sequin top by Christian Wijnants, whose boutique is a spindle’s throw from the museum, spoke about her emotional connection to her clothes, and paid tribute to the Six for catapulting the port city into “a stronghold of visionary
fashion and creativity.”
“They reshaped neighborhoods. They put our Academy on the global map. They made Antwerp a reference point in fashion. We owe them all of that,” she said.
Later, four of the remaining Six (Bikkembergs was a no-show and Yee died last year) repaired to the Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp for a casual dinner in its 17th-century chapel.
Jones was easy to spot in his traffic-cone-orange vinyl jacket by Van Beirendonck, which he’s had for 28 years, forgetting how stiff the sleeves can become in winter. He was grateful for the crowded, warm venues.
Walter Van Beirendonck, Linda Loppa and Etienne Russo at “The Antwerp Six” exhibition.
BOY KORTEKAAS
