Ceci n'est pas une t-shirt

One of the few locations which my team failed to reach during the Antwerp Fashion Hunt was Hospital. Thankfully, we swung by the concept store on Sunday afternoon to have a nosey around the huge space. The luxury boutique is housed in the former horse stables of Antwerp's race course (which sadly no longer exists) and stocks both Belgian and international designer brands, including the likes of Viktor & Rolf, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Paul Smith, Paul & Joe and Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair but also boasts of a terrific wine cellar and restaurant. However, as good as the other offerings were I entered the store with the sole aim of indulging in some much needed retail therapy...I headed straight to the Viktor & Rolf Monsieur rail...

A look inside the Hospital

From afar, Viktor & Rolf Monsieur served up a surprisingly reserved affair for Aw09. At first glance it lacked the colour, the humour and interesting themes of previous offerings. However, upon closer examination inside Hospital, it was clear that the design duo had created something special. The design duo had borrowed some of my favorite motifs used by René Magritte and created a collection which can be mixed and matched with ease whilst never failing to raise a wry smile...if I had been wearing a bowler hat it would have been tipped.

Looks from Viktor & Rolf Monsieur AW09

Magritte wanted to make people think about what he called "the mystery without which the world would not exist," by showing familiar objects in dreamlike and even surroundings. He believed that all objects are rationally related to each other and certainly explored the relationships between objects in his paintings. The objects painted by Magritte suggest an inherent meaning independent from the viewers' previous experiences, opinions and ideas and as a result, the objects become 'concrete universals.' Similarly, in Viktor & Rolf's collection, a black suit which from my initial squint at the look book appeared to be a simple, textured houndstooth had in fact used smoking pipe pattern and the rest of the designs were packed full of surprises. Bowler hat prints covered dress shirts, bow ties were padded and the herringbone pattern of a mackintosh coat was actually a printed-on nylon...nothing was quite what it initially appeared.

My purchase from Hospital...a cute Viktor & Rolf Monsieur t shirt.

My favourite piece was the T-shirt depicting a pipe-smoking man, with his face obscured by a large green apple. When I saw it hanging on the rails of Hospital I just had to have it! Here I am back home in grey London modelling the new purchase on my balcony half asleep. I'm not too good in the early morning! Annoyingly I have lots of pieces I'd like to show you guys but these super short Autumn days are really limiting my opportunity to shoot them. More of these personal shots to come and I promise I'll look (a little) less dishevelled in the next batch...

New tshirt worn with Carolyn Massey for Topman Lens scarf coat, hanging mittens by Carolyn Massey (you never know how cold it is going to turn), grey double pleated trousers from COS and patent shoes by Swear.

Hear the RA all the way from Antwerp

Peeking behind the reclaimed foam curtain of RA's changing rooms.

Susie might have beaten me to the punch on this and pick pocketed my memory card for a couple of shots to rub salt in to my wounded features but this concept store is too good not to mention here. RA13 will officially open next week but we were given a sneak preview of the huge space (800 sq metres) which is already crammed full of wonder and intrigue even thought most of it was still packed in boxes. When we arrived at the store we were greeted with a dust and sawdust plume as the builders were still frantically working (even on a Sunday) on creating a truly magical space complete with a thatched cottage buying area, reclaimed cinema seating for a music area and an outdoor forest to name but a few features.

It is when we entered the fashion space that we quickly realised how exciting this store was. Not just for the city of Antwerp but for anyone close enough to hop on to a Eurostar to make the trip. Dan The Scout walked us through the huge space and talked us through the array of design talent which left both of us motionless, tongues out, salivating like two hungry stray dogs who had just wandered in to the finest butchers in town. The full lineup is mind blowing and in truth I am too lazy to type them up so I will just give you a few of the names which are currently creating quite the stir my loins; Gareth Pugh, Damir Doma, Juun J, Frank Leder, Ute Ploier, Material Boy, Makin Jan Ma, Peter Jensen and Katie Eary. I was able to nose through the well stocked Frank Leder rail and it was the first time that I had seen his designs up close and I was particularly taken with the outerwear and accessories.

The designs reminded me of the designer. In all honesty, he is a deisnger I'm not too familiar with as I've never been able to buy his design. For this season, Frank Leder continues to weave the story of the ordinary man into the fabric of his own label and this time focusses on the Bavarian poacher. The collection incorporates authentic elements from the inspiration and Dan pointed each feature out to me as we . For example, the designer crafted horn closures from deer antlers (which I'm assured are naturally shed each winter) and shirts were made from antique sheets from the 1960’s. It was great to be able to feel (and possibly buy) designs which previously I had only ever seen online.

In addition to the bounty of design talent hanging on the rails throughout the three hundred square metre fashion space, the store is going to be home to a music area, a bookstore, exhibition area, food area as well as a designer vintage section. Ra promises to be a melting pot for fashion, art, design, music, books and even fine fine food. A quick shopping visit here will no doubt turn in to a long stay as each one of my senses is treated. The experience will start in the Kloosterstraat 13 in the heart of Antwerp giving one persuasive reason for my swift return but then the team wish to extend the experience throughout the virtual world of soon to be relaunched http://www.ra13.be/. I have previously mentioned that my ultimate dream is to one day open my own menswear store and I even have blueprints bouncing around in my brain. Well, it seems that two recent Royal Academy of Antwerp graduates, Romain Brau and Anna Kushnerova, who came together at a party and dreamed up this project have infiltrated my inner thoughts and are about to unleash a store which is a doppelganger to that of dreams (albeit on a much larger scale). I just cannot wait to shop here...

Louis, Louis, oh baby...

So for those who didn't see my twitter update on Saturday afternoon, we finished (a close) third (out of three) in the Fashion Hunt around Antwerp. The teams who finished in front of us demonstrated a combination of map reading accuracy and speed whilst we showcased a more gentle, measured approach, meandering our way through the city whilst taking far too many photos (as Susie's pretty collages demonstrate). In short, Aesop lied...slow and steady doesn't win the race when you are up against stylish, highly motivated and organised bloggers from Amsterdam and Paris! Despite coming last we had a lot of fun and our efforts were rewarded with gift vouchers to spend at either; Hospital (a relatively new concept store housed in a former horse stables), Elsa (a shoe and accessory boutique) and last but certainly not least Louis. Despite currently suffering from shoe buying fever I resisted the temptation for yet another whiff of that new shoe smell and headed to Louis...

Where I invested my wooden spoon prize...

An Antwerp institution, Louis was one of the first stores in Belgium to carry the work of the local and considerable design talent. Today, the boutique carries a sizable collection of Maison Martin Margiela and pieces by A.F. Vandevorst and Ann Demeulemeester. In addition to local designer fare, the shop also stocks Rick Owens, Balenciaga, and Lanvin to name only a few. Having had to recently throw away the only piece of Margiela in my wardrobe (a white tshirt bought cheaply from Century21 which just fell apart from far too much wear and tear) and inspired by oki-ni's recently unveiled archive/shrine to the influential Belgian designer, I headed straight to the MMM pieces.

The Maison Martin Margiela accessories caught my eye as soon as we entered the menswear area.

The inner Geography teacher lurking deep inside of me was instantly drawn to the ultra soft knitwear complete with fine grain leather elbow patches. I was initially taken with the camel v-neck cardigan (also available on oki-ni) but ultimately my mixed feelings towards the colour forced me to look again. In the end I plumped for a simple, softer than soft, v neck knit complete with matching leather elbow pads in an autumnal shade of forest green.

A close up on those shoulder pads, Miss Ash (my old Geography teacher) would be so proud.

The October Look from Fantastic Man that divided you lot has certainly left an impression on me. My initial style admiration has evolved in to something much more consumerist. The time where I jump in to some crisp Autumn leaves whilst singing 'Kumbayah' might be sooner than you think!

Carolyn Massey for Topman Lens scarf coat, new Maison Martin Margiela knit, blue corduroy shirt, purple jeans and grey socks all from Uniqlo, bag from COS and shoes by Mr. Hare.

Catastrophe almost struck though when my stomach cravings for something typically Belgian diverted my attentions away from my new purchase. After filling my craving belly by scoffing down a giant, ice cream topped waffle from the too tempting Desire de Lille all thoughts about my recent purchase evaporated and I left my shopping bag under neath the table. Thankfully a fellow diner chased after me as I waddled off down the street and reintroduced me to my forgotten friend. Catastrophe averted thanks to the fine people of Antwerp!

A close up of the tasty waffle which almost cost me my knit.