geosophy

, by Sophie

Brussels Museum of Fashion and Lace

Bonjour,

This week my aunt travelled over from England for a couple of days for a cultural city break in Brussels. As Wednesday is a half day for me at school, I met her in town after school and we went to to the Brussels Museum of Costume and Lace. Last year I did a huge history research project on European fashion in the 20th century, and I desperately wanted to visit the museum at the time, but never got round to it - so I was thrilled to finally get to have a look round.

The museum is really close to the Grand-Place, the central square of Brussels where there are loads of cafés and historical buildings. Tucked away in the little back streets are endless chocolate and tourist shops, but also many a hidden treasure, and this museum is definitely one of those. Also, the entry was only €2 which is more than a bargain!

The exhibition changes every year, and this time it's all about the glamour of the 1930s. I have to confess the thirties aren't my favourite decade (I prefer the twenties and the sixties), but nevertheless it was really interesting to see everything I'd found out while doing research for my project in the flesh - or fabric, so to speak.

Oh, and I stupidly forgot to take my new camera, so I'm afraid we've gone fittingly vintage with the quality of these photos!

Naturally I had to take a photo of anything velvet - this gets bonus points for being royal blue too!

I stood lusting after this vintage Vionnet gown for absolutely ages. The intricate lace is utterly gorgeous against the nude fabric and the cut is so beautiful I still can't get over it.

Possibly my favourite part of the exhibition: the 'intimates' collection, that is to say underwear and nightwear. I would totally wear the mint green nightdress with the lace edging, and I adore the pastel colours.

It was a truly lovely experience to spend an afternoon walking round this museum. It wasn't particularly big, but the information on each section was quite extensive and I made sure to read all of it. On the very top floor there was also a silent black and white film of Brussels in 1927 playing on a loop, so I sat and watched that for ages - it was really interesting to see the city then, as I could recognise certain neighbourhoods and monuments and compare the images with the present day.

I'll definitely be going back when the exhibition changes, and hopefully I'll take my decent camera then!