A lot can be discovered about a city from the clothes its citizens wear, and even more perhaps, by the clothes they throw out. From musty dark second-hand recycle bins to the more chic vintage boutiques, its all been worn before and I went to check it out.
It is said that Brussels is not as fashionable as its stylish cousins Paris, Milan or London, but what is its rating on a global style survey? It doesn't feature, unfortunately. Despite an abundance of creative designers, and a growing number of internationally known brands, Brussels can't be found on any top ten style lists, or top 50, for that matter. Brussels fashionista and style blogger Perrine Postic says “Style in Brussels is hidden, you have to look for it to find it, not like in Antwerp. It may be because the city is poorer than Antwerp, people use their money differently”. But even Mumbai and Dublin come higher on style surveys than Brussels. Are these people on drugs?
Fortunately, my personal style is not very tendence. I used to think Moschino was an insect repellant. But with so many festivals and parties happening this summer, its time to shuck off my overcoat and reassess my wardrobe, which after a brief once over turns out to be full of falling apart H&M garbage that you wouldn't give to a dog to sleep on. And being a freelance journalist during a financial crisis means means I'm not exactly dripping with cash. The sheer number of second hand and vintage shops in Brussels means I could do a bit of cheating, so I called up my editor and asked if he would mind “funding” my summer outfit challenge. He gave me fifty quid and a deadline. Thanks, Tony!
The area around Halle St. Gery is famous for beautiful pre-loved vintage shops. My first stop was the Ramon & Valy Vintage shop on Rue des Teintures. Valy was a stylist for 15 years and she knows what she's talking about. Her shop is full of vintage pieces from the 20s and 30s, all in very good condition and smelling good. Though the clothes were to die for, the price tags were not: a classic second hand 1920s dress comes with a 75 euro burden, and though it was lots of fun being dressed by Valy and paraded around the shop, we air kissed goodbye and I went on to cheaper things.
I then tried the other end of the scale, less vintage and more hand-me-down. Rue Malibran in Flagey has a number of musty, pot luck second hand shops. The nameless no. 58 Rue Malibran is run by a Syrian family and features lots of discarded Zara and ETAM articles, sometimes featuring suspicious stains. The items are less lovingly displayed than in Valy's and the owners are less likely to administer style advice. It was difficult to find anything incredibly chic from the bins of balling, shapeless size 46 t-shirts piled up in every corner. What I did find however was a pair of almost brand new black and white kitten heels from Cinderella's of Boston. No stranger to bargaining, I got the owner down from 13 euro to 9 and left the shop with the shoes swinging in a plastic Delhaize bag. Nice.
Episode on Rue Violet is a big vintage shop right around the corner from the Grand Place. It is a hit with RUN DMC fans and the baggy pants brigade. You can find a nice 1980s shiny tracksuit for less than 30 quid. The question is why would you want to? It has original pieces and revamped oldies and is a popular spot around halloween. (Is it really okay to buy your clothes from a shop that's popular around halloween?). Their price range is well within budget and they have an array of really beautiful gear. A proper look through the rails would take hours so I handpicked a couple of nice pieces, asked a few shop assistants “Do I like fat in this?” and chose a very nice (even if in need of an iron) black dress with pink and purple stripes and hanging neckline. Very sexy, very feminine and a nicely priced 25 euro. I also picked up a chic 70s purse for 10 euro. Episode, we salute you.
Modes on Rue Blaes in an unassuming little shop full of one of a kind bric a brac. Like any vintage shop worth its salt, it would take hours to get through all of the leather jackets, velvet waistcoats and Chanel ballgowns that are crammed into the shop. So I went straight to the sunglasses section where I found, among piles of 1970s aviator Raybans, a pair of oval shaped black vintage shades for a decent 10 euro. Strong, sturdy and incredibly retro.
Dress : 25 euro Episode
Purse : 10 euro Episode
Shoes : 9 euro no. 58 Rue Malibran, Ixelles 1050
Shades : 10 euro Mode
Total : 54 euro
Wear it again, Sam
Second hand shops abroad are usually called charity shops or op-shops. Clothes are donated to charity and the profits from their resale are used for different causes. Not so in Brussels. The clothes you donate are generally sold for profit, apart from a few notable examples like British charity Oxfam which has shops in the city centre and around. Les Petits Rien is a charity organisation that fights poverty and social exclusion in Belgium by gathering, sorting and reselling second hand clothes, furniture, books, appliances etc. Their colossal warehouse can be found on Rue Americain.
Buying second hand shoes is slightly nasty if they have been worn a lot by their previous owner. Getting a decent pair is pot luck – they only come in one size. It would be disgusting to wear shoes whose original owner had a foot hygiene issue. On top of that, the original owner may have passed away - second hand shops often get their stock from the houses of the recently deceased. This doesn't bother me too much but walking around in dead people's shoes is a bit too creepy for some.
Tip: to get the old smell out of your “new” old clothes, the trick is not in the washing: you need to hang them in the wind for a day or two and then throw then in the wash.
Upmarket : Rue Dansaert, Rue de la Paix, Rue de Flandre
Slightly tattier: Rue Malibran, Flagey, around Avenue Jean Volders, St Gilles
Downright cheap: Place jeu de balle market, Les Petits Rien
Best place for second hand books : Nijinsky, Rue Page, Ixelles (near Chatelain market)
For bikes : second hand bike market every second Sunday at Gare du Midi
No comments:
Post a Comment