The Ann Demeulemeester boutique in Antwerp’s lower city has the feeling of a temple.  It’s in the ground floors of an old brick building on a corner of Leopold de Waelplaats, which was previously a naval officer’s training school and then a chemical manufacturing facility.  The shop, eleven years old, reminds me of the Commes des Garcons shop in New York.  These small spaces are both idiosyncratic and timeless.  They reflect the graceful, contrarian visions of the fashion designers, and feel a bit like hallowed ground.  Incense was burning in the Demeulemeester boutique when we arrived, which felt just right.

The store is made from simple, striking elements.  The tall corner entrance door pivots open.  The worn wood floors are pocked with scars from the building’s previous lives.  And the walls are made from primed and framed painter’s canvases installed proud of the existing brick walls, which are painted black.  The open wood staircase in back takes one to a mezzanine where there are racks and racks of Demeulemeester’s strategically asymmetrical black and white garments.  Windows look down onto the street, which is lined with cafes, old apartment blocks, and trees.  It’s an authentic, avant-garde space that’s also peaceful.