After the day of trains and the French countryside, it was time to stay in one place.
It was November, and Brussels was festive with Christmas lights, the warmth of the season set against the chill in the air. It was a magical time to be in the city.
Having missed Calais and its lace history the day before, I made a stop at the Musée Mode & Dentelle (Fashion & Lace Museum).
My visit began with a special exhibition on Belgian fashion designers, known for carving their own path. There was a grit to their work, and to the way the exhibition told their story, that reminded me of New York City. At the time, I was living in Paris and had begun to see that grit through Parisian eyes. Here, I saw it anew, as something to embrace and a reminder of home.
From there, I found myself in the Lace Room. It was here that I realized history can be told in a modern and compelling way. I was in luck, too: the Lace Room had reopened that very month with a new display.
Brussels was synonymous with handmade lace for centuries, until the machines arrived in the 19th century. By the First World War, Brussels lace had all but vanished. Cue Caudry’s Leavers loom from the day before.
There was a grit to their work … that reminded me of New York City.
Within the Lace Room were drawers. I was intrigued. What lay inside them? One way to find out.
One drawer was labeled “Louis XIV,” a reign that ran from 1643 to 1715, and the one below it “Régence,” the brief regency that followed, from 1715 to 1723. One piece was delicate and intricate, yet raised, rounded and full, words I had rarely used to describe lace. It was lace with a presence of its own. The pieces below were narrow bands of lace, daintier and lighter, yet far from fragile. There was a delicacy to them that drew me in. I could begin to envision how they might be used today. Though they were from the 1700s, they seemed so modern.
The day was more than a museum visit. It encouraged me to rethink how I look at the past — how we should look at the past. It is not about dusty artifacts left to sit in a drawer, underappreciated. They, too, should be embraced and allowed to inspire. Those drawers were protecting treasures, moments in time, that will continue to shape what we make next.
— Aimée