October 26, 2005 | 3:30pm
Today is a beautiful sunny day, so I decide to have breakfast in Patine (Leopold de Waelplaats 1), a bistro-coffeehouse not far from where I live, in Antwerp's trendy 'South' district. The place is homey and a bit old fashioned, the owners are very friendly and their homebaked fruit tarts and frothy cappucino are out of this world. Feeling energized I stroll past the Royal Museum of Fine Arts and the Ann Demeulemeester flagship store opposite it, towards Spullenhulp (Volksstraat 52), a huge warehouse spanning two floors that sells second hand clothes, furniture and other interior objects and various bric-à-brac for unbelievably low prices. As the proceeds go to charity, I never feel guilty shopping here: check out the boutique on the ground floor, where with a bit of luck you can score a brandnew pair of Seven for all Mankind jeans for 40 euros. A bit further down the road is Baby Beluga (Volksstraat 1), a girly shop decorated in black and Schiaparelli pink that will make every woman's heart sigh with joy. Antik Batik, Matthew Williamson, china lane, La Fille d'O and other feminine fashion, perfume, jewelry and accessories vie for your attention here and restistance is utterly futile.

Nationalestraat used to be a bit rundown, with lots of nightshops and spaces that were for rent for months on end, but thanks to the ModeNatie (Nationalestraat 28), that was founded six years ago and that encompasses the Flanders Fashion Institute, the Antwerp Fashion Academy and the ModeMuseum, the neighbourhood is flourishing again and both emerging and established designers are hurrying to open a shop here right now. Just opened is the store of Violetta and Vera Pepa (nr 24), twin sisters who graduated at the Antwerp Academy some years ago and who offer a very balanced collection of clothes, accessories and footwear. Other young designers you'll find here include Revital Avidar with her shop Maison Close at nr 139, Véronique Branquinho at nr 73 and Annemie Verbeke just opposite, while at number 72 Garderobe Nationale sells labels with a strong design feel such as Just in Case, Bruuns Bazaar and Victor Victoria and footwear by Belgian designers such as Nathalie Verlinden and Billa. If you want to spoil your inner hippie, a visit to The People of the Labyrinths should do the trick, if you like sexy but tasteful lingerie Marlies Dekkers at nr 39 has everything your heart desires, avantgarde footwear lovers head straight for Elsa at nr 147 and if your taste runs more towards established labels, try either Fragma at nr 35 for designers such as Missoni, Versace, Givenchy, Hussein Chalayan and Marni, or A La Mode at nr 25-27 for Etro, Juicy Couture, Kenzo and the largest selection of Paul Smith in Belgium. Both shops cater for women and men and are too good to miss! A la Mode is opposite the ModeMuseum so if you have a bit of time left over, make sure you pop in for a look at the Forum and Gallery on the ground floor (free) or to see the exposition 'Katharina Prospekt', curated by Belgian designers A.F. Vandevorst on the first floor (paid admittance).

After a pit stop for lunch in trendy Brasserie National at number 32 I take a leisurely walk through Steenhouwersvest, just around the corner. My favorites here include Christoph Broich with his incredible handprinted clothes (nr 28), Bazar Bizar at nr 18 for their exotic interior objects straight out of 1001 Nights and Francis (nr 14), the best vintage shop in Belgium, both for fashion and interior objects.

This place has to be seen and experienced to be believed. I then take a small detour to Melkmarkt, where on nr 17, on the first floor right above my favorite newspaper shop International Magazine Store, Pulp Department Store opened its doors just one month ago. The owners also publish Pulp Magazine and love Japanese gadgets and hard to find labels from all over the world, such as Umbro by Kim Jones, that they sell exclusively for the Benelux. This will become Antwerp's Colette in no time, mark my words.

I finish my shopping bonanza by veering into two of the side streets of Nationalestraat. My first destination is Walter (St. Antoniusstraat 12), the shop of Walter Van Beirendonck that of course sells his own label, but also those of Bernhard Willhelm, Wim Neels, Bruno Pieters, Dirk Van Saene, Eley Kishimoto, Bless, Christian Wijnants and other creative masters. The shop is housed in a huge former garage and also acts as a gallery. Two streets further down the road you'll find Aalmoezenierstraat, a charming pedestrian street where budget concious label lovers find Labels Inc on nr 4: carefully selected second hand designer pieces and a lot of new clothes from recent stocks of designers such as Dries Van Noten, Raf Simons, Bruno Pieters, Marni and other delectable goodies. If you like surprises and discoveries, this is the place for you! An extremely sweet shop is Les Gazelles at nr 28, where the owners show a love for unique pieces from all over the world, with handwork playing an important part: embroidered bags and skirts from Thailand, intarsia sweaters from Scandinavia, silks and cashmeres from China, Fair Trade accessories and work of Academy graduates from Antwerp and Ghent -everything for an individual look that will make you the envy of your friends when you get back home. Individuality, creativity and talent is where it's all about in Antwerp -and you can discover everything within easy walking distance: very handy when you have to carry all those shopping bags around!

Find more fashion and shopping destinations in Antwerp at coolcapitals.com!