"We felt it was time to take a step back from Paris to create our own Chauncey identity so we based our label in Brussels, largely for its proximity to Paris and London. We could just as well be living and working in Antwerp or Genk though. I really feel that Flanders is the place to be. For menswear, I like the shop PH (68 Rue de Namur, Brussels), which stocks Jil Sander and other beautiful luxury brands like Balenciaga, as well as Martin Margiela (also available in his own not-to-be-missed, all-white concept store, 114 Vlaamsesteenweg/Rue de Flandre, Brussels). In Antwerp you can't avoid the Louis shop (2 Lombardenstraat) – a collection of all the best Belgian designers and many others. When you're tired of shopping, Cinema Arenberg (26 Galerie de la Reine) is a favourite for its beautiful atmosphere. Films are shown in English. It's inside the Queen Gallery, right in the centre of Brussels, near the Grand Place. For food, Volle Gas (2 Rue Lannoy) serves man-sized portions of traditional Belgian food, in a typical Brussels brasserie. The place to be for cool DJs (especially on Thursdays) is Delecta in the Ixelles part of Brussels (21 Place Fernand Cocq)."
More fun for guys
ANTWERP
In Antwerp there are endless men's fashion shops: head south to The Hospital (5 De Burburestraat) if only to see the open-top white vintage car parked in-store. If you're sick of clothes shops, record shop Mister CD (65 Lange Koepoortstraat) is an ideal hangout: it looks like it's been around since the 1960s, with a long narrow room lined wall to wall with LPs and CDs. If you do happen to be in the market for a diamond ring, it's also worth remembering that Antwerp is the place for diamonds. The choice is unrivalled and prices are considerably cheaper than they are back home. Result.
BRUGES
In Bruges, follow in the footsteps of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson with the In Bruges film map. The map details a route around the city, which takes in film locations including the fish market, the Basilica of the Holy Blood and the Groeninge Museum. Or take in the Halve Maan Brewery (26 Walplein), which started brewing beer in 1856 and today produces Brugse Zot, the only beer still brewed in Bruges city centre. Explore how beer is made on the 45-minute tour (which includes a free taster at the end) then enjoy a few beers in the cobbled courtyard.
GHENT
In Ghent, at the Dulle Griet tavern (50 Vrijdagmarkt) – known as the Bieracademie – you can choose from more than 250 different beers. Or just sit down with the locals at one of the many bars alongside the river on the Graslei. Traditional mustard shop Tierenteyn-Verlent (3 Groentenmarkt) is worth a look – bring your own jar and get it filled straight from the barrel. The recipe for the legendary mustard dates back to 1790 – it was brought to Ghent by -Napoleonic soldiers. There's a pop -culture shop, City Kingz (11 Hoogpoort), which sells spray paints, if you feel like adding your own contribution to Ghent's legal graffiti wall, the Werregarenstraat.
OSTEND
Play out your James Bond fantasies at Casino Kursaal (Monacoplein). You can't miss the vast white structure dominating the promenade – and you won't want to. Sign in at the desk and head up to the second floor to while away the hours on the slots or try your luck at blackjack or roulette in the gaming room.
LEUVEN & MECHELEN
If you're visiting in the summer and love the festival vibe, head to Leuven for one of its many music festivals. Marktrock, which takes place over a long weekend in August, attracts some 350,000 visitors for its mix of homegrown and invited talent.
Don't forget to round off your Leuven experience at Domus (8 Tiensestraat), a traditional Belgian restaurant that brews its own beer on the premises, soley for its own use. Over in Mechelen, you can take the brewery action one step further at Het Anker (49 Guido Gezellelaan), where you can sleep off your hangover at the on-site hotel.
BRUSSELS
Comic strip fans (admit it, that's you) can geek out in Brussels by -following the city's wall mural comic trail, visiting the Belgian Comics Centre museum (20 Rue des Sables), and hitting one of Brussels' many comic memorabilia stores, such as the obligatory Boutique Tin Tin (100 Boulevard Anspach). Stock up on rare films and vintage movie memorabilia at Cinema Excellence (94-96 Boulevard Anspach), or browse the latest volumes at tri-lingual book store Passa Porta (46 Rue Antoine Dansaert).
