At the start of the 20th century, during the Belle Epoque, Belgium’s seaside town Ostend was at its height as a fashionable European summer destination for the bourgeois families. New fashions were being bought and showed during the social activities, such as the races and golf tournaments, during the summer season.

The role of Ostend as a town where people went to see and be seen, and as a centre for the development of the ‘coastal etiquette’ for the upper classes is described in the book Koninginnen aan de Noordzee (Queens of the North Sea) by Tom Sintobin (VUB).

An article by Wim Mertens and Karen Van Godtsenhoven (Les élégantes, fashion during the Ostend season 1900-1905) is featured in this publication, focusing on the fashions related to the new sea-side activities, and will be presented at a book presentation on Saturday October 19th , 2:30 PM, in the panoramic hall of the cultural centre De Grote Post.

The book presentation is accompanied by a screening of Henri Storck’s ‘Image d’Ostende’.
Entrance is free but registration is required: cultuur@oostende.be