Attending the Showroom Antwerp presentation at the Flanders House in The New York Times building was like discovering a handful of rare gems in the treasure chest that is Fashion Week. Jam-packed with shows and presentations, many smaller designers are often overlooked during this industry frenzy. Nouveau PR, who helped run the event, made sure that this was not the case with Belgian designers: Anke Loh, Anna Heylen, Idriz Jossa, Lenny Leleu, Marc-Philippe Coudeyre, Peter Ceursters and Stephan Schneider.

Providing a unique insight into the collections was a beautiful photomontage by Flore Zoë. The Belgian fashion photographer’s work reflected her vision of the fashion process via captivating images that explored an unspoken creative tale while cohesively linking the designers’ journeys. As for the ready-to-wear clothing and accessories, there were certainly some standouts. I gasped over Marc-Philippe Coudeyre’s collared silver lamé catsuit embellished with oversized grey buttons. I also loved his cropped lambskin jackets with perforated raglan sleeves.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a garment that I couldn’t decipher as either a scarf or shirt. A closer look and a chat with the designer, Peter Ceursters, revealed it as a “sharf”. Ceursters explained that the scarves are vintage cardigans and men’s shirts, which he deconstructs, lines with silk and turns into sharp, cozy wraps.

On the sunnier side of the seasons, designer Lenny Leleu put my bathing suit fears to rest. Her line of swimsuits and t-shirts, which double as bodysuits, are incredibly flattering because she strategically places thick stretch elastine in all the right places. Additionally, many of the hand-made bikinis mimic art sculptures. A white bandeau constructed of thick strands of rope that churn from the chest and form a knot at the belly button before cascading back down the bottom was a personal favorite.

Finally, I came upon five mannequins—each more outrageous, inventive and inspiring than the next. The designer was Anna Heylan. Working mainly in black and white, with the exception of a beautiful smoky grey and blue restored fur, Heylan created a collection devoted to marrying menswear with womenswear. Her bold techniques—seen in the darting leather embellishments on the back of full-leg trousers, the intricately woven pattern of a raffia dress and the black velvet arm covers with gold palettes—were exquisite. Victorian hoop-inspired shirts covered layers of crinoline, and a long black, fitted smoking jacket shown over a checkered turgid turtleneck sweater cleverly mastered the duality of deconstruction and construction.

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