It was a surreal image: while the people in the avenues of The Hague and in front of the television were eagerly looking forward to the King, Queen and Princess of Orange, there was a lot of vacuuming in the Koninklijke Schouwburg and on the red carpet in front of Noordeinde Palace. Precisely in these harsh, chaotic times, the aim was to have a flawless Prinsjesdag. Even the lackeys wore brand new uniforms.
The eagerness for this year was not only true for the outfit of Queen Máxima, but especially that of Princess Amalia, who made her appearance for the first time. It will be no small feat for an 18-year-old to step into the glass carriage relaxed and elegant in front of the nation. The young princess wore subdued emerald green – opted for a greenhorn of course. Her long, high-waisted dress had sheer batwing sleeves and was generously cleated. Her jewelry, hat and purse came from her mother’s wardrobe. Máxima herself wore a creation by Mohamed Benchellal, who lived in the Netherlands six months ago Volkskrant Magazine expressed the wish to clothe the Queen and her daughters – his prayers have been read and answered.
Máxima’s gray draped dress and matching cap hat were made from recycled mesh, a material the designer often uses. The third lady of the royal family, Princess Laurentien, dove into the Galaberliner in a floor-length pink robe manteau that sometimes looked just like a luxurious Barbie bathrobe.
Local color
Dresses and suits in fresh colours, there were plenty in the Koninklijke Schouwburg. Courtney van Rij, the wife of State Secretary Marnix van Rij (Finance) and mother of his six children, wore a shiny dance dress in shocking pink and a high summer sun hat. Minister Carola Schouten (Poverty Reduction, Participation and Pensions) donned an unfortunately somewhat wrinkle-sensitive pale pink tunic with an enigmatic buckle on the shoulder.
Perhaps even more popular than pink was the color purple. Ministers Sigrid Kaag (Finance) and Micky Adriaansens (Economic Affairs and Climate) both appeared in purple, the color of the suffragettes. Kaag kept it quiet in a suit with an extended jacket. Adriaansens wore a blue-purple hat and jacket over a pink-purple dress. Minister Karien van Gennip (Social Affairs and Employment) wore a soft purple trouser suit with a purple hat and a tiny handbag. Christine Teunissen (PvdD) combined a supple purple dress with a large gauze hat, overtopping party chair Esther Ouwehand, who drew attention to maritime misery in a sea-blue princess dress with a fishnet vest.
The one who didn’t like pink or purple, but did know the colour, was State Secretary Aukje de Vries (Additional Allowances and Customs), who went all out on the organ wearing a sturdy blue hat, an even bolder blue dress and a pouch with a spotted print. State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen (Kingdom Relations and Digitization) also entered with great bravado. She wore an eclectic, embroidered, bright green asymmetrical robe manteau with matching trousers and fascinator.
The activists
Of course, statements were also made with clothing. GroenLinks ladies Lisa Westerveld, Kauthar Bouchallikht and Suzanne Kröger wore borrowed and second-hand clothes. Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren (D66) wore an ivory white long dress by Ukrainian designer Svitlana Bevza, who donates part of her proceeds to the Ukrainian armed forces. Member of the House of Representatives Caroline van der Plas (BBB) also dressed combatively. Her headgear was a rustic straw hat that she decorated with ears of corn (‘wheat straws’, according to Van der Plas himself) and a colorful collection of playfully positioned peasant handkerchiefs. The rest of her look remained a deep dark black, the color of agricultural plastic. Thierry Baudet (FvD) took a position with an inverted flag brooch and a farmer’s handkerchief as a fun pocket square.
Polderglamour
And the rest? He was simply dressed for a party. Attje Kuiken (PvdA) revealed her inner Marilyn Monroe in a Kermit green figure-hugging dress with self-colouring pumps. The Oktoberfest had already started with Member of Parliament Lucille Werner (CDA). After last year’s loose bohemian robes, this year she chose something in which she could give her inner Sophia Loren free rein: a red ensemble with a generous cleavage and a bold red bow hat. This time, Minister Hugo de Jonge (Public Housing and Spatial Planning) wore his slippers in plain colors, but let his bold design heart speak through the interplay of lines on his tailcoat trousers and tie. And his striped wife Mireille, who completed her shiny dress with a somewhat lost-looking pastoral-romantic fascinator.
Finally: as far as high-profile but tasteful hats are concerned, the VVD took second and third place. Coryfee Ankie Broekers-Knol wore an object reminiscent of a gigantic bell pepper pringle, Justice and Security Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius understood the importance of balance and crowned a minimalist white suit with a heck of an origami hat. The trophy for the best headwear goes to Sylvana Simons, who combined a striped top hat from the Amsterdam studio Demure with a silver look from the young designer Duran Lantink.
