On August 27, 2024, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima paid a regional visit to Walcheren in the province of Zeeland. The Royal Couple visited the municipalities of Vlissingen, Middelburg, and Veere. The regional visit focused on the sustainable future of the Zeeland delta. During their visit, the King and Queen met with some entrepreneurs.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima started the day with a visit to the Scheldekwartier in Vlissingen, where the De Schelde shipyard was once located and where a residential and business area is now being developed with new construction. The King and Queen then visited the Joint Research Center Zeeland in Middelburg.
Natan Lace Dress
They both look beautiful, but a more summery look on a sunny day with temperatures up to 25 degrees (I live in Veere) would have been nice. This seemed a bit too formal imo.
ReplyDeleteToo heavy and froo-froo for the occasion. She wears it well and looks great, but not for this outing. MR
DeleteShe looks stunning, despite the dress. But I think Natan should retire now. - Grace
ReplyDeletei know. am trying to defend this dress and hat but today am lost for words!
Deletems.
@Anon 22:33. Look, now don't get stressed.
DeleteLet's forget the dress and all that stuff.
Let's just be happy to see Queen Max back from her holidays, safe and sounnd.
Let's just pretend that we never saw her ensemble.😀
I have a question. I discovered that the word "ensemble" is also used in English. Lucky for me because I have been using it several times here, as I don't know the exact word in English. But here the queen doesn't wear an ensemble. She wears a dress. An ensemble in French means a skirt or dress with a jacket or a light coat in the same fabric as the dress or the skirt and has about the same length or a little bit longer. In the Netherlands it is also called a "complet" also a word that is lend from the French language. Is there an English word for it or do they also lend it from French ? I think this has indirectly something to do with fashion, or hasn't it ?
DeleteHello Anon 18:31.
DeleteWhen I use the word ‘ensemble’ in English, it is to include everything that the person is wearing e.g. dress, hat, shoes, handbag etc.
I sometimes use ‘an outfit’ to replace an ensemble.
Outfit, from old English origins ????
NOTE: I am not an expert on the English language.
Thanks for the explanation deadeggs. In fact what we call an outfit (also used in Dutch) is what you call an ensemble. What we call an ensemble is what I explained earlier and is a French word used in the Haute Couture vocabulary.
DeleteI usually admire Q. Max’s exuberant style but this outfit is dreadful in every way. The fabric looks more like steel wool than lace, the design is clumsy especially on the shoulders, the hat is completely pointless, and the jewelry compliments nothing at all. Not even the Queen’s lovely smile can salvage this mess. (V.M.)
ReplyDeleteO M G can’t believe she is wearing this.
ReplyDeleteNot bad, maybe a bit to dressy for a morning event? Don't care much for the hat and the shoulder bow or whatever it is. But her smile is great as always. css
ReplyDeletewedding day for Maxima and her lady in waiting, for everyone else its a field day
ReplyDeleteA field day ? Every year king Willem-Alexander and queen Maxima visit parts of The Netherlands just like every other king or queen does (i.e. king Frederik and queen Mary of Denmark). This time it is the Province of Zeeland and its beautiful little towns. They are received by the authorities of these towns, like the mayor, etc...They are visiting a shipyard, a business and a research center ....
DeleteHair is perfect, hat is lovely, dress has potential but is far too fussy. There’s just too much detail, off shoulder, ragged edges, and fussy but cheap looking lace overlay. Even Queen Maxima struggles to look exuberant in this dull grey colour
ReplyDeleteAnnieM
Dress is fuglly, hat, totally fuglly, heels, un-needed. What the heck was she thinking? Necklace, did not work with dress, much less hat. She had to have gotten dressed in the dark.
ReplyDelete@ Anon. 22:44
DeleteThe necklace is appearing from pic. N° 8. Since it is made of shells it is probably a present from habitants of Zeeland, known for seafood.
If you are visiting several places and are received by the authorities like mayors, etc... When regularly you are visiting parts of your country as a king and queen, I don"t see why a queen cannot wear heels. On the picture taken on the beach (last picture on the left) the queen is wearing ballerina's. The necklace is made of shells, a present of people in Zeeland who make these necklaces. As a queen she cannot refuse to put it on.
DeleteTotally out of date and out of place this dress and hat.
ReplyDeleteMake-up and hair: beautifull.
The outfit looks more fitting for a "Mother-of-the-Bride". As mentioned above, just not as appropriate for these events. And not as flattering to her body as so many of her other gorgeous dresses. Looks like she added a shell necklace along the way, perhaps a gift and always nice to wear gifts from those you visit.
ReplyDeleteThis outfit is … really, really not to my taste. The color, lace with nude fabric underlay, netting (?), transparent shoulder, wrinkly torso are just not a good-looking combination. And it seems like an especially odd choice for meeting with entrepreneurs and being by the waterfront during the daytime. Maxima’s hair looks nice, however.
ReplyDelete-Royal Watcher
Wow, the first picture there is something sheepish about her smile, as though she may be nervous about the dress - and sure enough, read all these comments. I'm not a fan of the nude lining. A blue lining, such as the color of W-A's suit, would have been gorgeous. Christine
ReplyDelete@ Christine
DeleteQueen Maxima is not afraid to wear an old dress and she doesn't care what people on this blog might think of her.
This dress and hat are hot mess--seriously, they are messy. Natan has some things that are good but this dress is nowhere near that area. The only positive thing I can say is that this color of blue looks very nice on Queen Maxima. ai don't get that necklace either--perhaps she is wearing something she was given because it is not in every photo. Whatever it is it looks dreadful with this mess of a dress. King W-A looks neat and very well put together his blue suit.
ReplyDeleteJanet
Janet - I think the miracle here is that she doesn’t look dreadful - she looks wonderful - despite the Nathan dress. Which is pretty amazing! Bob.
DeleteMaxima ziet er in deze jurk uit als een oma, mede doordat haar haar wel grijs lijkt.
ReplyDelete@ Anon. 8:15
DeleteHaar blonde kleuring is bijna geheel verdwenen en moet waarschijnlijk opnieuw worden gedaan na de vakantie. Haar natuurlijke haarkleur is veel donkerder en gemengd met de rest lichtblonde haren en ook door de grijsblauwe jurk lijkt het inderdaad of zij grijs is.
Superbe la couleur de cette robe en dentelle mais pas pour cette visite particulière ; ce genre de chapeau/bibi n'apporte pas une touche élégante !
ReplyDeleteTout est dit et bien dit ! Rien de plus à ajouter.
ReplyDeleteOn n'entend pas celles qui sont pourtant toujours admiratives de la reine.
Elles ne s'insurgent donc pas sur toutes les critiques ? Bizarre ! ;-)
Ah, zut, j'aurais dû être négative, elles seraient venues tout de suite pour me mettre en miettes. Ce sera pour la prochaine fois !
Paloma.
Ah non ? Vous n'avez pas bien lu les commentaires de ceux qui au moins ont essayé d'expliquer pourquoi elle porte un collier de moules et huitres, pourquoi elle porte des hauts talons et pourquoi ses cheveux on l'air d'être gris. Je viens d'apprendre sur un poste de télévision que le roi Willem-Alexandre a été offert du vin à boire dans une grande coupe fait en or et argent sur le balcon de la mairie de Veere. Une très ancienne tradition qui dit que seul le marquis de Veere et Vlissingen peut boire de cette coupe. Puisque le roi a hérité ce titre de marquis de sa mère la princesse (reine) Béatrix, c'est lui qu'on a offert à boire dans cette coupe. Les rumeurs disent que c'est toujours du Chablis qui est offert. Voilà une raison pour Maxima de mettre une robe en dentelle et des hauts talons. Elle a mis cette robe également pour deux visites d'état dans le passé. (La robe ont l'aime ou on ne l'aime pas, mois je n'aime jamais les robes de la reine Camilla et la reine Maxima possède de plus belles robes que celle-ci.)
DeleteAh non ? Vous n'avez pas bien lu les commentaires de ceux qui au moins ont essayé d'expliquer pourquoi elle porte un collier de moules et huitres, pourquoi elle porte des hauts talons et pourquoi ses cheveux on l'air d'être gris. Je viens d'apprendre sur un poste de télévision que le roi Willem-Alexandre a été offert du vin à boire d'une grande coupe fait en or et argent sur le balcon de la mairie de Veere. Une très ancienne tradition qui dit que seul le marquis peut boire de cette coupe.
Delete@ Paloma
DeleteOeps une partie de ma contribution n'a pas été imprimée ???!!!!!
Donc, le marquis de Veere et Vlissingen est un titre que le roi Willem-Alexandre a hérité de sa mère la Princesse (reine) Beatrix. Voilà une cérémonie qui demande d'être habillée dans une robe et des hauts talons. Même si on n'aime pas sa robe elle a essayée de s'habiller plus formellement, ce qui est normal. Voilà, je dis cela à ceux qui trouvent qu'elle n'aurait pas dû mettre des talons et une robe en dentelle. Sur la plage elle a d'ailleurs mis des mocassins.
The dress has very much a mother of the bride vibe. The top of the dress looks like it got attacked by seagulls or maybe it’s an homage to fisherman🤣
ReplyDeleteSuzieQ
@ SuzieQ
DeleteHow rude of you to make the fishermen ridiculous. These are hard working people who are on the sea when it rains and it is cold to catch the wonderful seafood for us.
14:43 I think this was an attempt to be funny but it comes across as quite challenging/rude to a stranger.
DeleteAnonymous 14.43 no intention to insult fishermen and fisherwomen at all. Apologies to all who see it this way.
DeleteI love the joke and I don’t read anything disrespectful towards fishermen in it. Those guys are no wussies, they probably won’t mind the joke.
DeleteAnon 06:44 and if they're British fisherman they's probably fall about laughing and ask if you have another "funny" about fishermen that you could share with them. 😁😀😂
DeleteThe habitants of Veere, Walcheren, Vlissingen are not British and only a part of them are earning their daily bread by fishing.
DeleteIt is so easy to think one can say anything and later tell us it was a joke. Not everybody can appreciate this kind of humour. It proofs that this website in fact is British inspired, but don't forget there are people all over Europe and beyond, who are reading these comments. Maybe if I told something that is considered as a joke in my country, you wouldn't appreciate it either.
DeleteAgree with others, the dress a definite 'throw it in the bin', along with the hat, a total mess from top to bottom. The necklace, not appropriate with the fru-fru bits on the dress or the lace.
ReplyDeleteEdwina
Nobody thinks it needs a "pop" of colour. .....;strange.😏
ReplyDeleteI thought a blue lining would be better....Christine
Delete@ deadeggs
ReplyDeleteThe pop of color took place already. Today Queen Maxima visited another place in yellow trousers and a beautiful blouse by Zeus + Dione.
Oh good. I was getting worried.
DeleteA “pop” of colour seems to be one of our favourite pieces of advice we give.
First paragraph, third sentence: The regional visit focused on the sustainable future of the Zeeland delta. Sustainability could explain some things here; the necklace, a choice to not debut a new dress. Of course we all expect to wear an outfit more than once, so that is not a criticism, just a statement. The ruffle at the neckline does not compliment the lace, that seems to be the consensus. @ Anon 10:40, I will try to be more clear in the future, I was thinking of the opinions of the people in the crowd who waited in person to see her, not the opinions of us here, where she probably doesn't know the blog exists. Christine
ReplyDelete@ Christine
DeleteIf you look at the Dutch websites, the people in the crowd who waited to see her are much more positive than the opinions on this blog. Don't underestimate Queen Maxima, she knows more than you think but she doesn't care what you or me think of her outfits. She has a very busy agenda and a very busy life and she dresses like she feels taking into account the place where she is expected that day, the reason why she must be there and the people she will meet. These tours through the several parts of The Netherlands can be compared with mini state visits. If she should show up each time in a new dress, people would not be pleased. All the pictures of this visit are not shown on this website. There was a ceremonial part in Veere with King Willem-Alexander that I explained earlier on this blog.
Ugly and ridiculous outfit for the occasion. It looks so out of place… and it ages her terribly.
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