Monique des Bouvrie
I had already been to the palace of Jan and Monique des Bouvrie (never before had I seen such a special, inspiring, rock ’n roll, and cozy house) but I had not yet had the pleasure of meeting her walk-in paradise.
Today I did. Jet and I drive onto the crunchy gravel of the Naarden villa and already have an enormous desire for all the things we know we are about to see. First, we briefly meet a film crew from France 5 (even the presenter thinks it's the most beautiful house he has ever seen) and then we walk up the stairs to the inner sanctum aka Monique's dressing room. How wonderful to have a room instead of a shabby walk-in closet. Monique had all the hangers sprayed in sparkling chrome. ’Costs just a bit more than wooden hangers from IKEA and has a grand effect.“ We nod humbly.
Then the showpieces come out of the closet. Copper shoes by Zaha Hadid. “They're not easy to walk in, that's why I stick nipple covers on my heel and then I can manage.” She prefers to combine the shoes with a stunning dress by Thierry Mugler or Paco Rabanne.
The nice thing about Monique is that her love for art also comes through in her clothing. Especially her latest purchase from Roksanda Ilincic, who drew inspiration from the German artist Joseph Alberts, fits perfectly into her oeuvre. “I don't want to follow fashion, I walk my own path.” She is also crazy about her dress from Lisa Perry that she bought in Miami, which features works by Roy Lichtenstein on her dresses. “It doesn't have to be expensive. I switch from designer to the market in St. Tropez. If I like something, I want to have it.” This also applies to shoes. Monique has a delightful shoe closet, Giuseppe Zanotti, Christian Louboutin, you name it and Monique has them. “If my perfect pair of shoes is just one size too small, I still buy them and ask my assistant if she can break them in for me.” And by the way, Monique doesn't use shoe protectors. “Nonsense,” she thinks.
“They're not easy to walk in, that's why I stick nipple covers on my heel and then I can manage.”
Monique loves accessories immensely. She has drawers full of the most beautiful belts (Maison Martin Margiela) and statement necklaces (the one from Ann Demeulemeester is a favorite, but by the end of the evening, she's glad to take it off because it's so heavy...) are in abundance. A lot of Hervé van der Straeten (yes, we spotted the same bracelet on Monique as Queen Maxima) but also just some Zara pieces.
At the bags, we marvel at Gucci, Hermès (of course) but also a nice fake Birkin that has been very artistically altered), great clutches from Jimmy Choo (which Monique recently received from her daughter Bo), the transparent Charlotte Olympia clutch, and also the creative adaptation from Zara. Nowadays, Monique walks around with her Marc Jacobs. “I don't switch bags every day. I find that too much hassle. I carry a certain bag for a while and then swap it for another one.”
When asked what her latest purchase is, Monique starts laughing hard. “I ordered two dresses from net-a-porter.com, one from Victoria Beckham and one from Roksanda Ilincic, but they were still in the box, and our right hand accidentally took them to Het Arsenaal (their home store) to show off as a gag gift under the Christmas tree, haha.”
As we enjoy a glass of prosecco and look out over the garden with life-size artworks, Liesbeth, the support of Jan and Monique, comes back to return the infamous black box. We admire the Victoria and dance around the Roksanda and return home inspired and happy.
Here’s to you Monique. And to your wonderful wardrobe.
- Dress, € 1650 (Victoria Beckham via net-a-porter)
- Pumps, € 750 (Alexander McQueen via farfetch)
- Tote bag, € 995 (Victoria Beckham)
- Necklace, € 1105 (Hervé van der Straeten via net-a-porter)
- Top, € 498 (Roksanda Ilincic via thecorner)
- Dress, € 1110 (Roksanda Ilincic via thecorner)
- Skirt, € 415 (Chalayan via net-a-porter)
- Blazer, € 1190 (Thierry Mugler via farfetch)
- Belt, € 285 (Lanvin via farfetch)
