Fun & Famous
7 x Why Jetteke van Lexmond is the woman you need to know
This week a package was delivered to me. It happens more often, but this one was very special, because it was both from Chanel and from Jetteke van Lexmond. Since I've talked so much about the former, I would like to roll out the digital carpet for Jetteke.
First, let’s talk about how it came to be, that package from Chanel and Jetteke. Chanel asked Jetteke to name twenty women who were close to her heart, and those women (regardless of the number of followers on Instagram or fame) received a beautiful bottle of the new Chanel fragrance (L’Eau No 5) and a beautiful poster. I also received the exclusive tube. Just like Lieke, Doutzen, Jetteke's mother, and well, just a company you really want to be a part of.
And no, not just because I was mentioned in the same breath as Doutzen (although that is of course quite nice), but mainly because the sender is Jetteke, who for many reasons is one of the nicest and strongest women I know.
1. She is still humble
Most fashion people find it completely normal to be flown from New York to London to Paris to occupy the front rows. By the way, here’s how you can get to that front row in six steps. You’re really established if you sigh that you’re so busy because you have to go to both the Chanel show and the Dior re-see, then to Valentino and also stop by the Longchamp showroom. And then sigh deeply. That someone puts you through that, it’s a shame. Not so Jetteke, who bounces with joy when she walks into the Grand Palais in Paris to see the Chanel show. “I realize every time how special it is.”
2. She had no connections
You might think that Jetteke has a famous sister, and I won’t deny that, but Jetteke was already a stylist before Lieke became famous. She knew from the age of nine that she wanted to be a stylist and collected everything related to fashion, asked stylists if she could shadow them, and was immediately hired as head of fashion at the magazine Yes after her training.
3. She is the best mother
Jetteke may be traveling a lot or in studios, but whenever she can, she is with her children and does Really Fun Things with them. For her oldest son’s ninth birthday, she went to Rome with him, admired the art, and hired a guide with whom they cycled around the city for days.
4. Jetteke cooks, eats, and drinks
In a world where appearance is so important, Jetteke is a delightful exception, because she drinks and eats. Healthy, for sure, but also tasty. And if she feels like a hot chocolate, she just has one. I don’t know a more uncomplicated eater than Jetteke.
5. She has the best taste
A baggy jeans, a simple shirt, a Chanel necklace, and always a picture of a bag. It can be Hermès or Vuitton, or Chanel and of course something from their beautiful jewelry. Finish it off with casual cool hair and you have the Jetteke look.
6. Everything is good
Without going into too much private detail, I know how cool, warm, and open Jetteke is when she meets people who are ‘different’, who may not quite fit into our society. Jetteke doesn’t find people strange, but special. If only we were all like that.
7. And then her husband
Alex Jaspers, the man who, while we were far too busy socializing on the beach of Pampelonne, realized that my daughters had been gone for quite a while, went looking for them, and returned with a daughter in each hand (mine, of course), while I hadn’t even noticed they were gone at all...
Dear Jetteke, if you are reading this, pour yourself a glass now and toast to yourself. Dear readers, if you meet Jetteke, pour a glass for her and celebrate her, she deserves it.
