THE COOLEST PARTY OF THE YEAR

That was just how it was

With this silly work of mine, I could easily stand somewhere every evening with a glass on the left and a bitterball on the right at a little party. That's just the bizarre turn my existence has taken. I can tell you: five-star parties get boring. Not all of them, but often I prefer The Voice on the couch with tea (actually wine, but that sounds so Jellinek II) over an A-list location with Don Perignon.

But there are those invitations that do strange things to me. Out of shock, I immediately RSVP and even put it in my agenda. Just like with that one from Vogue. Rhymes. Recycled paper, golden letters, everything stylish and chic, as it should be.

Last night it finally happened. After the launch of truly the most beautiful cover of the year, last night was the party. The whole day the question flew around. “Will I see you tonight?” I loved casually mumbling left and right that I unfortunately couldn’t make it on Thursday, something about a Vogue party. “You can’t?” “Oh, you’re not invited.” Really. Mart Visser once said that I am a false niece who accidentally was born in a woman’s body. I think he’s right.

Anyway. Yesterday it suddenly happened. Suddenly I say, because I had a crazily busy day, had indeed swished a beautiful RVDK dress into my car in the morning, but there really wasn’t any thorough preparation time. I tried to sneak in through a side entrance, but there was a red carpet and I was personally pushed in by Edwin Smulders. I hope you forgive me my slightly too large bag. And otherwise, I’ll just say it’s fashion.

Guys (my daughter says ‘jommens’), this was the coolest party in ages. Even more fun than the launch party. It felt like we were at a wedding and we, as guests, were warming up the space when the bride and groom (Karin Swerink and Mario Testino) came in with family and close friends (Paul Bellaart, Jetteke van Lexmond, Fiona Hering, Martien Mellema, Marije Goekoop, Marjan Jonkman and so on and so on). Yes, there is a boss above the boss. Because that dinner, of course, I wasn’t there. And rightly so. The atmosphere was already great there. You get that when you dine under the Night Watch. Listening to René Froger singing Amsterdam’s tearjerkers accompanied by an accordionist while the whole hip mishpoche does a little polonaise.

Then the clothes. Because you can imagine that everyone goes all out.

The kimono was a thing

One wore it colored in a jacket, the other in a dress. Rozemarijn de Witte (you know, from the most fun hotel in Ibiza) was of course the most beautiful and had bought hers in Japan.

The red dress

I thought I would be the only one, but I spotted six flaming red dresses around me. What was the most fun? That a particularly handsome man came up to me who wanted to introduce himself. Turned out to be Ronald van de Kemp himself. In other words, the designer of my dress.

Underwear as outerwear

Best rocked by Marije Goekoop, but also Kiki Hirschfeldt who had hung her bra on the willows and wore a beautiful lace dress with a deep neckline, got five pictures from this teacher.

The headpiece

Karin Swerink with a tiara with an upright feather (I guess from Maison Michel) looked absolutely lovely, beautiful, and fashionable.

I danced my way outside and hopped into the day.

Image source: Vogue Netherlands – Reinier RvdA

Image May-Britt Edwin Smulders