Fashion

The fairy tale of Simone

By
A blonde woman sits in a bright red armchair. She wears an elegant black suit with pinstripes, a black lace top underneath, and a watch. She looks to the right and has rested her chin on her hand. To her left is a small black table with an orchid. In the background, a window with a decorative structure is visible.

Long ago, there were three stores in The Hague, Amsterdam and Rotterdam that attracted all the fashionable people from across the country like a magnet: Puck and Hans. The couple, I don't know if they were high school sweethearts, but Puck was indeed 17, the high school age, when she lost her heart to Hans, had a rare taste and style.

Two blonde women pose in a modern room with art on the wall. A younger woman, dressed in a black satin blouse, dark pants, and high black boots, sits on the arm of a black chaise longue. An older woman, with a short blonde haircut and pink-framed glasses, lies in the chaise longue wearing a black blazer over a white shirt. Behind them hangs a large painting of an Amsterdam canal and a collage of smaller, framed artworks.

The two lived together, bought leading designers, and created their own collection twice a year that was sold all the way to Bloomingdale’s in New York. One of those big fans was the mother of Simone van Trojen. She treated herself regularly to a ‘piece’ from Puck and Hans. Their clothing went beyond just covering the body; they were items, little works of art that stayed with you for a lifetime. At least, if you didn’t leave them behind on the train, like Simone once did with that perfect Puck and Hans dress she had received from her mother’s collection.

An older blonde woman sits relaxed on a black leather Chesterfield-style sofa. She wears a black pinstripe suit, a white shirt, pink/red socks, and striking beige-pink sneakers with a thick sole. She looks straight into the camera with pink-framed glasses. On the sofa are two cushions with illustrations of faces. Behind her hangs a large painting with the text 'Share More Love' above a golden heart, surrounded by golden rays on a burgundy background. There is also a bunch of golden flowers on the sofa.

She missed the dress that literally folded to every occasion so much that it inspired her to start her own fashion label: LaDress. Everything revolved around the perfect dress that met all needs. With a pair of flip-flops, you wore it to that lunch at the beach, with stilettos it became your going-out outfit, and with high boots, you wore it to the office. The dress took Simone far, the collection expanded with everything a busy woman needs: from the perfect jeans to that long wool coat and that power suit. But the love for that dress remained.

Years later, her husband was walking with their dog Tommie in Vondelpark. “I met such a lovely woman,” he told her when he got home. Her name had been Puck and oh yes, ‘she did something in fashion’. Simone impressed upon him one thing: if he saw her again, he had to ask if she was the Puck. The Puck from Puck and Hans. At a neighborhood gathering in a café in Amsterdam-Zuid, Simone's husband saw his Vondelpark friend Puck and introduced her, a promise is a promise, to his wife. Too rushed for pleasantries, Simone spoke the words: “Hi Puck, I’m Simone, shall we do something together?”

Because doing something together was meant to be. When a full circle moment presents itself, you have to seize it. Puck felt that too, having reached an age and status where she didn’t need to try so hard anymore. Hans is no longer alive, but the collaboration between LaDress and Puck and Hans has come to life in the creative spirit of this memorable couple. The comfort of LaDress with that edgy bite of Puck and Hans. With of course a tribute to that one buttoned dress where it all began.