I’ve been to Jan and Monique des Bouvrie’s palace before (never before had I seen such a special, inspiring, rock ’n roll and cosy house), but I haven’t had the pleasure of entering her walk-in paradise.

Today, I did. Jet and I drove up the rustling driveway to their Villa in Naarden, which was a perfect preview for all the great things we expected to see inside. We caught France 5’s film crew as we entered (the presenter too thought it was the most beautiful house he’d ever seen), and afterwards we walked up to the inner sanctum aka Monique’s dressing room.

Such bliss to have a room instead of a measly walk-in closet. Monique ordered all the hangers to be sprayed a glittering chrome. “Costs a bit more than those wooden hangers from IKEA and gives a great effect.” We nod humbly. Then the showpieces are taken out of the closet. Copper shoes from Zaha Hadid. “Impossible to walk in, so I’ve put nipple covers on the heel which makes it doable.” She loves to combine the shoes with a fabulous dress from Thierry Mugler or Paco Rabanne.

The fun thing about Monique is that her love for art is also noticeable in her clothing. Her latest purchase at Roksanda Ilincic, who was inspired by the German artist Joseph Alberts, fits perfectly in her collection. “I don’t want to walk along with fashion, I prefer to create my own path.”

She also loves her dress from Lisa Perry, which she bought in Miami and who uses prints of Roy Liechtenstein on her dresses. “It doesn’t have to be expensive. I easily switch from designer to the market in St. Tropez. If I see something I like, I just got to have it.” Same applies to shoes. Monique has a delightful closet of shoes. Giuseppe Zanotti, Christian Louboutin, you name it and Monique has it. “When I see the perfect pair of shoes in a size too small, I’ll still buy them but ask my help to break them in.” And Monique doesn’t do shoe protectors. “Poppycock” she thinks.

Monique really likes accessories. She’s got drawers filled with the most beautiful belts (Maison Martin Margiela) and statement necklaces aplenty (the one from Ann Demeulemeester is her favourite, but she’s happy to take it off towards the end of the evening because it’s extremely heavy, heavy…). A lot of Hervé van der Straeten (yes, we spotted the same bracelet on Monique as on queen Maxima), but also ordinary Zaras.

The bag section contains Gucci, Hermès (of course), but also a great fake Birkin (that has been crafted very artistically though), amazing clutches from Jimmy Choo (which Monique got from her daughter Bo the other day), the transparent Charlotte Olympia clutch and also Zara’s creative adaption. Nowadays, Monique often wears her Marc Jacobs. “I don’t switch bags every other day. That’s too much of a hassle. I use a certain bag for a while and then I exchange it for another one.”

Monique starts to laugh loudly when we ask her about her latest purchase. “I’ve ordered two dresses at net-a-porter.com. One from Victoria Beckham and one from Roksanda Ilincic, but they were still in the box and my right hand brought them to Het Arsenaal (their store) to use them as fake gifts underneath the Christmas tree, haha.”

When we enjoy the view of the garden with life-size artworks with a glass of prosecco in hand, Liesbeth, Jan and Monique’s help, brought back the infamous black box. We admire the Victoria and dance around the Roksanda and go back home happy and inspired.

Here’s to you Monique. And to your wonderful wardrobe.