King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima visited the Council of State in The Hague today to attend a farewell reception of vice-president Piet Hein Donner. For this, Queen Máxima repeated her grey felt pillbox hat trimmed sparingly with grey ribbon binding around the base and a slim double bow at the side.
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It’s a simple hat that suffers a bit from styling choices here- hat and trouser combinations are always tricky (to be fair, this is better than most) and this hat is caught in a battle of prevailing formality between the casual hairstyle and stunning pearl jewelry. The ensemble’s colour palate is good but with the trouser cuffs overtaking the width of the hat, I think the overall balance of the look is off.
So… what do you think of this hat today in The Hague?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
First of all Maxima looks like she’s dithering with the cold … was it cold that day ? The hat itself is cute but not on her it just looks wrong in my opinion 😕 the cuffs on the pants look the size of the rolled up jeans of the 50’s ! The lovely edgey Queen looks a little off that day – bet her next outing is fantastic !!😊
This week it was announced that Queen Máxima is ill. She has been diagnosed with intestinal infection and is not allowed to undertake any public duties for a while. A planned trip to Tanzania is cancelled.
Bless her heart … I really hope she gets better quickly ! I thought she looked a little under the weather when she visited the Suicide Center also but put it down to emotional feelings … that smile is too bright to be down for long – I wish her a speedy recovery !
I still think the size of this pillbox is a bit small for Máxima, but besides that fault of the hat, this is definitely not a good ensemble! I loved this last hat’s appearance, but here everything is so awkward. The top seems too casual; a tucked in button-up blouse would’ve given things a cleaner look overall. The gloves are too much, and the peep-toe shoes are too informal. Either ditch the hat and gloves, or go with an outfit that’s cleaner and more formal.
the idea could have been executed better but the proportions with this look are off
This is a bit … blah. I don’t know what I dislike more: the hat, the shapeless top or the colour combination. Maybe this is just to prove that even Q. Máxima needs a break from looking abs fab every day?
Good point Jimbo. Much as I too prefer the previous outing of this lovely hat, it was then worn at a worryingly askew angle that indeed suggested slippage. No such problems for today’s wearing. I quite like a pillbox worn with hair down (the messy hairstyle aside); and I also applaud Maxima for bucking current taste in daytime jewellery by wearing a chunky necklace AND huge, matching, drop earrings together. But then, Max is no stranger to parures.
Re the outfit, I love the colour scheme, but not the design elements. Of course, the presence of what looks just like a handtowel slung over the left shoulder, as if the wearer has just finished changing the baby, is right up Max’s alley. I do wish the lines of the top and trousers were not so clinical and severe; P Charlene has the physique to look amazing in such geometries, but I think Maxima is better served by softer lines and more pliable fabrics.
I am missing the diamond brooch in the first appearance deeply! I guess it Max thought it would be too much for this occasion.
So sad!
I cannot get to like hat and gloves with trousers….
I think you’re right: the proportions are off. And with the muted colour palette (and the pearls partly hidden) the ensemble seems to lack a focal point, which gives a ‘background’ effect – which is not at all what one thinks of in connection with Queen Maxima!
That said, I love the trousers – but perhaps they would appear to more advantage with a bright, colourful top and a larger hat?
I liken pillbox hats to going to the circus – I get extremely nervous at the prospect that something will go wrong, like someone slipping off the high wire, or something slipping off your head! I liked the 1st outing in March of 2016 much better, even though it was a LOT of grey! Happy Halloween everyone!
Oh Jimbo… now you’ve implanted pillbox anxiety in me as well!
“Pillbox Anxiety!” Ha!