Dutch Queen Maxima looks over during a visit to the Netherlands Brain Bank (NHB) to mark its 40th anniversary, in Amsterdam, on September 18, 2025. The bank collects brain tissue from deceased individuals, which it makes available to scientists worldwide. (Photo by Koen van Weel / ANP / AFP) / Netherlands OUT (Photo by KOEN VAN WEEL/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands went for a bold, rather unconventional look for a royal engagement on Thursday, commemorating 40 years of the Netherlands Brain Bank

Queen Maxima is known for going a little bit left-field when it comes to her fashion – no other European royal brings out hats quite like hers, and she’s never shied away from a more statement piece, especially from her go-to house: Natan Couture. On Wednesday, the Queen of the Netherlands embarked on a royal engagement to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Netherlands Brain Bank (NBB) and her brand-new dress from the Belgian label caught the attention of royal style watchers worldwide.

Royal style blogger @royal.fashion.daily on Instagram identified her piece as a ‘Radura’ short silk dress with long soft fringes from Natan Couture, which she hasn’t worn out before; though the dress is cut quite high, the way the tassels drape almost imitates a midi dress, making for a rather unique look.

She paired her statement dress with earrings that perfectly matched it in hue and a hat with a large base in a slightly darker colour. To round it all off, she wore a pair of grey suede pumps from Gianvito Rossi, with the more muted tones allowing for the other pieces to pop more.

However, followers of the blogger weren’t unanimously impressed by the outfit. One commented: “Adventurous Maxima [heart eyes emoji]”, and another penned: “I like everything but the grey shoes”. On the other hand, others were more divided on the dress; one follower added: “This dress needed better tailoring,” while a fourth posited: “I feel like Maxima overdoes it with the hats.”

Queen Maxima’s rare outing with 3 daughters

At the end of August, the Queen of the Netherlands enjoyed an incredibly rare outing with her husband, King Willem-Alexander, and their three daughters, Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane, when they paid a visit to the Dutch Grand Prix. The family of five don’t often get a day out together, as Princess Alexia is studying at UCL in London, so it was special to see them united in public

Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander walking through crowd© Getty
Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander led the royals at the Grand Prix

Queen Maxima opted for a tiered cream and peach tiered skirt, which featured a cinched waist and asymmetrical dropped hem skirt. To complete her outfit, she paired the skirt with a plain tee and cardigan to allow the skirt to shine, rounding everything off with heeled mules, a tangerine suede bag, layered bracelets and a pair of leaf earrings.