Queen Máxima has a gift for letting a single piece tell the whole story. Her first days in Ghana are a perfect example of this skill.
© Getty ImagesThe Dutch queen arrived in Accra this week in her role as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health (UNSGSA), and she’ll remain in the West African country through November 5. Two outfits in, Queen Maxima has already delivered a lesson in reinventing a look with one or two very specific details: a denim skirt with delicate openwork and a pair of studded loafers that are impossible to overlook.
A well-traveled pair of loafers
Her Ghana wardrobe began at the airport. For her official welcome by Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Máxima brought back a comfortable black suit with palazzo trousers. The real conversation starter, though, was at her feet.
© Getty ImagesFor the trip, she wore her edgy, studded Banana Republic loafers, a pair she’s owned since 2019. They’ve quietly become her go-to travel shoes. She wore them in Indonesia in 2025, and in Tanzania and Côte d’Ivoire back in 2022.
A scarf with an art-world pedigree
Another element just as intriguing was the scarf knotted at her neck.
The multicolored design is the work of the late Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, and, as its tag revealed, it came from the shop at Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum, which is hosting a retrospective of Kusama’s work through mid-January.
The denim skirt her closet was missing
© DPPA/Sipa USABy this morning, Máxima had moved on to something completely new. During a visit to PharmAccess in Accra, where she was photographed playfully holding a pineapple, she debuted the denim skirt her wardrobe had been missing.
The piece comes in a flattering A-line midi cut, but what makes it stand out is the floral embroidery and the openwork running along the hem. It’s by Chorus, a label she had never worn before.
To anchor such an unexpected piece, the queen reached for a wardrobe essential, the white blouse, but skipped the classic version. Hers featured crochet details at the shoulders that echoed the hem of her skirt.
Maxima's accessories were just as thoughtful. Given the sandy ground at the event, she wisely skipped heels in favor of comfortable blue ballet flats with a metallic toe cap. She added a modern edge with a pair of Ray-Ban aviators and a finishing touch with a white crossbody bag with a black zigzag print.
© DPPA/Sipa USA
