State Visit from France to Belgium: 19-20 November

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by Marengo

Which means: 'Belgium Breaks' and 'Away with the monarchy'.

The king will be used to these protestors, Flemish nationalists, have been doing these kind of -very small- protests for two decades or so. According to Wim Dehandschutter these people are members of 'Voorpost', an organisation that is active in Flanders, The Netherlands and South Africa and that apparently wants to for the 'Greater Netherlands' by a unification of Flanders and the Netherlands (so still a tiny country . Within Flemish nationalists they are belonging to a very small fringe group.

Thanks for the information, Marengo. According to Wikipedia, It looks like Voopost has neo-Nazi or, at least extreme-right leanings, is that correct ?

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

Thanks for the information, Marengo. According to Wikipedia, It looks like Voopost has neo-Nazi or, at least extreme-right leanings, is that correct ?

Yes. But the Flemish movement was elbows deep in collaboration with the Nazis, driven by the adagium "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". The radical Flemish hoped that the Germans would break the Francophone dominance in a country which was in majority Dutch-speaking. The Germans made good use of this open division in Belgian society.

[Nico]

Originally Posted by eya

First pics from tonight banquet

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsY39moW...jpg&name=small
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsY5KX_W...jpg&name=small

Love Madame Macron's outfit... but the President in morning suit ... again.

Mathilde is looking spectacular.

[wartenberg7]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

A morning suit is a jacquet and that is day wear.
Or do you mean: the same suit as this morning?
I hope the president will wear black tie or white tie.

But some politicians like the previous Chairman of the Chamber Mr André Flahaut, or the current one, Mr Siegfried Bracke (demonstratively?) wear an every-day sweaty wrinkled suit to a royal banquet. They seem not in the slightest ashamed for their exposed poor taste or manners. Or even the Prime Minister himself, Mr Charles Michel, just blatantly ignoring the dress code and showing up in black tie, while the event was white tie (see the state banquet in honour of Bundespräsident Gauck). I hope the gentlemen politicians will understand that some style is never a disadvantage...

Macron wore a morning suit combined with white tie for the state banquet in Denmark instead of tails which looked quite funny!

Originally Posted by Mbruno

According to the site owner, they were shouting "België Barst" and "Weg met de monarchie". Later, some royal fans responded shouting "Leve de Koning".

These individuals, I have no better word for these persons, are such a disgrace and shame for their own country! What a hilarious thing to do during a state visit...!

[Marchesina]

Originally Posted by Nico

Love Madame Macron's outfit... but the President in morning suit ... again.

Mathilde is looking spectacular.

Are you sure? I think I can spot tails on his jacket...

Mathilde is just spectacular!!!

[wyevale]

It seems no-one in the Élysée has a clue about gentlemen's Formal dress these days.. but I suppose M.Macron's predecessor did away with their services, preferring Lounge suits for every possible occasion...

[Nico]

Originally Posted by Marchesina

Are you sure? I think I can spot tails on his jacket...

Mathilde is just spectacular!!!

Mmmm i would say it's the same jacket from the banquet in Denmark .

edit : yep, that's the one !

[wyevale]

I can spot tails on his jacket...

You can..
He is [mistakenly] wearing a Black 'Morning Coat', which has 'Tails', but no 'cut-away' front, unlike the correct jacket for 'White-Tie' evening dress...

[Nico]

Originally Posted by wyevale

It seems no-one in the Élysée has a clue about gentlemen's Formal dress these days.. but I suppose M.Macron's predecessor did away with their services, preferring Lounge suits for every possible occasion...

The thing is that one of his cultural advisors, Stephane Bern, is specialist of the Gotha, so this, yet again, fashion faux pas is baffling.
You have to shudder at the idea of the expected State visit to the UK in the upcoming years ...

[Marchesina]

You're right, wyevale! I saw the tails and my brain didn't process it could be a morning coat. You would think they have consultants to help them with protocol and dress code.

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

A morning suit is a jacquet and that is day wear.
Or do you mean: the same suit as this morning?
I hope the president will wear black tie or white tie.

But some politicians like the previous Chairman of the Chamber Mr André Flahaut, or the current one, Mr Siegfried Bracke (demonstratively?) wear an every-day sweaty wrinkled suit to a royal banquet. They seem not in the slightest ashamed for their exposed poor taste or manners. Or even the Prime Minister himself, Mr Charles Michel, just blatantly ignoring the dress code and showing up in black tie, while the event was white tie (see the state banquet in honour of Bundespräsident Gauck). I hope the gentlemen politicians will understand that some style is never a disadvantage...

The Palace should be more strict about dress code rules and remind the guests to follow the white tie rule (seeing Belgian politicians in black tie or worse, business suits in one of the first state visits in Philippe's reign was frankly embarrassing, especially in comparison to the impeccable displays from other monarchies).

[Nico]

Originally Posted by eya

Prince Laurent with Princess Claire!!!!

https://twitter.com/i/status/1064611998493741057

Astrid and Lorenz are in the house as well ...

I know President Macron does'nt need this nowadays but i claim a #Morningsuitgate rigt here, right now !

[wyevale]

^ If he was going to 'depart from the script' he might as well have worn a 'Gilet Jaune'...

[iceflower]

.

The galleries posted on the previous page of this thread have been updated with photos of the state banquet!

[Duc_et_Pair]

I don't understand the outfit of the President. The other French guests, including officials from the Élysée simply wore a proper evening attire. Maybe it is no jacquet but an avantgardistic twist to a traditional black tails coat?

[Tilia C.]

It's lovely to see Astrid, Laurent and their spouses again at a State Banquet. It's been ages since Laurent and Claire attended, so I really enjoy seeing Claire with her tiara again.

[wyevale]

If it was an attempt to re-write Gentleman's formal wear [after 150+ years] it is an error to use a Morning coat to do it..it merely looks like a mistake by those responsible for dressing him !
Also the jacket doesn't fit..the shoulders just fall off him. He looks like a boy trying on his Dad's Morning Coat !

[An Ard Ri]

I expected to see Princess -Archduchess Astrid and Prince-Archduke Lorenz as they have attended some State banquet Galas but was a nice rare surprise to see Princess Claire

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by wyevale

I can spot tails on his jacket...

You can..
He is [mistakenly] wearing a Black 'Morning Coat', which has 'Tails', but no 'cut-away' front, unlike the correct jacket for 'White-Tie' evening dress...

One can clearly see the cut-away front on Prince Laurent’s tailcoat, but it is not so clear on Prince Lorenz’s jacket.

[Duc_et_Pair]

I must say it does not really disturb me. The short fronts on the traditional black tails coat are not always that flattering. This (intended?) fault actually does not look too bad. See https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsY5uTaWkAEVL5f?format=jpg

I think it is intended because a jacquet comes with a grey pantalon, a normal shirt with tie, a gilet in a colour. The President wore a black pantalon matching the coat, he wore the traditional shirt for wearing with a white tie and he wore a white gilet. I can not imagine, in a city like Paris, that gentlemen do not know what to wear. This must be an intended choice and is no mistake, to my idea.

[wartenberg7]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

I must say it does not really disturb me. The short fronts on the traditional black tails coat are not always that flattering. This (intended?) fault actually does not look too bad. See https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DsY5uTaWkAEVL5f?format=jpg

I think it is intended because a jacquet comes with a grey pantalon, a normal shirt with tie, a gilet in a colour. The President wore a black pantalon matching the coat, he wore the traditional shirt for wearing with a white tie and he wore a white gilet. I can not imagine, in a city like Paris, that gentlemen do not know what to wear. This must be an intended choice and is no mistake, to my idea.

Well, this is not about if something looks flattering or not (though I do think a black tail coat looks extremely dapper on men, even if they were not the greatest Beaus!), but about what to wear and when on an official basis. And a morning coat for an evening event, is something that looks pretty ridiculous to me.
Paris might be the city of fashion, but obviously not of proper protocol....