It has been a busy 24 hours for William and Kate as the Jubilee Tour departed Kota Kinabalu and headed to the Solomon Islands. For the couple’s departure Kate brought back a dress from many years ago, it dates back to at least 2002. Kate also wore her Pied a Terre Imperia shoes.
Kate wore the piece to a party at St. Andrews in 2002 and again in 2005 for dinner with Prince William at Archipelago, a photo of that instance can be seen here; Kate also wore her Imperia wedges. Our thanks to WKW Facebook friend Elizabeth for remembering the dress and sharing info about earlier instances of Kate wearing it along with Julie, as well as Patricia for pointing out the Araline.
Then, it was back in the air for the couple and on to Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, located on Guadalcanal Island. When they arrived, William and Kate were welcomed with traditional orchid garlands, and the Duchess was in a Jonathan Saunders dress.
Another view.
And treated to a traditional “fearsome warrior dance” at the airport.
Richard Palmer’s story in the Express explains this tradition:
Father Henry Teho, an Anglican priest and tribal elder wearing a traditional mat skirt made from grass, tree bark, and pandanus leaves explained: “When you used to come to the Solomon Islands it was a challenge that we’ll kill you and eat you but now it’s just a challenge saying you are from a different culture.”
Below, Father Henry as photographed by Simon Perry of People magazine.
Here we see Kate watching William as he expects an honor guard comprised of the local police force, the Solomons have no military.
In the photo above by Rebecca English you can see Kate’s Jane Taylor hat. In this photo from Simon Perry you can see the back of Kate’s dress.
Then it was time for a bigger welcome as the Duke & Duchess were driven through town in an open vehicle decorated like a traditional war canoe.
Crowds were enormous, estimates range from 50,000 to 70,000 as seen in this photo by CNN’s Max Foster.
The final destination was the Church of Melanesia cathedral in Honiara for a thanksgiving service honoring the Queen, you can see some of the 10000+ crowd at the service.
Max Foster of CNN shared this picture outside the Cathedral.
The couple were also given traditional floral headdresses as seen in this picture from MrsRegalEyes on Twitter.
Kate chose a UK designer we have long hoped she would wear, Scotland’s Jonathan Saunders. The Evelyn dress is a forest green/aqua/white print, made of a cotton/viscose blend. It is lined in cupro bemberg, considered one of the finest lining materials made, although it can be difficult to find and the mark of a finely crafted garment.
The dress remains available at available at Net-a-Porter in a few sizes, it sells for $1490. It can also be found at several other upscale retailers, including Matches Fashion and Fashions2Us where it is shown for $596/£382. We appreciate HRH Duchess Kate for the heads-up on the specific dress!
Kate accessorized with her LK Bennet Sledge pumps in the off-white color, as well as the UFO clutch we have seen her carry. (UFO = Unidentified Fashion Object)
Kate then needed to change once again, this time for a reception hosted by Governor-General Frank Kabui, we thank MrsRegalEyes on Twitter for this photo. (Does it look to anyone else like William is checking his watch?)
Below, a scene from the Governor General’s banquet as shared by Georgina Brewer of ITV, the function was held outdoors as is the tradition.
Here we have another look at the lushly colored floral dress.
This was not the dress Kate planned to wear, a story in the Daily Mail from Rebecca English reveals she planned to wear a frock purchased in London for the occasion.
She made the switch just half an hour before the banquet when she walked into her room at the hotel in Honiara and discovered that the government had left her a strapless dress with a bright pink and orange batik design.
“She tried it on, she loved it and she is wearing it,” said a royal aide. The dress came from a shop called Island Print.
The material is hand dyed batik, a closer look reveals the motifs include flowers, fish, vines and other designs.
It turns out William’s shirt was also a gift, but not a surprise, back to Rebecca’s story:
The Duke was clearly taken with his new blue shirt. In a formal visit on the Governor-General, Sir Frank Kabui, the Duke told him: ‘I have my shirt on. What do you think? Looks OK?’
…the brand represents the romance and escapism that is the mood of the Pacific by utilizing traditional motifs, such as sea life, flora and fauna patterns in print designs…
These stunning red sponge coral earrings by Serretta are a gorgeous statement piece. The lipstick red sponge coral Earrings are accented with a rolled gold chain tassle.
They are £36, about $60 at today’s exchange rates and available here.
A very busy day with three very different looks.
Tomorrow’s schedule is even busier:
- Their Royal Highnesses begin the day with a call on Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet at the Prime Minister’s Office.
- The Duke and Duchess travel to a cultural village in Honiara, the couple will view performances by the nine provinces that make up the nation.
- The Duke and Duchess will go separate ways, the only time they are scheduled to do so during the Tour: William will be awarding six Duke of Edinburgh gold awards while Kate attends a reception for Solomon Island women’s groups.
- The couple will then travel to a Coast Watchers memorial in Honiara, they’ll lay a ceremonial wreath and meet veterans of the Coast Watch.
- Kate and William then attend a lunch reception hosted by the Prime Minister in aid of Solomon Islands charities, including representatives of the Diamond Jubilee Trust.
- Kate and William fly to Marau, “The welcome ceremony has been developed entirely by the local people and promises to be a very special and memorable moment for Their Royal Highnesses in such a remote and beautiful location.”
- The Royal couple will proceed by boat to the island of Marapa, where they will first visit a village before traveling on a traditional war canoe the short distance between Marapa and Tavanipupu.
- Upon arriving on Tavanipupu William and Kate will be met with a musical and dance welcome, they will spend the night at the private resort.
NOTE: Post has been corrected to remove erroneous Mulberry bag reference, a moronic mistake on my part.
M
Tuesday 6th of November 2012
For fans of Gossip Girl, Lily [van der Woodsen] Bass wears that same Jonathan Saunders print for brunch in Season 6, Episode 4. Looks like it's the same dress, but no sleeves or bow in the front, for a sleeker look. It's an interesting styling contrast -- older TV socialite versus real life duchess.
Elle
Monday 17th of September 2012
I'm clearly in the minority on this one, but I actually love the Saunders dress and the way Kate styled it. It looks very retro and reminds me of the way that Crown Princess Mary sometimes wears her hats.
katefanatic
Monday 17th of September 2012
Love the pink Batik dress, and love even more the fact that Kate wore it at the last minute, out of respect to her hosts. LOVE the wedges she wore with it.
The blue Saunders is lovely, but hit our duchess in a strange way. It needed to be taken in a bit, and perhaps altered the way she altered the Packham she wore to polo in California (take in waist, and over all narrow the entire silhouette). The extra material gathers strangely, and creats an optic illusion with the print, which is not flattering. In other words, would love the dress if it were tailored a bit. Don't mind the shoes at all, and the hat is cool for the tropics. I agree that it hits the back of her head strangely, and perhaps would look better if her hair were up. She covered her head to go to church, which is respectful---it is just the hair that caused the grief IMO.
The vintage pink dress is great in so many ways, and I again LOVE the wedges. Wish she would wear more wrap dresses---they suit her proportions very well.
Kathy
Monday 17th of September 2012
Any better pictures of the purple dress? The shoes just don't seem right to me. The espadrilles just seem way to high and bulky.
Yvette
Sunday 16th of September 2012
The Saunders dress colors are the same as the Solomon Islands flag, plus are a beautifully unusual combination.
Suzy
Monday 17th of September 2012
Oh! What a wonderful detail to notice. I like it even more now!
daphne
Monday 17th of September 2012
thank you, Yvette! I had not taken the time to notice that..
Kate's thoughtfulness in this regard is consistent and heart-warming- for example, the Alexander McQueen evening dress embroidered with gold-thread hibiscus flowers--
daphne
Monday 17th of September 2012
thank you, Yvette !
I had not taken the time to notice that..
such a thoughtful, consistent thing the Duchess does: the Alexander McQueen dress with the embroidered, gold-thread hibiscus flowers, another example--