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Kate is a Bit Boho in Tuvalu as The Duke & Duchess Dance the Night Away

As the Diamond Jubilee Tour hit Day 9, Kate and William’s day in Tuvalu came with all of the traditional pageantry and ceremony expected.

Mirrorpix / Splash News

Media report that more than half of the Island’s population of 10,000 residents came out to see the parade and welcome the Duke and Duchess.  They were carried to the Parliament building where they were welcomed by Governor General Sir Iakoba Taeia Italeli and Prime Minister Willy Telavi.

Richard Palmer of the Express shared William’s reaction to the ceremonial procession:

Richard Palmer/Daily Express Twitter

The couple were involved in a number of activities, including speaking with University students and younger students, Kate and William both wore lush floral head decor, as shown in this photo by Loia M. Tausi.

Following a tour of the community the evening’s big event was a dinner hosted by the Governor General at Vaiaku Falekaupule, the town hall where such functions are held. Kate donned a grass skirt over her gown, while William retained his suit, forgoing the tie. He did however, sport the straw headwear given to each.

Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA Wire

One of the memorable looks for William from the Tour, to be sure. Below we have a better look at the bodice of Kate’s Alice by Temperley dress, you can also see the colorful fan made for her. (As noted in a previous post, it’s not about the spelling.)

Arthur Edwards

But the most memorable moment of the Tour will surely be one of these images…

Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA Wire

Clearly William’s alleged dance practice paid off. More on the evening’s events from the Daily Mail’s story:

Swaying in time to the music, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge became true South Pacific royalty today when they donned colourful skirts and danced the night away at a gathering of island chiefs.

William and Kate shimmied, swayed their hips and moved their arms as they joined six island communities of the South Pacific nation at a fatele or local dance where groups try to out sing and dance each other in a friendly rivalry.

Below, another look at the stitching on Kate’s and the necklace gifted to her.

Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA Wire

One of the traditions I wasn’t familiar with, as a sign of respect visiting dignitaries spray perfume or scent on dancers.  You can just about see the bottle in Kate’s right hand in this photo.

Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA Wire

Here we have a closer look at the skirt, it better shows the handwork and detail that went into creating it.

Arthur Edwards/PA Wire

The dignitary is asked to use a scent of their own choosing, in this case the Duke and Duchess brought Paul Smith London for Men.

Paul Smith London for Men

For those looking to “repliKate” or perhaps “repliWilliam,” the scent is available at many outlets, from Target in the US to Debenhams in the UK for about $26.

As noted, Kate chose an Alice by Temperley dress for the evening’s activities, it is an ideal choice for the setting and tone of the Dinner.

Alice by Temperley Beatrice Dress

The cross-stitching detail is better seen in this photo, as are the gold buttons.

Alice by Temperley

The look definitely has a vintage feel, reminiscent in some respects of the frocks worn in the late 1960s and 70s, the embroidery at the neckline, sleeves, center of the dress and hem add to that sense. It is viscose chiffon with a polyester lining, the polished gold buttons we previously mentioned, banded elbow length sleeves and what is called a scarf neckline.

While the dress is sold out at Net-a-Porter, it is available in limited sizing at Neiman Marcus ($795).  There is also a short version of the dress at Shopbop, it is $435.

Beatrice Dress Shopbop

There is also a blue version of the Beatrice,in both long and short styles.

ALICE by Temperley ‘Beatrice’ dresses

The shorter version is in stock at Temperley ($435), also at Net-a-Porter for $435, and also at Neiman Marcus for the same price. The longer style can be found in stock at Temperley,

Kate’s wisely minimal accessories included her Stuart Weitzman Minx wedges and Catherine Zoraida Double Leaf earrings.

This was one of Kate’s best looks on the tour: appropriate to the occasion, perfectly suited for the event in tone and tenor, and ideal for the added elements she knew were coming, the grass overskirts, straw headwear and necklace.

With apologies for the brevity of the post & lack of details on the day’s activities due to personal & business commitments, I’ll leave you with the usual links. We’ll have a poll in a day or two so we can see your choices on what looks you liked best during the Tour, as well as a wrap-up of additional IDs, etc.

Linkage:

 

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Bua

Friday 21st of September 2012

Wow Kate looked stunning in our tuvaluan colorful costumes thanks for the photos in here beautiful...

Ann

Thursday 20th of September 2012

I hate your blog.

Kate's Great

Friday 21st of September 2012

Hahahaha, that's so funny, Ann, because we hate you too!!!

(Okay, not really, but that's how ridiculous/immature/out of place your comment seems).

Obviously you LOVE this blog because you have perused its pages and have commented several times! :D

Katie

Friday 21st of September 2012

If you hate it then I suggest you stop reading it. This is a positive blog site with thousands of happy followers who don't want negative people commenting, its not about that. Find a new blog to follow if this one isn't to your taste.

Ann

Thursday 20th of September 2012

We live in a free country - you should publish what I say.

admin

Thursday 20th of September 2012

Ann, you are correct, we live in a free country. That means that when you write comments condemning that country, or making inflammatory statements about Kate, I am free not to publish them. The blog does not exist as a forum for offensive, confrontational argument.

elise roronu

Wednesday 19th of September 2012

Love the images of William and Kate. Those of both of them in seperate chairs are actually in Marau Sound in The Solomon Islands, not Tuvalu. It was such an honur and previlege to have the Royals visit my country, the Solomon Islands,and for us to meet them in person. Kate is beautiful in her pictures but in person she has charisma, pulling power and beauty that is more than skin deep. William as the next in line to the throne isgracious and able to come down to the level of the common people. We truly enjoyed having them visit us and will not forget them and wish them every happiness as they return to their royal lives

SEF

Wednesday 19th of September 2012

With no disrepect intended, I was just curious about the spelling of "Cathleen" on the fan. Do anyone happen to know if it was unintentional, or if there is some meaning for that? Thanks!

AshleyOlivia

Thursday 20th of September 2012

I have no sources to back this up, but I'm just assuming that it was a gift from an individual that was doing his/her best to spell a name that is unusual in that part of the world (again, just assuming, for all I know there may be spades of Catherines running around in the South Pacific).

In an earlier post, there was a photo of a beaded necklace given to Catherine that read "Princess Kate" instead of "Duchess" and the administrator pointed out that what matters here is the display of affection for Catherine, not the correctness of royal titles. I'll admit that "Cathleen" for "Catherine" is a bigger error than "Princess" for "Duchess," but clearly Catherine herself doesn't mind.

... Or maybe she stole it from someone named Cathleen! ;)

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