Two Looks for Jamaica: Sunny Yellow Roksanda & A Vintage Dress

The Duchess chose a dress by Roksanda for this afternoon’s arrival at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica.

The Duchess changed into the dress during the flight from Belize. 

The couple arrived to a red carpet welcome with a Jamaican Defense Force Guard of Honor. More about their welcome from this Loop Jamaica story. 

…[they] were greeted Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, and Chief of Staff of the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF), Antonette Wemyss Gorman.    

Another view.

Others welcoming the royals included the Mayor of Kingston, Delroy Williams, and Chief Justice Bryan Sykes. Richard Palmer of The Express shared a video. 

The royal couple greet a line up of hosts pic.twitter.com/e10u58wCUJ

— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) March 22, 2022

Officials and guests were greeted.

As you can see in the photos, it was very breezy at the airport.

The Duchess and Ms. Johnson-Smith.

On the Duchess’s left (our right), Jamaican MP and former Miss World, Lisa Hanna.

Emily Nash of Hello! shared a video. 

Very windy day at the airport! #RoyalVisitJamaica pic.twitter.com/HwF6HFY2k2

— Emily Nash (@emynash) March 22, 2022

 After the airport welcome, the Duke and Duchess met with Governor General Sir Patrick Allen and Lady Allen at King’s House, the Governor General’s official residence.   

Another view of the Duchess at King’s House.

Following that meeting, the couple changed clothes and headed to Trench Town, where Prince William was slated to play a little football.

Huge sports names were at the event, including Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling and Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey. More from ITV’s coverage:

The footballer, who was been given special dispensation by England manager Gareth Southgate to travel to Jamaica ahead of the national team playing at the weekend,

He was there as part of his efforts to improve social mobility for young people. His Raheem Sterling Foundation has set out plans to work with partners in Jamaica, Manchester and London to give disadvantaged youths opportunities to break out of poverty.

When William, president of the Football Association, was first taken over to meet Sterling and Bailey, he turned to Kate and said: “Two heroes of mine. These two are the fastest in the team.”

The woman third from the right is jamaica’s Culture Minister, the Honourable Olivia Grange. 

A quick video as they arrived. 

Mr. Sterling is from Trench Town, so you can imagine how eager people were to see him.

The Duchess speaking with Mr. Sterling.

There were people also eager to see the royals. Photographer Chris Jackson, who took the photo below (and almost all the images from tonight’s event), described the scene this way: “Frenetic, hot, hectic, friendly, this picture gives you an idea of how energetic it can be on a Royal Tour like this – People super keen to come and say ‘hi’!” 

Another view.

Raheem Sterling on the field.

More from Simon Perry’s People story. 

During the visit, William showed off his soccer skills as he took part in a quick game, while Kate cheered him on from the sidelines… William was especially excited to see Leon Bailey, who plays for his favorite team, Aston Villa!

Prince William. 

There was a group photo taken after the football. 

The royals also met the Jamaican Bobsleigh team. 

From this ITV story. 

During a visit to music legend Marley’s old Kingston neighbourhood of Trench Town, William clambered into a training sleigh followed by Kate without a moment of hesitation.

Chatting to women and men from the bobsleigh team they talked about the popular movie Cool Runnings which immortalised the 1988 Jamaican Winter Olympics team.

The Duchess climbed in.

And it was time for a group photo.

The team posted on social media. 

The pair chatted with Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, a gold medalist at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.

The Duke and Duchess visited the Trench Town Culture Yard Museum, which is situated in Bob Marley’s former home.   

From The Daily Mail’s coverage. 

Trench Town was made famous by Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry hit, in which the lyrics refer to ‘in the government yard in Trenchtown’, while the famous singer also named a song after the area.

We return to the People article. 

As they toured the museum, they learned about the impact that reggae music has made around the world.

Donnette Dowe, manager of Trench Town Culture Yard, hopes the royal visit will encourage tourists to start visiting again. Visits to the cultural site have fallen significantly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And from The Telegraph’s piece by Victoria Ward. 

The Duke, who like his wife enjoys Marley’s music, said: “So much musical history was made here.”

The couple were shown into the room where Marley wrote some of his best known music, as well as the singer’s spartan bedroom, where a stool stood beside a single bed near a mural on a wall.

The couple listened to some live music and played the drums.

They also did a walkabout.  

Making another friend.

The Duke greeting well-wishers. 

Before we look at today’s ensembles, a quick bit of background on Jamaica, the third-largest island in the Caribbean. You can see how the Duchess used one of the flag’s colors for today’s arrival look.

The Jamaican Information Service explains the flag’s symbolism:

“The sun shineth, the land is green and the people are strong and creative” is the symbolism of the colours of the flag. Black depicts the strength and creativity of the people; Gold, the natural beauty of the sunlight and the wealth of the country; and Green signifies hope and agricultural resources.

Factoids: 

• The country’s government is a constitutional parliamentary democracy.
• In 1962, the country became an independent country and joined the Commonwealth.  
• Jamaica’s population is 2,900,000. 
• Agriculture and tourism are key economic factors. 
• Jamaica is known as the birthplace of reggae (something we’ll learn more about this week).  

Now for our look at what Kate wore for both engagements. 

The earrings look like they are by Sézane, the French retailer’s ‘Celeste’ Earrings ($85) in mother-of-pearl. Thanks for this ID also go to Carly.

The Duchess kept the same shoes she wore when leaving Belize, the Aquazzura Cece 105 Pumps (£605, about $795 at today’s exchange rates).

 

Now for the evening look.

 

It looks like the Duchess went vintage for a second time today, selecting a dress very much like the piece seen below from Willow Hilson Vintage (£369). With thanks to Heaven for an amazing ID, the Duchess appeared to wear a modified version of this 1950s-era dress. 

 

Below you can see how the Duchess had her dress modified, likely using fabric from the wrap to create the thicker shoulder straps. 

The colors are described as “a wonderful striped palette of turquoise blue, coral, and yellow with a black filigree pattern.” The dress also features a straight cut neckline with a turned-down collar along the edges; a fitted bodice accented by a cinched waistline; small gathered pleats along the waistband that drape into the skirt. It has an 11.5″ metal zipper and a single hook and eye. Willow Hilson describes its shop as “Specialising in Vintage Fashion from the 1920s to the 1960s, each piece is hand-chosen by yours truly, for its design, beauty, and history,” and also offers products via an etsy shop. 

 

With thanks to Innominate, the Duchess was in a pair of Russell and Bromley shoes, the British retailer’s Impulse Slingback (£195, about $260). 

Crafted from natural raffia fabric, the slingback style features a pointed toe with a block heel.

The Duchess brought back the Cha Cha earrings ($188) by Copenhagen-based Maria Black. We first saw them when the Duchess visited Denmark. (A reminder, they are sold singly. If thinking about getting a pair and you want a matched set, you will need to order two.)

 

Her bangle bracelet is by Jamaican jeweler Lashawndla Bailey-Miller. Tonight the jeweler posted the photo seen below right with a bracelet like the one worn by the Duchess; the bracelet worn today does not have the inscription seen on the product photo.   

More about the artist from this Jamaica Gleaner story. 

Bailey-Miller, the designer, initially made jewellery as a hobby and then found it to be therapeutic while struggling with depression.

Now, a few years later, she gets her hands dirty every day, transforming raw materials into gorgeous abstract finishes.

For our coverage of the vintage Yves St. Laurent worn for the Belize departure, this link takes you to that post.  

Here is one more photo from tonight’s event.

VIDEOS: 

The Jamaica Gleaner offers just about one minute of video from the airport welcome.

#RoyalVisit2022: The Dutchess of Cambridge speaks with Member of Parliament Lisa Hanna, one of the dignitaries to welcome the British Royals who landed in Jamaica today. Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge will be visiting for three days. – Kimone Francis video. pic.twitter.com/h68QSHAIVR

— Jamaica Gleaner (@JamaicaGleaner) March 22, 2022

A video from The Telegraph’s Victoria Ward of the bobsled fun.

Earlier he and Kate clambered into the Jamaican 2022 Winter Olympics bobsled and talked to the team. William was astonished at how fast they went. “95 mph? Really?“ #royaltourcaribbean pic.twitter.com/Fv6QyV0sJC

— Victoria Ward (@victoria_ward) March 22, 2022