The Duchess wore a Zimmermann dress and hat by Stephen Jones for today’s arrival in Fiji.
Kensington Palace tweeted a video of the arrival.
?? Bula Fiji! #RoyalVisitFiji pic.twitter.com/6iUnfDU9a2
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) October 23, 2018
More from The Daily Mirror:
Touching down at Suva’s Nausori airport, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were first greeted by Melanie Hopkins, the High Commissioner and chief of protocol, Jonetani Tagivetaua.
The couple were introduced to the Hon Frank Bainamara, Fiji’s Prime Minister and his wife, Maria, Ro Teimumu Kepa, leader of the opposition, Alessandro Truppia, the High Commissioner’s wife and Rear Admiral Viliame Naupoto, commander of the RFMF.
The Duchess was presented with a bouquet of flowers by a flower girl from the chiefly island of Bau, the island home of Ratu Apensia Cakobau, who ceded Fiji to Britain in 1874 (Queen visited Bau in 1982) before Harry made his way to a dais on the runway.
It was wet and a windy on the tarmac, you can see the red carpet lifting right off the pavement.
Embed from Getty Images
The temperature was around 75º when the Qantas charter arrived.
The Duchess being sheltered from the rain..
Embed from Getty Images
Prince Harry inspected a guard of 100 Fijian soldiers with representatives from the Army and the Navy.
Another view.
Thousands lined the roads to see Meghan and Harry.
All of Fiji has come out to see the Duke and Duchess #royalvisitfijj pic.twitter.com/sSr0CJILyh
— Jamie Samhan (@JamieSamhan) October 23, 2018
This is how it looked just outside the airport.
Embed from Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess called on His Excellency, President Jioji Konrote at Borron House in Suva. The President is kneeling as a sign of respect.
You also see the First Lady, Sarote Konrote.
The formal portrait.
Meghan and Harry headed to Albert Park for the official welcome called the Veirqaraqaravi Vakavanua.
Harry and Meghan arrive… pic.twitter.com/4wBpR98kz5
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) October 23, 2018
The couple just a moment after they exited their vehicle.
Meghan on the dais watching the ceremony.
Prince Harry drinking kava at the traditional welcome ceremony.
The Sun’s Emily Andrews reports that “Harry gave a short speech thanking everyone for their warm welcome & the crowd went WILD when he greeted them with ‘Bula’ Fijian for ‘Hello’.”
Now our look at what Meghan wore for her arrival in Fiji. We begin with her Zimmermann dress.We believe Meghan’s dress is modeled on this piece. It is called the Blouson Sleeve Dress ($480 when available) and it has similarities to the Duchess’s dress. These include the bodice, gathered shoulders, round neck, lining and back zip. The sleeves were changed, as was the length, and I don’t believe the waistband on Meghan’s is emphasized as much as it is on the original piece.
The fabric for the dress that was available at Shop is 100% viscose and it looks like Meghan’s dress was done with the same material. Our thanks to Laura for discovering the dress!.
The Duchess carried a clutch we have seen before, the Anna Woven Straw Clutch ($225) from KAYU. Meghan carried the bag to the Charlie Van Straubenzee and Daisy Jenks wedding in August.
The bag measures roughly 7.5″ x 4.” and the width is 2.25″. Crafted of woven straw, it comes with a concealable chain shoulder strap. If fond of the piece, it is available in “natural at Shopbop” and also at Amazon, discounted both places to 50% off, that is $112.
Her shoes appear to be the Tabitha Simmons Millie Slingbacks ($695) that were first worn in Sydney for the ANZAC Memorial service.
The Duchess wore a new hat by Stephen Jones.
We’ve not been able to look for the chapeau and will update if we come up with more information and/or photos.
It looks like the Duchess was wearing a piece from the S/S 2016 Miss Jones Collection, the ‘Afternoon Tea’ style.
Our thanks to Deborah for her comment suggesting this was the hat Meghan was wearing. She noted in the comment that it is worn at a more vertical angle on the mannequin than it is as styled by the Duchess.
The earrings worn by the Duchess are the pair gifted to her by The Queen. We believe they were first worn when Meghan joined HM for an away day in Chester.
She wore a bracelet we first noticed the night before her wedding and then again at the garden shortly after the wedding.
A closer look at the bracelet.
Today we learned that it was a gift from Prince Charles. It looks like either a small diamond tennis bracelet or possibly a box-link chain bracelet. You can see that Meghan also wore at least one ring this evening.
We will do a separate post on tonight’s black-tie dinner.
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Here is a portion of our previous post combined with updated pictures and info from this evening’s welcome. The previous post was published so late I don’t think many readers had a chance to look at it.
After the welcome ceremony in the park, Meghan and Harry went to the iconic Grand Pacific Hotel.
The Hotel website has some great background on the property’s history.
The Grand Pacific Hotel has been an icon of the South Pacific for over a century. Totally rebuilt, the Hotel reopened in May 2014 on the hundredth anniversary of its original opening and has already regained its place as the “grand old lady” of the Pacific – a wonderful blend of fascinating colonial architecture and history combined with magnificent Fijian hospitality and friendliness.
Here you see the royals on the hotel balcony this evening.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at a state ball held in her honor in 1953 on the same balcony.
A closer look at the Duke and Duchess.
HM has been to the Grand Pacific three times.
More about the suite from wetu.com:
..this suite is symbolic of the splendour of colonial days past. Overlooking Albert Park, the suite opens onto to the largest balcony at the Grand Pacific Hotel – the very place where Queen Elizabeth II stood and greeted her subjects to huge acclaim and international publicity shortly after she became Queen in 1953.
Tonight will be the first time we see the Duchess in formalwear.Here’s a sneak peek at the room. shared on Twitter by Monish Nand with the Fiji Department of information. A look at all the tables.
We’ll see you shortly!
This video from ITV runs about 2:30.
The Duke & Duchess of Sussex have arrived in Fiji for a three-day visit. Their arrival was celebrated with a show including the traditional meke dance. #RoyalVisitFiji #HarryandMeghan pic.twitter.com/qgYfTVdlCT
— The Royal Family Channel (@RoyalFamilyITNP) October 23, 2018
Deborah says
Overall, I really like this look. I liked the hat better before I noticed that strange flap of fabric. I believe the hat is from the Spring/Summer 2016 Miss Jones collection and named Afternoon Tea. It is shown worn at steeper angle online on the website.
WhatMeghanWore says
Thank you for the info on the hat, Deborah. It does look like what Meghan wore. You are wonderful to let us know! 🙂 -sek
SHEILA says
I think the Duchess looks lovely, and thank goodness she didn’t wear the original version of the dress. All I can see with that version is Princess Leia!!
MeLaNie9 says
I like the dress, bag, and shoes but as someone else said, I don’t get the hat – the stuff on top looks like it was just tossed on there.
Juniper says
I really like her in white and interesting that her first looks for both Australia and Fiji were in this color. It is very flattering on her, makes her stand out, and captures the lightness appropriate for the climates she is in. Overall I really like the impression this look made. That said, I am finding her hats a bit predictable — maybe it’s my untrained eye regarding headware, but is she mostly wearing the same shape, especially the part that actually sits on her head?
Maureen says
Some of these comments make me wonder what experience the writers have of high humidity. Of course, the clothes look wrinkled, because in high humidity people avoid synthetics as much as they can. I’m guessing Harry’s suit is lightweight linen, in order to be as cool as possible, and therefore it creases extremely easily, with every sitting down. Even a lowish temperature can feel unbearably uncomfortable in very high humidity. Compare an average of 80% in Fiji with an average of 40% in Los Angeles.
Christina O. says
Hi MAUREEN –
I live in Florida, born in Southern California and have traveled to Hawaii over 25 times and while there spent a lot of time so I do know humidity. Today at my home it’s 82 degrees and 70% humidity. What happens to clothes? They wrinkle, linen, cotton and synthetics.
Jeanne Walker says
The clothing of both the Duke and Duchess are wrinkled. Someone’s head needs to roll. There is no excuse for them to appear in this state.
Jessica says
My previous comment got eaten. I’ll try again. I think that this is a lovely look. Black accessories white white clothing can look really sharp, which I think it does here. I love the little gather at the top of the sleeves, much more subtle in this diaphanous fabric than the leg-o’-mutton sleeves that the DoC has been sporting from the House of McQueen. That said, I totally think the DoS could have pulled off the original blousy sleeves.
I’m impressed that she is still wearing things with real waistlines! Yes, the bump is causing a wrinkle or two, but I don’t think that’s anything to apologize for.
That hat is a nice match with the dress–a little texture and sparkle to add interest. I’m glad to see that she’s come to embrace the British tradition of ornamented hats, and that she’s found ways to make that ornamentation fit her modern aesthetic.
Maluhia says
Very nice! At first glance it seems like one of Kate Middleton’s standard “uniform” looks with the dress and hate combo, but upon closer look it’s more of a flowy unique dress than the “uniform” dresses that Kate always wears. Plus Kate wears nude pumps like 90% of the time and Meghan mixed it up here with black heels and they are strapy in the back.
I will NOT ever pit the two Duchesses against each other for comparison, but that being said, I have to assume that Meghan has Kate in the back of her mind when she picks her outfits and doesn’t want to just be an exact replica of Kate. So far she hasn’t been at all, but sometimes there are only so many styles appropriate for any given occasion and they are going to wear similar things. Yet Meghan still manages to make it her own and look unique. She’s very stylish, I just love it.
Jackie says
For some reason I love this look. I want to not love it because it’s so simple, but try as I might I cannot. There is something elegant and regal about it. And if anyone was wondering who the duchess is….just look for the woman in all white!
Christina O. says
What a warm welcome from Fiji…even though it seems to have been raining at some point, and if not I’m sure the humidity was way up there. Even Prince Harry’s suit looks damp and wrinkled in the photo taken at Borrn House where the President is kneeling before Harry.
Meghan’s dress is lovely and conservative. For this occasion I think she chose wisely, fully lined and appropriate for meeting military figures; the Prime Minister; President and taking part in outdoor inspections and ceremonies. The fabric, viscose, like rayon would wrinkle especially in high humidity. I’m not a chemist but from what I know the fabric is made from pulp so this might be in Meghan’s sustainability niche which most of us aren’t use to.
Dar says
I love this! She is finding her royal style and it is very chic!
Larissa says
I’m glad to see Meghan in something not off-the-rack for a photo op like this. Of course I love when royal fashion is attainable for a commoner like myself, but having a modified piece that we can’t buy I think elevates the whole fascination with royalty. The adjustments certainly made the dress more formal and appropriate for the occasion.
I liked the hat from afar, but upon closer inspection it looks a bit odd – especially that flap hanging off the lower end.
I’m afraid I’m not much of a fan of Harry’s suit, even if it’s nice to see him switch up colours too! The grey seems to make the bagginess more pronounced.
I wonder if the rest of the passengers on the charter flight got off before or after the Duke and Duchess. Did they get to walk the red carpet as well or watch all the media from their windows?
WhatMeghanWore says
Everyone on the plane is with the tour, there weren’t any “civilians” on the flight. They exited off the rear of the plane. 🙂
Larissa says
That’s quite an entourage! I guess I was thrown by the term “commercial flight” referenced in an article, but obviously that must mean that the whole group just booked out a regularly scheduled flight.
Elizabeth says
She looks so elegant and beautiful! White is one of my favorite colors for her to wear as it goes so well with her complexion and gorgeous hair!!
Amelia says
This is a tough time in pregnancy. The waistline is starting to have a mind of its own, and guessing WHERE the belly will be a few weeks or months ahead is so trying. Every working woman knows this problem all too well. Reading all the encounters per day for the past week made me worry. I worked up to 8.5 months (and I was a WHALE), but when things didn’t fit, I could just go and get something else. I did not have to have some pie-in-the-sky clothes game plan, and when I came home from work, I could at least plop for an hour or two and beg off evening engagements. This woman has done the impossible, so I really think if the dress does not look fitted, we have JUST GOT TO GET OVER IT.
Jeanne Walker says
Meghan looks beautiful in white! With that being said, I would have chosen another dress. I would consider wearing sheath dresses and empire-waisted dresses at this point. Now that hat, what else can I say but,….it’s awful. She has some very beautiful jewelry pieces, and her arm piece…the Prince….she wears him well.
Amelie says
I think the dress is fine, nothing special and fine for an official arrival, a little wrinkled though. Harry’s outfit was also extremely wrinkled, I wonder if you are allowed portable steamers on planes? I really do not like that fascinator on her though. It’s very flat on her head and does nothing for her.
Brit0728 says
If I was Harry, I wouldn’t put that jacket on until I was literally steps away from the exit. And I’d be wearing casual trousers until the plane landed. Much less time for him to get dressed than Meghan, easily done.
Bonnie says
The Duchess looks very appropriate, although this dress was obviously fitted before she blossomed in her pregnancy. It is rather tight in the chest area and doesn’t flow like it does on the model. The hat is adorable and the black shoes and purse provide a good contrast. I do find the dress, however, to be very “vanilla” in colour and styling. There is no WOW to it. It is fine, but not memorable. Does anyone else think that Meghan is wearing her earrings, gifted by the Queen, upside down, compared to how Her Majesty and Kate wear the same style? It seems to me that the other two ladies wear them pearls on top with the small diamond below. I suppose it is a matter of choice.
I’ve seen online the beautiful pearls that were presented to Meghan, in shades of black/charcoal. They are perfectly symmetrical and we know that pearls from that part of the world command high prices. I wish Meghan had put them on. They would have looked spectacular with the white background of her dress.
Jessica says
This is lovely. I always think that black accessories with a white outfit has a really sharp look, and it’s practical, too. I love the diaphanous fabric of this dress and the little gather on the sleeve, though honestly I think she could have pulled off the full blouson sleeve on the original. The length is perfect. The DoS is making me want to wear nothing but midi skirts.
The hat is sweet, and I am so glad to see that she seems to have adjusted to the idea of a proper British chapeau with ornament on it. There’s a way to do the ornament in a modern way, which I think is done well here, that suits her style and nods to tradition at the same time.
Heather says
I’m not a fan of this dress. It doesn’t really have a wow factor to me and parts of it looked wrinkled. I think she looks appropriate for the setting but I just don’t like the dress. I think I’d have preferred something with a floral pattern here. Other than that, I didn’t realize how long it’s been since the royal family has visited Fiji. So it’s been fun to watch the excitement of all the locals.
Daisy Poltimore says
The shot of the Duke and Duchess on the balcony makes me think Evita!
This was a dress that was great in theory, less so in practice. The material needed to be a bit thicker and (as Kate found out on her trip to the Netherlands) wasn’t as wrinkle proof as necessary. Still, she looks lovely.
ali says
Another boring, ill fitting dress.
Marie says
Liked this look a lot. Tasteful, elegant with a nod to her clean style and recycled her beautiful accessories well, and appropriately formal or professional for the occasion. My other comment on the Fraser Island dress didn’t get published, but I will say that sometimes her styling team goes too California casual in my opinion, given that they are sometimes meeting ministers or Heads of State as representatives of the Crown. For example, the Premier of Queensland and Minister for Trade met them in a summery dress with sleeves and closed-toed shoes for the walkabout, but Meghan was wearing the Reformation dress, which, while summery and pretty when standing still, seemed impractical as she held the slit closed with her hand while she walked down the pier. Hope to see more looks in today’s spirit, even if the weather is in the mid 20s and above.
Becky says
I know others have been complaining about finding some of her looks boring, but I have liked her other looks. This is the first one that I find really boring. It’s fine, its inoffensive, its nice, but it is certainly boring. Oh well. Sometimes that’s how it’s going to be I guess.
Laura says
She looks lovely in this white dress! Pure elegance!
Alyssa says
Love everything but the decorations on top of the hat. To me it looks like a pile of napkins at a picnic gone awry.
Desiree Mckuzes says
BINGO!
I love all of it as well, save for the hat. I thought it looked like scraps glued on with no real plan.
Sg says
Agree. It looks like a craft project. The dress is elegant, however.
Lesley says
What an uninspired dress Meghan chose.
I’ve never commented that her clothes don’t fit her as others have, but in this case I think it’s true. She appears wrinkled and rumpled around the waist/bodice, and the dress just hangs on her with no particular style merit, especially in the balcony photo. It reminds me of the dress she wore on arrival to Australia, and that one, too, did her no favors. Bland. The surfeit of round necks is making me miss her bateau necklines, which she wears beautifully, and the style draws the eye upward. I do like the shoes, straw bag and hat – especially the shoes — but an outfit is a miss when the only pluses are accessories. She has worn some great fashion so far. Loved the Jason Wu dress, the black dress at the memorial, and perhaps my favorite so far is the first sun dress she wore. It fit her wonderfully , loved the stripes, and the colors, though neutral, showed that neutral doesn’t mean dull. The colors enhanced her skin tone, and she simply rocked that dress. It looked like it was designed just for her.
ElizaMo says
I was thinking it can’t have been easy getting changed inside a plane, I know I wouldn’t fancy attempting it, and it might account for the odd rumple. Under the circs I thought she came out remarkably well! Agree with you about the Jason Wu, the short-sleeved Wickstead at the memorial, and the use of those earth tones in the Martin Grant sun dress. Neutral definitely doesn’t have to mean dull when you can add sheer class. For a first overseas tour I’d say Meghan was doing pretty darn good.
ElizaMo says
What a beautiful dress from Zimmerman, simplicity enthroned. Meghan looks supremely regal. The tailoring is exquisite and transforms a deceptively plain garment into a thing of loveliness, from the cut of the neckline, the length of the sleeves and their gently gathered shoulders, to that perfectly worked waistband.
I couldn’t help being struck by how such a full skirt didn’t fall foul of runway breezes, clearly enough weight in all the fabric. I love the crisp black accessories, a very grown-up way to save the outfit from being merely bland. The Millie slingbacks look perfect in a summer setting and the straw clutch adds a welcome touch of texture along with a further hint of the tropics.
Hat is also exquisite, and even has a hint of sparkle to add a further hint of edge. Wonderful to have the eminently tasteful bracelet ID’d as a gift from Charles and delightful to have the Queen’s earrings back for another outing. Meghan has more than stepped up to the royal mark.