Royal Visit: The Duchess of Cambridge wows the polo crowd in Santa Barbara

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Sometimes, it’s all about the clothes and today was one of those days. Dressed in a silver-gray hand-painted chinoiserie silk dress from British designer Jenny Packham’s Spring 2011 collection, the Duchess of Cambridge arrived for The Foundation Polo Challenge at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club via helicopter with her husband Prince William, who was casual in his pre-polo garb-a navy blue linen blazer, white pants and a white pocket square. The couple attracted so much attention from guests trying to catch a glimpse that one man standing on a chair to snap a picture stumbled off the platform of the seat (and the champagne had only just started to flow).

While the royal couple were certainly the main attraction, celebrities roamed the grounds as well, causing quite a stir among polo enthusiasts who were sporting colorful summer dresses and festive hats.

Zoe Saldana was elegant in a pale peach floral floor length dress from Chloe and Molly Sims wore a short dress by Templerley London and Alice Eve donned a crisp white suit with a gray chiffon blouse.

As lovely as the ladies looked, the men were quite dapper as well. Rob Lowe wore a light tan suit and pale blue shirt, while Joe Jonas sported a vibrant hot pink cable knit cardigan with a white button down, khakis and shiny gold Ray Ban sunglasses.

Before the match, Prince William changed out of his blazer and white pants to his polo uniform (his jersey number is 4). His wife watched from the center stands sans hat, but shielded by a white canopy and not a hair out of place.

--Melissa Magsaysay

Top photo: Prince William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, left, arrive with former Ambassador to Jamaica, Glen Holden, right, and Gloria Holden. Credit: Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times.