Royal tour: Kate Middleton wears Alexander McQueen dress for her arrival in Mumbai

The Duchess of Cambridge favoured British designer Alexander McQueen for the first day on her royal tour, blended with rich colours from the East. Kate Middleton will wear garments from a range of Indian designers during the royal week-long tour of India and Bhutan but started with McQueen, one of her favourite fashion brands.

The McQueen outfit was a vivid scarlet, paisley themed dress with a shirt split at the front, while underneath she wore an understated black underskirt. For jewellery, the Duchess favoured Temple of Heaven Girandole earrings.

Indian designer Rahul Mishra is keen for Middleton to blend Western and Asian styles. "I would like to dress the Duchess of Cambridge in beautiful bandhini in the form of western deconstructed kurta kind of look from my recent Paris show," Mishra, adding that the idea behind choosing bandhini is because she is coming to India and it's a very Indian craft".

Mishra has praised Middleton as "a breath of fresh air as a style icon", according to the Indian Express.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are staying at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, which was the target of terrorist attacks on Mumbai in 2008. King George V and Queen Mary stayed in 1905 and 1911, while the Prince of Wales was a guest in 2013.

The royal couple enjoyed a private lunch of vegetable kebabs, lentil curry, rice, ricotta cheese and okra cooked by the Taj Palace chef.

The royal guest list

Among the celebrities and dignitaries Kate and William will meet on the tour are:

• Bhutan's royal couple, nicknamed the 'William and Kate of the Himalayas', King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his wife Jetsun Pema, who has given birth to their first son, who arrived this February.

• Bollywood stars at a gala in Mumbai, including the Indian film industry's biggest names such as Shah Rukh Khan – King Khan to fans – and former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who forms one-half of Bollywood's ultimate power couple, along with husband Abhishek Bachchan.

• Cricketing legend Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, one of the greatest batsmen of all time, will meet the Cambridges before the royal couple take part in a charity cricket match at Oval Maidan public park.