DERBY STYLE
The fabulous Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, which kicks off next Friday and runs for three days in The Curragh Racecourse, is considered one of the best race events in the racing calendar.
The competition is always fierce for the title of the Most Stylish Lady on Derby Day, which is on Saturday, June 25, for the winner receives a luxury holiday in Dubai, €1,000 to spend in Dubai Duty Free and a ‘Roulette’ diamond pendant from Boodles.
Such a price certainly sounds worthy of the effort to try and get your look as race-day winning as it can be.
Race day style is a very specific thing. It can be especially elusive to get right when we have sunshine as it tends to trigger us into revealing too much flesh (be it too white, or too baked) in too-perky outfits and toobright party looking shoes.
Notice that the key word there was ‘too’. Too is too much for race day style and especially to crack the Best Dressed Lady prize-code.
To understand what it takes to win, I am going to use a word that people hate, but it absolutely applies here; to win a ‘Best Dressed’ competition you need to exude class.
This means that from the dewy finish of your make-up, to your subtly coloured hair, to the perfect hat on your crown teamed with your (probably) designer outfit and all the way down to the elegant footwear gracing your shell pink painted toes, you exude the kind of style that is perceived as feminine, elegant and shows that there is something special about you.
Remember, as a winner you are representing not just your own style, but also that of the prize sponsor and the entire race event. They want to be perceived as the best of the best and so, to win, you must be, too. (That is the only time ‘too’ is allowed in this subject.)
If I were to select a kind of role model for getting right the kind of style tone I am outlining here, it would be someone like Amy Huberman or the event’s Style Ambassador Rachel Stevens. Or, for a truly fabulous and original dash, think oh-so-cool ensemble Bianca Jagger wore on her wedding day to Mick Jagger, back in the 1971; it was simple and elegant — and bold and daring.
Women who win Best Dressed Competitions tend to adore fashion and are completely aware of what the trends are in hair and makeup as well. They are subtle about their savvy. They never allow their clothing to scream designer, be it Dolce & Gabbana or Umit Kutluk. They operate on the Haute Couture principal that the woman wears the dress, and not the other way around.
The final component you should be aware of, which is perhaps the most elusive quality to capture — women who win Best Dressed competitions tend to be women who look genuinely happy with life and themselves. They are never the ones who hang around the parade ground, eager to be spotted.
Rather, they are at the races to enjoy a day out with partners and friends, what race days are really all about.