There’s nothing quite like the Spring Racing Carnival to get the blood pumping, and fashion temperatures rising… The race that stops a nation is so close I can taste it, and fashion triumphs and tragedies are just around the corner. Read carefully my glamour girls and make sure you fall into the former category rather than the unfashionable latter!
The thing with racewear is this – there are rules, and, whilst I’m not normally good with rules, these ones give you guidelines so you don’t land in the fashion sin bin, and also help you give the races the nod of respect that they deserve… I mean we’re talking the sport of kings here, not a suburban chook raffle!!!
There is a fashions on the field code of dress for each event:
Derby Day for example is the equivalent to the Academy Awards of racetrack fashion. No messing around on this day, it’s serious! Chic, sharp and black and white rules. If you have one scrap of Chanel, PRADA or Louis Vuitton then this is the day to let it loose… On this day alone you’re only as good as your handbag and heels. Am I overstating the point? Perhaps. But I’m telling you the competition is fierce… I start planning for Megan Gale and Miranda Kerr a month in advance; it’s a military chic operation!
Cup Day is like The Tony Awards. Exuberant, fun and over the top. Colour is the order of the day, and plenty of it. It feels like a carnival, so embrace colour in this spirit and revel in the exhilaration of a fabulous race. Avoid the temptation for any headwear that could be mistaken for a cast off by Cher or Dame Edna… It’ll only end in tears!
And lastly there is Oaks Day, it’s like the BAFTAS, a bit more English. It’s ladies day, slightly more relaxed, and the dress code is feminine. Florals and flirty sun dresses help make the day breezy and gentle as the festivities come to a glamorous end.
Hat or fascinator?
This year, the trend is in favour of the hat. Italian movie star glamour, broad brim straw hats with minimal embellishments, Fellini style picture hats for impact and drama. And remember it’s spring so hats are ALWAYS straw!!! You will suffer a painful fashion demise to step foot on the lawn in Winter felt.
A cautionary word on fascinators (I’m breaking out in a sweat just typing that word) if you think a fascinator is a collection of haberdashery from Spotlight dangling on a Lady Jane slide comb… Bite down on your cyanide capsule now!!! A fascinator (like the gorgeous ones captured in 1950s films on the likes of Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, or in the salons of Paris for Dior and Balenciaga) should be executed by a great milliner, they are part hat, part headpiece – not a home made home economics assignment!!!
And finally beware the disco dress… Leave it for the nightclub!!! If it’s got Lycra in it, sparkles on it, or resembles any creature that can take flight, you can probably assume that it’s an incorrect choice for the above events.
Follow the rules, use some common sense and embrace the spirit of the day (and careful while embracing the spirits) and have a fabulously chic time at the races.
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Spring Racing Carnival: Alex Perry On How To Be Stylish
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