Fashion, over the course of the past few decades, has made a steep climb in its prominence. It more than marginally establishes one’s sense of oneself, as it does one’s sense of others. And people are beginning to have an endless lust for what would have once been considered as a demeaning advertisement of opulence – all kinds of sneakers, glasses, blazers, jackets, and not to mention wristwatches, studs, tattoos, and so on and so forth.
Fashion has become inevitable. So has its trends. So has the mindset of people to complement their clothing with the trends.
And just so it happens, “what to wear on race day” is rather a serious question.
However, it’s the truth that the millennial generation has well made it so to isolate crisp formal attires only for events that demand them. That leaves us with variants of endless types of casual and semi-formal clothing. And as much as women would like to differ, Men’s fashion includes – but not limited to – blazers, jackets, or skinny fit jeans professionally torn at the kneecaps.
So you wear supposedly different types of dresses to different occasions. For a party, it could be a well-tailored shirt that’s matched with cargoes. Or a patterned shirt with khakis or coloured jeans. For women, the key could be in a pantsuit. Although, backless dresses are increasingly becoming popular.
For movies or restaurants, anything that makes a firm stand between “too stylish” and sleazy could be worn by both men and women.
When it comes to beaches – although conservative countries would digress – minimal clothing suit best; shorts for men, and bikinis for women. In fact, minimal clothing is what makes the point for beaches, where one can get a lot of Vitamin-D, basking in the heat of the sun.
And as it happens to come to that, what does a person wear for the much-awaited Race Day?
While on this aspect, it should be noted that most professional horse races have a dress code to be followed by all the people who make up the audience.
But generally, the clothes that make the race days better are those that complement the weather, and supposedly also the anxiety that comes with the neck-and-neck incidents that are sure to happen in any race.
And before we go to the nitty-gritty of things, here are a few points to remember before selecting your wardrobe:
- Dress comfortably.
- Your dress should complement the weather (for instance, a tight dress could do a lot of damage to you during a summer race, than probably losing a bet ever will).
- Do not dress in a sleazy kind of way.
- As always, wearing explicit clothing can go a long way to steal the show for you, but that’s where the problem begins: You are not supposed to be the show. The race is.
- Always go for clothes that show your professional facet. Although this can at times contradict with the very first point that endorses dressing comfortably, being so comfortable than necessary might make you less-civilized, or under-dressed for the occasion.
First Up, Let’s Talk About Men
When it comes to professional horse-races (for instance: the Melbourne Cup or the Cox plate), men’s fashion lies in showing off masculine elegance, rather than in something too conservative or too bold.
For occasions like this, men can wear the classic Navy suit. The trousers that go with navy-blue blazers can be the traditional grey flannels. Or else, it can be used with denims (the main purpose of a navy-blue suit is for its ability to help you switch between formal and casual attires). But whatever trousers you wear, make sure it’s a light colour – khaki or off-white or even the classic chinos suit well.
You can also wear double-breasted suits with windowpane-checked shirts. If the weather happens to be spring, and you want to give yourself a little slack, then classic shirts with spread collars might turn out to be a good fit.
Some fashion-geeks like Myer opine that the trend has been set for professional racecourses to see men in shades of blue. “The hottest hue is blue. From aqua and indigo to ink and bleached.”
But most professionals agree on the fact that when it comes to horseraces, a good-quality suit is paramount. That and wisely choosing from the array of accessories such as a hat, cufflinks, gloves, pocket handkerchief, belt, tie, sunglasses, watch, etc.
However, it does not confine to just that, and something simple as a crisp white shirt with a colourfully designed tie, along with a shoe that complements your tie can go a long way to being contemporary as well as sufficient. Trousers, in this case, can be a variety of different types – ranging from a full on formal black (that complements a formal look), cream-coloured pants (complements a gentleman’s crisp cut), to something like purple chinos, or blue jeans. Chums have got the killer collection of trousers that suits your body type and style. Don’t forget to browse the latest collections for the race day.
And when it comes to races such as Formula 1 or the Grandprix, the entire fashion industry takes a different turn. The zip-fronted bomber jacket comes to mind first, with cream coloured tailor-suited chinos to match. Leather jackets are also in the norm. Once done with the clothes, the choice to sport gloves or other related accessories are open to everyone.
The choice of trousers is important in this case, and although a wide range of colours can be worn with a bomber jacket, the usual choice includes denim jeans, or any other dark-coloured pants that however shouldn’t sink in with the hues of the jacket.
That Said, What Should Women Wear On A Race Day?
Before we begin, according to Vogue, there are a few basic ground-rules that women should follow for every professional race:
Women shouldn’t wear anything too tight or revealing. Dresses should fall well below at the knee (or even lower), and shoulder straps should be at least an inch thick (even if a jacket is worn). Jumpsuits also suit fine, but then, the same limitations of size apply.
Other than that, when it comes to dresses, you can choose something with a colour that stands out. But in certain cases, you can choose the overall theme of the event – for instance, a black and white theme for Derby races, and red, black, yellow, or white for Formula 1 races.
*Important point*: Handbags are mostly not allowed in some racecourses – or at least, F1 doesn’t. Anyway, it makes for a good strategy to try and stand out without a handbag, while using other accessories such as a headpiece.
Besides, all of you women can still go for metallic clothes – shades of gold, silver, or bronze. It’s not mainly to advertise one’s opulence, as much as it is to try and be fashionable – but opulence comes off as an added advantage.
Another important point for women will be to wear headpieces that help them during strong winds. Other than that, a little consideration to wearing clothes that complement the weather wouldn’t hurt.
