Gents, the Melbourne Spring Racing season is upon us. The events are nearing and the time has come to prepare your race day outfits. This can be a challenging task, so we’ve done the hard part for you! To ensure that getting ready is simple and easy, we’ve accumulated various race-day fashion insights that will help boost your confidence and prepare you to look nothing but dapper, swanky and suave.
There is a lot to take into consideration when dressing for the highly fashion-forward race-day events. One must follow dress codes, respect traditions, acknowledge current trends and also attempt to look unique – so dressing for the races can seem like an impossible task. Stress no more! From Derby Day and Melbourne Cup, to Crown Oaks and Emirates Stakes, here’s how to conquer fashion at the races this season.
Caulfield Cup
You can mix up your style for the Caulfield Cup, whether you’d prefer to stay conservative or be bold and flamboyant, this event is perfect to showcase your own personal style.
Blues and creams are the colour of choice for this years Caulfield Cup, keep in mind that the official flower is the white rose, so colours are can be easily added to a white theme.
If your Mr. Conservative, then keep it simple and throw on a classic navy suit and a great silk tie to create a classic look. If your Mr. Flamboyant then you can play with velvet fabrics, double-breasted jackets and pops of colours to stand out from the crowd at Caulfield.
Derby Day
Tradition is key for Derby Day, fashion is most identifiable by its black and white dress code. However Derby Day is also an opportunity to play with traditionalism, by executing the traditional theme with a contemporary aesthetic.
We suggest all gents to pull out their great fitting black suits and stick to the classic colour combination of black and white. However grey suiting has also become widely popular.
While it is important to maintain the dress code is classic regarding colour, you can definitely work in some novel accessories to spruce up your race day look, add some playful cufflinks ora textured tie to lend character to your look. Do not wear a bow tie.
The official flower for Derby Day this year a vibrant purple cornflower, so a purple theme in accessories would work well in maintaining the theme and also sprucing up the look with a pop of colour in your tie or pocket square.
Melbourne Cup
This is the race that stops the nation, and it’s time to showcase your best high fashion style.The freedom is all yours at the Melbourne Cup when it comes to fashion. You can play around with colours and vibrancy, and often brighter hues are donned to this event.
Go bold with attention-grabbing colours and interpret you style with amazing accessories, while remaining respectfully stylish. Opt for a neutral toned suit and add pops of colour, or if you’re up for it, go very bold with a bright jacket.
Cherry reds, sunny yellows, peachy ambers and grass greens are go-to colours for the accessories. The official flower is the yellow rose so yellow will be seen mixed throughout the event, and should be incorporated even minimally into your look.
Crowne Oaks Day
Gents you can finally play with print. The Crowne Oaks allows for experimentation with floral prints and pastel hues to reflect the more romantic aesthetic of this race day.
You can choose to remain neutral with your suit colour, and add pops of bright colours or prints in your accessories, or you can even wear an entirely bright suit, with a vice-versa approach to your accessories staying more neutral to keep everything balanced.
The brighter tones of pinks, corals, reds and purples add a very modern twist to this event in comparison to the other race day events. The official flower is the pink rose. Whichever colour you choose, team your look with a fun tie or pocket square with hints of florals, spots, stripes or plaid.
Stakes Day
The last race day for the Spring Racing Carnival is a more family-oriented event, so the attire is typically more relaxed. Although the liberal dress code may hinder your style creativity, you can still look like a dapper gentleman.
Consider a patterned suit and add pops of red into you tie or pocket square to remain within the theme for the official flower which is the red rose. Work with complementary colours to create a more bold look while remaining relaxed and conservative.
Bright cobalt blues, light or dark greys. emerald greens, and warm beiges and tans are a great to make the red rose theme stand out in contrast.