Ladies' Day - Races

Ladies' Day - Best Dressed, Galway Races

Bairbre Power, one of the judges of this year's Best Bressed Lady Competition at Galway Races, gave the following advice to readers of her newspaper column in the 'Irish Independent' on the 23rd July, 2010.
"Wear a hat. Hats are architecture for your head, sculptural pieces that add an intriguing, three dimensional addition to an outfit and when it comes to grooming for the races, a hat twinned with chic leather gloves are a natural pairing.

When it comes to the Anthony Ryan Best Dressed Lady/Best Hat competition on Ladies Day, I love colour but fight the temptation to go 'matchy-matchy' girls. It can look cliched and contrived. Clinging nervously to two colours head-to-toe, right down to the shade of nail varnish, is tragic.

Be adventurous, the judges will notice and appreciate it.

Chose an outfit that will be comfortable on the day.

Don't convince yourself that designer labels will propel you straight to the winner's podum where first prize is worth €12,500 prize including a very delectable one carat pendant worth €8,500.

A healthy balance of high street, wardrobe favourites, dash of vintage plus new additions sparkle when combined with attitude. Let us see your personality rather than the shop assistant's.

The weather plays a huge part on the day and the clever ones won't ruin a carefully put together outfit by grabbing a golfing umbrella from the car at the last minute. The competitive ones will have already factored in a colour co-ordinating brolly.

False tan doesn't behave well in the rain so go easy on the tango. Remember, pale is more interesting.

However, word to the wise: leave the ballgowns and beaded cocktail dresses at home. Better again, reserve them for the race ball the following night. A few misguided souls turn up in them at the races every year and judges don't rate them. In fact, they give us a giggle

When it comes to hats, think opposites. The hat should be the opposite shape to your face so if your face is round, think vertical.

The fascinator is much maligned, condemned by some as a cacophony of feathers, stuck on the side of the head. But they are portable and have lots of advantages over the larger, bulky hat."

Read the full article at Irish Independent