Newmarket's Moët & Chandon July Festival: The Best Dressed contest is back!
After more than a year of dressing down, it’s time to get your gladrags on as the Style Awards return to Newmarket’s July Festival, live and in person.
If you’re longing to swap your lockdown loungewear for dress, hat and heels, brilliant news: the Style Awards is back at Newmarket’s July Festival!
Looking for the Best Dressed racegoer at Ladies’ Day, the event is returning live and in person next month after last year’s virtual version.
“It’s a huge thrill to have the Style Awards back for the Moët & Chandon July Festival, three days which epitomise the best of summer style and top-quality action on track,” says Sophie Able, general manager at Newmarket Racecourses.
“We’re counting down the days until Ladies’ Day on Thursday, July 8 and I’m sure racegoers will ensure the race to the prize for Best Dressed is as competitive as ever.”
For the first time this year, instead of having separate categories for ladies, gentlemen and couples on consecutive days, the Best Dressed competition is running for one day only and will be open to everyone.
The judges - including award-winning milliner Ana Pribylova, whose hats have been worn at high-profile events around the world, including the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - will, as ever, be looking for outfits which balance fashion flair with race-day style.
“We’d like to see people having fun with their looks: this year, even more than ever, we want the Style Awards to be a joyful event,” says Velvet’s (Suffolk News' sister site) editor Alice Ryan, also returning to the judging panel. “If you’re anything like me, after a year of wearing nothing dressier than jeans, you can’t wait to get on the hat and heels!”
“I’ve been judging racecourse best dressed competitions for almost a decade and the most striking looks always reflect not only current trends, but also a personal style,” adds Alice. “Attention to detail always impresses the judges, too: think head to toe.”
As ever, there are amazing prizes to be won. Make the top 10 and you’ll get a gorgeous goody bag; make the top three and you can look forward to treats from luxe brands including Hotel Chocolat, Penhaligon’s, The Manor Florist in Barton, The Face Place in Newmarket and Ana Bella Millinery, Ana Pribylova’s eponymous label which has studios in both London and Australia.
Open to everyone aged 18 or over, entry into the competition is from gates opening at 11.20am until 3pm on Thursday, July 8 and the winners will be announced on the day. The Style Marquee will be located within the Grandstand & Paddock enclosure in its usual location and there will be Style Spotters dotted across the site to encourage racegoers to enter.
Tickets to the July Festival are on sale now, priced from £16. Numbers are limited in line with Government roadmap guidelines, so head to thejockeyclub.co.uk/newmarket/ now to book.
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