Race days are some of the last events where we’re expected to dress conservatively – but still be fashion forward. Stewart Hawkins speaks with Angela Belle McSweeney, a fashion doyenne, and a director of the Australian Turf Club about why and gets some style tips.
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Before the running of the Everest at Royal Randwick, the world’s richest race on turf, the crowd sings “Sweet Caroline” en masse. One or two beverages may have been consumed but it’s one of those goose-bump moments where a crowd of 50,000 is joined in joy. You then have a hush; the horses jump and then it’s on!
They are also remarkably well dressed – with those in the know sporting a “touch of blue”.
“We had to have a colour,” says Angela Belle McSweeney. “I rang (Racing NSW boss) Peter V’landys and asked him ‘are you happy with blue’?”
The thinking was to give the race an identity, according to McSweeney. “The guys get their blue tie or blue pocket [square] or a blue shirt. That’s why I made [it] a touch of blue, so it’s not too onerous. Even a lot of the girls just wear blue jewelry.”
The result of the ascension of the Everest along with the much-longer established Melbourne Cup, means Australians now have two big Spring events to frock up for with the accompanying confusion and (possible) panic for men and women as to how to look smoking hot for social media while remaining within the Turf Clubs’ conservative guidelines.
A long tradition
I was about 10 – when my nana taught me how to fill out a betting slip. (I suspect it was illegal even back then for someone that age to place bets, but no one seemed to care.) We’d study the form, trot up to the “tote” and back a few “winners”. Except they rarely were, but that didn’t stop us having fun.
The dichotomy was how special it was when nana (rarely) got to go to the track – and it wasn’t just that she’d be able to get pencillers’ (or “scribblers”) odds. It was an occasion she dressed up for and for a day she felt like a “real lady” – her words, not mine.
What’s the point of all this nostalgia? The races in Australia are a special occasion demanding you look your best regardless of social status or income.
No cut outs for ladies and socks for gentlemen
McSweeney maintains one of the reasons we dress formally to race here is because the whole exercise is an import from England with royal roots. Think Ascot.
On race day, people want an element of glamour in the marquees, she says.
Rather than being a turn-off, she insists the traditional elements of the sport attract younger people.
“I think [they] love coming because they can dress up together,” she says. “He can have a matching tie to her [outfit].
“Also, social media has helped us because everybody loves to go and be photographed. We have a great team at [Randwick] where we keep putting all the social media up on the screen and it’s that excitement of seeing one another and saying, ‘oh, you look gorgeous. Oh, you look fabulous.’.”
She describes racing as “a theatre of life” because: “you can have fun having a beer and a pie, or you can go into the members’, and have chicken sandwiches and champagne.
“And to me that’s very Australian. Racing is for everyone. Even in the general admission on Everest day, you’ll see they all dress up.
It’s a sense of occasion.”
A few years back, it was considered rather fashionable for men to not wear socks (which is against ATC guidelines) and currently for women to wear cut-out dresses (also in breach of the rules). What’s McSweeney advice?
“There’s a clever way to do [it], she says. “Wear sockets, who’s going to check if they’ve got the sockets on?
“My daughter came to the Darby and she had a white lace pants suit on and white lace jacket, and she had a bra top under it. She just kept the jacket done up until she went out to a nightclub later. You can create a balance.
“You’re going to a daytime event that has wonderful tradition. They just need to realise they’re not going to a nightclub. They’re going to a day at the races.”
Heels?
“High heels, definitely! That’s part of the elegance, a beautiful heel.”
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“I would define the racing balance as achieving a modern, less conservative look, but still appropriate for [the] event. It’s easier than you might think. It’s about considering the rules and then trying to work within those parameters. You can still work in modern contemporary colours,” she says. “I’d put in some spring colours such as butter yellow, baby blue. Maybe I’d do red.”
“Start with a dress… but definitely look for colour,” she says. “Pick one colour; a block colour is always good. Then look for the length. A lot of people still go for that longer dress because it does look a little bit more formal. Then think about what you’re wearing for headwear. If it’s outside, definitely a hat.
And for men?
“It’s all about wearing lighter jackets. Maybe it’s a light gray, maybe it’s a tan, maybe it’s a white pant instead of a tanned pant or a navy pant. For men it’s about mixing and matching rather than wearing the full suit… if you wanted to show a little bit more individuality. Maybe it’s a baby blue jacket?”
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