The Style Awards returned to Newmarket’s Dubai Future Champions Festival and, as media partner Velvet reports, the fashion going was good

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Newmarket’s historic Rowley Mile racecourse turned catwalk for the day when the Style Awards, the twice-yearly search for best-dressed racegoer, returned for autumn. Showcasing seasonal dressing at its very best, outfits spanned warm autumnal tones right through to cool creams and icy whites, with flourishes coming in the form of boots, bags, feathers and faux fur.

“Our job was not made easy: there were so many impeccable outfits,” says Velvet editor Alice Ryan, who judged the competition alongside Lauren Price, in-house designer for the awards’ newest prize partner brand, Fairfax & Favor. With almost 12,000 Instagram followers for her @laurenprice_looks account, Lauren is also an independent fashion influencer.

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“Having added a sustainability element to the dress code this summer, we were also really impressed by the thought people had put into pulling together their looks,” continues Alice. “Most entrants had based their outfit on items in their existing wardrobe, rather than buying new, with lots of pre-loved, vintage and heirloom pieces featuring too.”

No longer a search solely for the best-dressed lady on the course, the autumn Style Awards was open to all racegoers. The gentlemen really raised the sartorial bar, notes Alice: “We saw some seriously sharp tailoring and it was great to see such attention being paid to the details: as well as perfectly matched ties, pins and pocket squares, we saw some very dapper hats and caps - and even a bowtie fashioned from feathers!”

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The top 10 entrants each received a Velvet goody bag, containing gifts from some of the magazine’s best-loved local and British brands: seasonal scented candles from The Candle Company Cambridge, loose-leaf tea from Tea Apothecary, sweet treats from online Italian deli Seggiano, spirit flasks from Cantium Craft Gin, popcorn from Popcorn Shed, pamper products from L’Occitane and fragrance from Penhaligon’s, plus some little surprises from Team Velvet too.

Between them, the top three took home thousands of pounds worth of prizes, courtesy of partner brands Fairfax & Favor, Penhaligon’s, House of Cavani, Laird Hatters, Chestnut Hospitality and Shida Preserved Flowers, all of which were selected for celebrating British style and their commitment to sustainable practice. Read on to meet the winners. . .

Winner: Elizabeth Stott, retired, of Newmarket

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“I’m just coming out of shock! I was really astounded when you called my name. . . We live so close - we can literally walk here - that if the weather’s nice we often say ‘Shall we go racing?’ The sun was shining today, so we decided to come along.

“It hadn’t crossed my mind to enter the best-dressed competition, but as we walked past the tent someone called me over and said I should have a go. I said ‘You want young fillies, not an old broodmare like me’, but she said I should get my picture taken and I thought ‘Oh well, at least I’ll get a nice photograph’. So to go on to win? It’s amazing!

“I must have had the hat for 10 years and it was secondhand then. The jacket is from the British Heart Foundation shop and the bag is from a charity shop too; I found it when we were visiting Northern Ireland once and just thought it was lovely quality. The dress is Phase Eight and I did buy that recently, but the shoes have got to be 35 years old.

“I had a French grandmother and I think I got my love of fashion from her; she just knew how to put things together. My mother too was very smart - even when she was elderly, she’d always wear high heels.

“After today, I’d say to anyone ‘Just have a go’. Just because you’re almost 70 and bought most of your outfit in a charity shop doesn’t preclude you from entering - or from winning, as it turns out!”

Second place: Clare Rutterford, holistic therapist, Fordham

“This has been such an amazing experience. Coming second in the awards gives you a bit of a lift, of course! But I also really love the atmosphere of the day; that’s half the reason why I like to come.

“The Style Awards is always so sociable. I come with a group of girls, which is lovely in itself, but I’ve also got to know other people who come along for the awards; you might not know their names, but you know their faces and you stop and have a chat. There’s this sense of community.

“It was my friend Georgie - who runs the hat brand Le Chapeau and actually won best-dressed last autumn - who encouraged me to take part for the first time last year. She said ‘You have to experience it’ and I said ‘Oh, no, I don’t like having my photo taken’. But then when I came along - and made the top 10 - it was such a confidence boost. Plus I love getting dressed up and we don’t get that many opportunities to do that, do we, apart from weddings?

“The headband is obviously Le Chapeau and I really wanted to go autumnal with the colour palette. The dress is from Apricot, my bag was an Amazon find and the faux fur tippet is Joules but from TK Maxx. I love a monochrome look and feel really comfortable in it too; I often think if an outfit is wearing you, rather than you wearing the outfit, it shows.

“I’d encourage everyone to enter. Don’t be apprehensive. If you don’t give it a go, you’ll never know.”

Third place: Andre Bonadies, tyre fitter, Bedford

“I’m well happy! We didn’t actually know best-dressed was happening today - I just love racing; I’m here probably 25 times a year - but when we saw the sign my mum and my other half said I should enter. About seven years ago I won Best Dressed Gentleman on the July Course, so I have got a bit of form. . .

“Being a tyre fitter by trade, I don’t dress like this most of the time. But my dad’s Italian and my cousins have got a number of clothing shops near to Naples, so I’ve always taken an interest in what they have in their shops.

“Everything I’m wearing has come out of the wardrobe this morning. I enjoy putting an outfit together: sometimes it comes together easily, other times the whole bed is covered in suit jackets and bow ties and pocket squares. . . My little boy was a bit of an inspiration for this one, because he went off to playgroup wearing bright trousers this morning!

“My jacket is Moss, the jumper and trousers are Next, the shoes are Loake. The diamond horse pin on my lapel was a present from my mum, a pre-owned piece from John Bull in Bedford, and the bee pin was from my other half.

“I watch a lot of racing so I get inspiration from what other people wear on the course. I’d say, if you’ve got an idea in your head and want to put together an outfit, just go for it. What have you got to lose?”

Sustainable Style

As well as looking for outfits which suited the season and occasion, worked head-to-toe and reflected both fashion and the wearer’s personal style, this year’s Style Awards judges wanted to see entrants making sustainable clothing and accessory choices. Velvet editor Alice Ryan pulled together pieces from her wardrobe:

Hicks & Brown fedora

Vintage Moschino Cheap & Chic chalk stripe trouser suit

Pre-loved Lauren by Ralph Lauren bag

Fairfax & Favor Regina ankle boot