Sustainable Style Awards: Meet Newmarket’s best-dressed racegoers
Raising the bar on planet-friendly fashion, Newmarket’s sustainable Style Awards took place yesterday. Time to meet the winners. . .
First Place: Natalie Jones, business support manager from Cambridge
“My whole life revolves around fashion! My Instagram @style_mummy started when I got pregnant, because I wanted to prove that you could still dress fashionably as a mum-to-be, and it just grew from there. My little boy is 7 now and I’ve got more than 11,000 followers!
“My whole wardrobe is from Vinted - I’m literally obsessed. Sustainability is a big thing for me; I don’t want my child to grow up in the world we’ve left his generation as it stands. I’ve actually been working in sustainability for the last six years; most recently for a start-up within Marshall Aerospace, but I’m just about to start a new job looking at materials that actually capture carbon.
“Today I’m wearing a two-piece which, you guessed it, I found on Vinted. It came from a boutique which closed down and the owner was selling the remaindered stock. The accessories are Vinted too - including the earrings which were originally Shein! The only new thing is the hat, which was made for me by Emms Millinery to match the outfit.
“I know it sounds a bit ‘in your face’, but I really like to stand out a little bit and be different. I don’t follow the fashion horde; you have to dress for your own shape and your own style.
“I’ve never done Ladies’ Day before and this is my first time entering any Style Awards, so maybe it’s first-time luck? It’s been such a fun day - I’d encourage anyone reading this to get dressed up and come along.”
Second Place: Kelly Miller, solicitor from Dorset
“When you really love what you’re wearing, I feel like it’s a bit of an armour; if I love my outfit, I feel a little bit bulletproof! I genuinely think fashion is a work of art. My outfits will always err on the side of being over the top, but I don’t really care because I love fashion, always have.
“So there is a story behind the dress. . . One of the books I read to my daughter, who’s 2, is by a fashion illustrator and she’s wearing this dress in her author photograph. I saw it, loved it, and then spent I can’t tell you how many hours scanning the world to find it! Eventually I got this one on eBay. It’s by a brand called Poca & Poca and it’s a jacquard, perfect for today. I love the colour, the sleeves, the shimmer in the fabric.
“The bag is a Kate Spade custard cream clutch, which is ages old and I borrowed from my sister, and I made the hat. I’ve been making hats for about five years now; I wanted to wear one for my wedding, so that’s what started it. Now everyone asks me to make them one! I actually call it ‘Ascot season’: whenever anyone in my life has a wedding or an event, they call me.
“I’ve been entering the Style Awards with my twin sister for years; we grew up just outside Newmarket and come home for the July Festival as often as we can. To make the top three is lovely! It was worth hunting down this dress. . .”
Third Place: Casey Hale, retailer from Birmingham
“I’ve never been racing before - this is my first time! My girlfriend invited me, I had some time off and I thought it would be fun. . . so we came down from Birmingham.
“The suit I’ve had for years - I can’t even tell you where it was from - but I only ever really wear it for weddings, so I wanted to get it out of the wardrobe. I picked out the shirt and tie just to match the colour scheme and the crocheted buttonhole was to match my girlfriend’s outfit.
“I can’t believe I’ve made the top three! I’d definitely encourage other guys to get dressed up and enter next year; it just makes you feel good, doesn’t it?”
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Alice Ryan