PUNTERS are in for another spectacular showpiece as a select group of ritzy guests, dressed in their finest garb, cheer on an even more select group of horses they racing one another for the coveted Sansui Summer Cup at Turffontein on Saturday.
The event is Joburg answer to the Durban July and the J&B Met. High society fashionistas will strutt their stuff on the fringes of the event, just like they do at the July and J&B.
And a high society occasion it is. Many companies have waved their chequebooks, so to speak, to secure the attendance of celebrities in their exclusive marquees.
Some of the country's finest fashion designers will be showcasing their fashion labels at the event, while some of the guests, including celebrities and media personalities, will be wearing some of the high-end designs.
This year's theme is Bling Your Pink.
Fashion designer extraordinaire JJ Schoeman was one of the special guests at the race launch, where a partnership between the Sansui Summer Cup, JJ Schoeman and Jenna Clifford was announced.
Schoeman gave the punters some invaluable fashion tips for the big day.
He said women were often confused about what to wear when it comes to big horseracing events.
Schoeman said race day fashion could be divided into various categories cocktail dresses, women plus-size dresses, suits, fascinators and hats. These are his fashion tips for punters:
Headwear
Hats and headwear are the most exciting part of the attire and that is what makes race day all the more special.
The history of wearing hats on race day dates back to the prestigious Royal Ascot race in England in 1711. Guests Invited to the royal enclosure had to adhere to a strict dress code.
Men had to be dressed in full morning garb with a top hat and the ladies could not expose their midriff and shoulders and had to wear a hat. This royal dress code took off worldwide and racegoers started paying attention to the tradition of matching the appropriate attire with a hat.
"Petite ladies should select a smaller hat and taller women can wear a hat with a wider brim and nothing too small or very angular," Schoeman says.
He says fascinators are an essential part of the outfit.
"There are many shapes, sizes and colours. You have to be confident wearing extravagant fascinators, otherwise opt for a simple feather fascinator that is placed just above the tie in your hair like a ponytail style."
Schoeman says there are a wide variety of hats to choose from extravagant wide-brimmed hats and smaller and a more classical ones.
Dress
Schoeman says making a fashion statement at the races is in vogue.
"Give careful consideration to something truly unique. A bold and bright combination with a gorgeous hat is the order of the day. Preferably a knee- length style dress for that touch of elegance and style.
"Two handy words to remember are elegance and class. The dress has to be demure and divine and compliment your figure."
He advises ladies to opt for a smart knee-length summer dress and the neckline should not be too revealing.
Accessories
A jacket or bolero can be handy for cool weather and for the rainy season. An umbrella is a handy accessory and has to be special and not ordinary.
"Shoes must be comfortable, preferably a high-heel that you can walk in. Sunglasses help against the bright sunlight and so does sunblock.
The bag should be a clutch bag that will hold everything. A smaller bag for the day is best. Your hair should be styled around your choice of headwear.
"Blow-dried hair will give shine and volume and will look more expensive. Curly and big hair is ideal for summertime. "Create a curly, bouncy look that will last for the day by using heated rollers."
What do men wear at the races? Schoeman says this can be solved with the KISS theory - keep it simple, stupid.
He says the four categories for men are black tie, tuxedo, formal wear, smart and dark attire. He says also appropriate for the day is a tuxedo - which is optional - cocktail wear, a black suit, creative black tie, the new trendy individualistic looks around the above. He says horseracing clubs in South Africa do have their own dress codes.
"The general rule, however, is the rule of thumb. The tradition goes a long way back that if you are a man, you wear a suit. The perfect hat for a man is a bowler hat, funky but yet has old-fashioned dress sense."
And the most important thing to consider? "Darling the last thing would be to not arrive late for the start of the fashion parade".
Fashionistas out to get the pulses racing
PUNTERS are in for another spectacular showpiece as a select group of ritzy guests, dressed in their finest garb, cheer on an even more select group of horses they racing one another for the coveted Sansui Summer Cup at Turffontein on Saturday.
The event is Joburg answer to the Durban July and the J&B Met. High society fashionistas will strutt their stuff on the fringes of the event, just like they do at the July and J&B.
And a high society occasion it is. Many companies have waved their chequebooks, so to speak, to secure the attendance of celebrities in their exclusive marquees.
Some of the country's finest fashion designers will be showcasing their fashion labels at the event, while some of the guests, including celebrities and media personalities, will be wearing some of the high-end designs.
This year's theme is Bling Your Pink.
Fashion designer extraordinaire JJ Schoeman was one of the special guests at the race launch, where a partnership between the Sansui Summer Cup, JJ Schoeman and Jenna Clifford was announced.
Schoeman gave the punters some invaluable fashion tips for the big day.
He said women were often confused about what to wear when it comes to big horseracing events.
Schoeman said race day fashion could be divided into various categories cocktail dresses, women plus-size dresses, suits, fascinators and hats. These are his fashion tips for punters:
Headwear
Hats and headwear are the most exciting part of the attire and that is what makes race day all the more special.
The history of wearing hats on race day dates back to the prestigious Royal Ascot race in England in 1711. Guests Invited to the royal enclosure had to adhere to a strict dress code.
Men had to be dressed in full morning garb with a top hat and the ladies could not expose their midriff and shoulders and had to wear a hat. This royal dress code took off worldwide and racegoers started paying attention to the tradition of matching the appropriate attire with a hat.
"Petite ladies should select a smaller hat and taller women can wear a hat with a wider brim and nothing too small or very angular," Schoeman says.
He says fascinators are an essential part of the outfit.
"There are many shapes, sizes and colours. You have to be confident wearing extravagant fascinators, otherwise opt for a simple feather fascinator that is placed just above the tie in your hair like a ponytail style."
Schoeman says there are a wide variety of hats to choose from extravagant wide-brimmed hats and smaller and a more classical ones.
Dress
Schoeman says making a fashion statement at the races is in vogue.
"Give careful consideration to something truly unique. A bold and bright combination with a gorgeous hat is the order of the day. Preferably a knee- length style dress for that touch of elegance and style.
"Two handy words to remember are elegance and class. The dress has to be demure and divine and compliment your figure."
He advises ladies to opt for a smart knee-length summer dress and the neckline should not be too revealing.
Accessories
A jacket or bolero can be handy for cool weather and for the rainy season. An umbrella is a handy accessory and has to be special and not ordinary.
"Shoes must be comfortable, preferably a high-heel that you can walk in. Sunglasses help against the bright sunlight and so does sunblock.
The bag should be a clutch bag that will hold everything. A smaller bag for the day is best. Your hair should be styled around your choice of headwear.
"Blow-dried hair will give shine and volume and will look more expensive. Curly and big hair is ideal for summertime. "Create a curly, bouncy look that will last for the day by using heated rollers."
What do men wear at the races? Schoeman says this can be solved with the KISS theory - keep it simple, stupid.
He says the four categories for men are black tie, tuxedo, formal wear, smart and dark attire. He says also appropriate for the day is a tuxedo - which is optional - cocktail wear, a black suit, creative black tie, the new trendy individualistic looks around the above. He says horseracing clubs in South Africa do have their own dress codes.
"The general rule, however, is the rule of thumb. The tradition goes a long way back that if you are a man, you wear a suit. The perfect hat for a man is a bowler hat, funky but yet has old-fashioned dress sense."
And the most important thing to consider? "Darling the last thing would be to not arrive late for the start of the fashion parade".
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