An afternoon at the racecourse in Doha looked something like this last week – manicured grass, outdoor seating areas decked out with hydrangea arrangements, and women elegantly parading their best outfit and hat creations at the racecourse. It felt as if I was transported to a movie set…
H.H. Emir’s Sword 2017 is the most important date in Doha’s race calendar and I had the absolute honour of being invited as one of the jury members of their Longines Prize of Elegance contest. I have never experienced such an affair before and had to brush up on racecourse fashions beforehand, citing race royalty Kate Waterhouse as my reference on the do’s and don’t of race fashion. Think of it as going to Sunday lunch with your grandmother. I put away the Needles and Thread dress that I had planned to wear and instead chose a beautiful laser cut lace dress from Self Portrait. I paired it with a cropped cardigan and opted for flats as I wanted to avoid my stilettos getting buried in the grass. And of course, the hat creation was a gift from my mother-in-law, which I think worked perfectly with my whole look.
Naomi was definitely one of the best-dressed babies in her beautiful Monsoon dress and cardigan. It was so light and soft that she wasn’t fussed wearing it at all. Her headpiece by Papilio kids, sadly, only stayed on her head for 5 mins! She was in the arms of her dad and my in-laws the whole time mommy was on the judge’s table and she thoroughly enjoyed her time; she kept busy waving at everyone and she also had a great play time with her baby besties Sophia and Amelie.
It was a tough role being one of the judges for Longines Prize of Elegance as there were so many show-stopping race fashions and hat creations to witness. British independent milliner Leigh Johnson displayed her latest millinery collection at the event where the ladies at the party could purchase them on-site to finish-off their racecourse looks. We were kept on our toes hunting for the best-dressed ladies, as there were some impressive fashion statements at the races.
Time flew by quickly and soon the winner of the Prize of Elegance was announced and awarded a beautiful Longines watch as a prize. The entire afternoon was simply perfect. The weather was amazing, the set-up was fantastic and the overall ambience and excitement was infectious. I will definitely be back next year as one of the contestant next time around.
The H.H. Emir’s Sword Longines Prize of Elegance contest is one of fashionable event of 2017’s calendar. Be sure to follow Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club’s Facebook page to get an update on next year’s event.
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