On Ladies’ Day, the mystery of the dumped Manolos weighed heavily on fashion-focused minds in Ballybrit.
Perhaps, mused some, this was Galway’s Cinderella story.
Footsore filly, hooves aflame, ditches the designer shoes for her favourite flip-flops – ones she got at an RTÉ summer party a few years ago.
And maybe some young blade found them and tracked down the owner and they all lived happily ever after ...
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Those forsaken soles, found in a bin after the racing finished on Wednesday, briefly fascinated the fascinator set on Thursday, until consensus was reached that the jettisoned shoes were probably fake.
This year has not produced the best conditions for traipsing around a racecourse in elaborate hats and cocktail wear, but Ladies’ Day does not bow down to the weather. The quality of the fashion on display was more than matched by the spirit and resilience of the women showcasing it.
And Galway Races is uncompromising in this politically correct age, sticking with the traditional moniker of its tried and trusted Thursday crowd-puller.
But then, the glamour never ends.
On Friday, a more gender-neutral sounding “Most Stylish” competition takes centre stage. Judges are “seeking strong fashion energy with sustainability in mind from attendees on the day”.
Out on the track, there was no fairytale ending for trainer Tony Martin’s Tudor City, which failed to make it a hat-trick of wins in the Guinness Galway Hurdle. Too much competition on the millinery front.
Second favourite, Zarak the Brave, trained by Willie Mullins with Paul Townend in the saddle, won the €162,000 feature race by a head.
If there was no fairytale ending on the treble for Tudor City, there wasn’t one on the double either for teenage jockey Danny Gilligan, the hometown hero who steered Ash Tree Meadow to victory in the Galway Plate on Wednesday.
Heads ruled hearts for punters who backed him to 4-1 favourite, but young Danny failed to fire again and his mount Glan pulled up before the finish.
Throughout the day, horsey heads and fashion fans battled a strange mix of weather. By midafternoon, when the finalists in the best dressed competition were summoned to the stage, the sun was shining, it was raining, a vicious wind whipped around the main concourse and it was decidedly chilly outside the steaming gazebo in front of the stage.
Stylist Marietta Doran was MC for the event, sponsored by the Connacht Hospitality Group.
Marietta sparkled with enthusiasm for hours, interviewing contestants as the contest unfolded.
She diplomatically asked contestants, “Do you work or are you a lady of leisure?”
There was much emphasis on “preloved” items.
Declarations such as “my entire outfit, head to toe, came in under €200″ were met with murmurs of approval from the large, discerning but unforgiving crowd.
Admissions that outfits were sourced in family-owned boutiques or by contestants working in fashion did not go down so well.
Entering these contests is not that straightforward any more. Entrants can’t just wear and wow any more. Provenance is important. Fashionistas, like foodies, score brownie points if they can point to locally sourced or repurposed materials.
A popular attraction outside the fashion tent was the 360-degree video booth – a strange looking revolving light and camera contraption designed to deliver high quality footage of people looking fabulous. Women queued up to pose on the circular platform, one heel up, knee flexed, shoulder dropped, arm skimming the hip. Then turning on to the other heel, repeating the drill.
“It takes a video of you in slow motion, high definition and you get it emailed to you on the spot,” said Dublin-based Zab Malik of Social Tag Me. “Basically it’s for your social media. It’s for that Instagrammable moment. The women here have put in so much effort and this gives them a 360 pose of their dress.”
Mel Keegan from Australia’s Gold Coast enjoyed her close-up moment. “A trip to Ireland was on my bucket list to do and Galway’s Ladies’ Day has always been up there.”
She was having a great time. “Besides the cold weather, I’m thoroughly enjoying it.”
She wore a blue-heavy lace outfit by an Australian designer. “We’ve already done four weeks in Ireland, we’ve done absolutely everything – even staying on a stud farm – and we’ve only three more counties to do.”
The Barbie theme was everywhere. Lots of pink.
Nobody is camera shy. Galway Advertiser photographer Mike Shaughnessy was trying to quietly photograph two elderly women engrossed in conversation beneath a large plastic horse, when a woman done up to the nines walked into his eye line, stopped and shot him a “look at me” look.
He continued doing what he was doing.
“Well. The cheek of you!” she harrumphed loudly before click-clacking away in disgust.
It was a Cork double on the fashion front (with some help from Southeast Asia).
Anne-Marie Corbett from Mitchelstown carried away the best hat title for her stunning red, yellow and orange confection designed by Galway milliner, Emily Jean.
The big prize – it was a popular decision with the crowd – went to Maritess McCarthy, a cardiothoracic theatre nurse from Douglas.
The Philippines-born widow and mother of two said she had been planning her outfit for a year and wanted it to be something different that would also showcase her heritage.
“Maritess was one of our online applicants,” said judge Kieran O’Malley. “Her outfit photographed beautifully – it’s very elegant and stylish, something you could see at Ascot. It’s just a really elegant fit – the hat, the whole way it flowed, the jewellery and everything.”
O’Malley, who is the digital marketing manager for the Connacht Hospitality Group, revealed that both winners will get support dealing with social media trolls in the aftermath of their win.
“Going forward, just given the current climate that there is in the world, and particularly in social media, we’re going to do some aftercare ... There’s always going to be some talk, some will be negative after an event like this so we’re going to try our best to help them prepare for this and deal with it. It’s a fabulous achievement and nothing should take away from the joy of this occasion.
“So we think it’s really important that we’re there as a support network for her. We’re going to have a talk with her and then be there for her to reach out with us down the line.”
He instanced fellow judge, the experienced social media influencer Rachel Gorry “who would get more than her fair share of online abuse, which is sad to see”.
Along with head judge and stylist Mandy Maher, they will talk Maritess and Anne-Marie Corbett “through the perils of social media what may come down the line.”