derby day

I have to admit I have an obsession with horses and I have loved them every since I can remember. I've been riding since I was six (I'm still not very good lol) and I can remember my first lesson very clearly. I was basically falling off the entire time, but there was something about it that I immediately fell in love with. I have been to many professional riding companions to watch and to a few horse races, but I never been to the Kentucky Derby.

Besides the fact that I love horses, I love the outfits people wear! If you've ever seen it you know what I'm talking about, the Lilly dresses, over the top preppy blazers, bowties, and the sea of hats. Vineyard Vines even has a whole section devoted to the Kentucky Derby complete with ultra-preppy blazers and ties.

Dressing for the Derby

For women, start with your dress. Some dresses are plain, others are patterned. If you get a plain dress that means that you can get a larger, more colorful hat but if you get a patterned dress stick with a more simple hat. Also what I've heard from people who have gone is that you may want to stick a pair of sandals or flats in your bag because you will probably want to walk around before the race and see everything.

Where to get your hat

There are a lot of websites that sell hats for the derby online, some can range in price from $20-$3,000 depending on the website. I have also heard that there are many stores in town where you can buy a hat so if you are there a few days before and in need of something to do this could be a good option.

Here are a few websites I found:

Gold Coast

Church Derby Hats

Samuel's Hats

As for dresses, Lilly dresses are a choice (as always), but if you are looking for something simpler so many websites have a section for Kentucky derby dresses. The best website I found is Lauren James. She has a lot of posts on Pinterest about the Kentucky Derby and her dresses are absolutely perfect for it!

These are some of my favorites:

The first picture is of the Livingston solid seersucker dress, the second is the savannah sold seersucker dress, the third is the corbin seersucker dress, and the last also the savannah seersucker dress.

Hope you has a great time! Good luck everyone!