Ladies Day is just around the corner and that means the coveted Style Award will make its return.
The popular occasion is a highlight on many people's social calendars, making up part of the much anticipated Grand National Festival. Ladies Day, typically held on the Friday before the final day of the famous racing extravaganza, will take place on April 14 this year.
Last year saw the competition return for the first time since the lockdowns implemented in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and it was Donna Mulligan, then 39, who beat out hundreds of competitors in a classy, vibrant red dress by Karen Millen to be crowned the Style Award winner.
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Donna, from Monaghan in Ireland, was "so excited" by the win and bagged an impressive £5,000 cash prize, a £500 Never Fully Dressed/£300 House of Cavani voucher, a spa break and more, after scooping the top spot at Aintree.
Speaking to the ECHO after her win, Donna said she felt "amazing" and added: "I can't believe that I've won the prize, I'm just delighted." This year, it's all up for grabs once more, with style gurus and dedicated followers of fashion keen to be named the best dressed ticket holder at the festival.
But fashion experts have revealed there's a common theme among winning outfits. Jewellery brand, Diamonds Factory, has revealed what guests should wear to maximise their chance of walking away with the prestigious award.
After analysing the winning outfits from the last 15 years - including the type of garment, fabric colour, jewellery, headwear and accessories worn the most by previous winners - the brand collated the data to spot the top trends, and predict which outfits may be most likely to get guests noticed by the judges.
According to the experts, Ladies Day guests should choose a block colour midi length outfit, with gold jewellery, and extravagant headwear to ensure they're in with a chance of securing first place. The data is backed up last year's three Ladies Day Style Award finalists, who mostly wore block colours. Finalist Josh Mack wore a neutral shirt and trousers with a dark jacket, runner-up Natalie Koromila wore a white midi dress, and winner Donna Mulligan was dressed head to toe in red.
Diamonds Factory found the most popular dress style worn by most winners in the past was a midi dress, with almost half (47%) of those crowned the best dressed sporting this garment style. A mini dress was worn by 20% of winners and is the second most popular winning outfit, followed by a maxi dress and suit, with only 13% of winners wearing these styles when they won. It seems a jumpsuit isn't a popular winning choice for judges, with only 7% walking away with the award in this outfit style.
Block colours proved more popular than prints, with more than half (53%) of previous winners sporting block colour garments rather than prints, with red and pink being the luckiest colours in the past 15 years. Always a popular choice at the Grand National, 87% of winners wore a headpiece. A fascinator was the most common type seen on winners (47%), but others opted for less-traditional pieces, including hats (20%), headbands (13%) and clips (7%).
Nikita Dixon, a trends expert from Diamonds Factory, said: "With The Grand National renowned for its [prestige], elegant and classic styles are a hit for guests to wear and our research backs this up. Midi dress lengths and court heels are among some of the styles that are guaranteed to maximise your chance of winning, along with gold jewellery and specific headpieces.
"But, at The Grand National, it's a perfect opportunity to add a twist of individuality to your occasion wear and I've shared how guests can incorporate winning trends into unique outfits that will get heads turning."
The Grand National 2023 is taking place from Thursday, April 13 until Saturday, April 15. It is held at Aintree racecourse. ECHO reporters will be at Aintree over the course of the festival to keep you updated on all the latest news from the event.
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