The year Aintree went classy: Ladies arrive for first day – and new Chanel-inspired dress code seems to be working (for some)
- The first day of the Crabbie’s Grand National Festival has got underway at Liverpool’s Aintree racecourse
- Bosses have issued a strict new style code that was inspired by a quote from iconic designer Coco Chanel
- Many of the racegoers arriving appeared to have taken the advice to heart and looked thoroughly sophisticated
- Others seemed to have ignored the advice and instead opted for short skirts and plenty of cleavage
- Some appeared intent on drinking and used the silver champagne funnels seen last month at Cheltenham
- Coleen Rooney, who usually attends the first day of the Grand National Festival, chose to stay away this year
By Ruth Styles for MailOnline
Published: 10:18 GMT, 9 April2020 | Updated: 13:06 GMT, 9 April2020
It was billed as the year that Aintree would finally become fashionable, following last month’s announcement that a strict new dress code emphasising ‘Chanel-style looks’ had been introduced.
But not everyone managed to pull off the high fashion ensembles recommended by the style guide and, instead, appeared bent on proving that mismatched hair extensions and acres of cleavage are still in vogue.
Along with low-cut dresses, the micro-skirts and platform shoes that have become a Grand National staple in recent years were very much on show as were some unflatteringly tight get-ups.
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Ready to roll: A group of friends dressed in summery ensembles teamed with platform shoes arrive for their day out at the races
Fun in the sun: The warm weather produced a bevvy of sunshine-inspired get-ups, with bright colours a popular choice
Tasty! A pair of ladies get stuck into mini bottles of champagne shortly after arriving on day one of the Crabbie’s Grand National Festival
Get that down you: A racegoer enjoys a drink using one of the champagne funnels that were first spotted at last month’s Cheltenham Festival
Making an entrance: Racegoers dressed in a wide variety of styles make their way into the course ahead of the racing action on day one
Dressed to impress: Ladies arrive dressed in their best and make the most of the sunshine in strapless and spaghetti strap styles
Rainbow of colour: Ladies opted for every colour possible, whether chic black (left), summery yellow and mint (centre) or bright pink (right)
Making an entrance: Ladies dressed in their best arrive for their day out on day one of the Crabbie’s Grand National Festival
Another lady chose to wear a dress that came dangerously close to bridal and compounded it by finishing the look with silver wedding-style shoes and diamanté accessories.
More still appeared intent on getting stuck into the booze as early as possible, with a number of ladies deploying the silver champagne funnels that were first seen last month at Cheltenham.
But it wasn’t all bad news for racing bosses: some beautifully dressed ladies had clearly taken the new style code to heart and looked wonderful in on-trend midi skirts, delicate cocktail hats and even, in one case, a pair of flat pumps.
Hats proved particularly popular, with many of the ladies choosing pretty fascinators and bold broad-brimmed titfers enlivened with colourful plumes of feathers – a trend also on display at last month’s Cheltenham Festival.
Another particularly well-dressed lady was Dani Lawrence, girlfriend of Liverpool goalkeeper Brad Jones, who looked wonderful in a delicate cream lace dress.
But while Ms Lawrence was on parade, one familiar face was notably absent. Coleen Rooney, who usually joins racegoers on the first day, was conspicuous by her absence – perhaps because she is recently returned from a birthday beach break with her boys at Butlins.
Despite her absence, the event certainly wasn’t short of glamour. But not everyone was pleased, in particular bookmakers Coral who had been attempting to lure in the punters by offering odds on fashion faux pas.
Among the most popular so far are breasts falling out of dresses, exposed bottoms and split frocks – all of which have been priced at very low odds of 2/1 by the bookmaker.
Bold brights: Ladies in brightly coloured dresses and sky high heels arrive for their big day out at the races
Money at the ready: A racegoer in bright orange cutaway dress prepares to have a flutter on one of the horses
Lights, camera… Some of Aintree’s most stylish ladies strike a pose as they make their way into the racecourse
Pale and interesting: Ladies make their way into the racecourse wearing summery cream ensembles and, in one case, flip flops
Making an effort: The lady racegoers had clearly pulled out all the stops and were dressed to the nines
Having fun: Many of the ladies were forced to juggle their elegant clutch bags with pints of beer
Girls day out: Aintree is hugely popular with groups of friends looking for a fabulous day out at the races
Stepping into Spring: Lots of the ladies had taken inspiration from the weather and arrived sporting cheerful summer get-ups
Other fashion mishaps thought likely to occur by Coral include skirts being blown up at 3/1, hats being blown away at 6/1 and hair extensions falling our at 8/1.
Racecourse bosses will be hoping that all faux pas will be averted with the help of the dress code, which was issued in a bid to repair the race meeting’s boozy image and encourage more racing fans to attend on Ladies Day.
They have also issued instructions to media organisations that say any photographer caught taking photos of badly dressed or drunken racegoers will have their pass taken away.
‘We want to overwhelm the negativity, to push the positivity to the front,’ said John Baker, regional director of the Jockey Club North West which runs the racecourse.
‘Our event is full of character, it’s fun, and that’s generated by the personality of the Liverpool people. We have to absolutely protect that because it’s at the core of what we are, and we have a responsibility to our customers to project the correct image.
‘We have talked about trying to monitor those photographers, so if we see any element clearly looking for a negative shot and we can identify that, we will take their accreditation off them and we’ll kick them off the site. That’s not easily manageable, but that’s what we’ll endeavour to do.’
Cheeky! One lady shows off a little more than she bargained for in her very short rose-print dress
Looking lovely: A trio of ladies show how this summer’s midi skirt trend should be done, as well as the lace, floral and embellishment trends
Hats you win: Delicate cocktail hats proved a popular choice (left) as did on-trend full skirts – a favourite with many of the ladies
Embellishment: Lace insets and embellished panels were popular trends on the first day of Aintree, as were open-toed sandals
Looking lovely: A group of ladies are all smiles as they strike a pose for photographers at Aintree
Making their way in: A lady shows off a thigh-scraping frock while others opt for slightly longer length ensembles in chic pale hues
Glamorous: Ladies arrive for the event dressed in their finest frocks and carrying elegant clutch bags
Off to a stylish start: Racegoers showed of a variety of looks including nautical (left), summery print (centre) and chic cream (right)
Zingy! Neutral black and white was a popular choice with racegoers, although some opted to liven it up with a shot of bright citrussy green
Dressed in their best: Ladies arrive wearing chic forest green, pale pink and bold purple ensembles teamed with nude shoes
lamorous get-ups: Ladies show off their summery looks, including a gorgeous floral number (left) and three flattering black dresses (right)
Mellow yellow: The summery hue proved a particularly popular choice with racegoers, as did heavily embellished looks and statement jewels
Stunning: Dani Lawrence, girlfriend of goalkeeper Brad Jones, was lovely in lace while other ladies looked wonderful in cream and check
It’s the opening day of this year’s Grand National meeting at Aintree and of course the Liverpool ladies have gone all out. It’s usually Coleen Rooney or Abbey Clancy that get us reaching for our credit cards, but Brad Jones’ girlfriend Dani Lawrence was first past the post in her lovely lace dress!
Variety: A lady arrives in a bold orange skirt and print jacket combination while another opts for a delicate rose pink ensemble
THE FASHION FAUX PAS YOU CAN HAVE A FLUTTER ON
2/1 Boobs fall out
20/1 Boobs burst
8/1 Hair extensions fall out
1/2 Fall over
1/5 Heels stuck in the grass
3/1 Skirt blows up
2/1 Exposed bottom
6/1 Hat blows away
2/1 Dress splits
4/1 Ketchup on dress
Odds supplied by Coral
Tens of thousands of racegoers attend each year and the Grand National is seen as the world’s most famous horse race, generating TV viewing figures in the hundreds of millions from across the globe.
But recently, Ladies’ Day has reportedly failed to sell out with suggestions regular race-goers have been put off by media coverage of some women taking advantage of the ‘lax’ dress code, banned at other racecourses.
Aintree, which runs a style contest for the best-dressed ladies on the day, will also now issue their own images on their website, Facebook and Twitter to counter other outlets who may want to put a ‘negative slant’ on the meeting.
Bosses have also hired a number of style ambassadors, among them Katie Walsh, the Grand National’s most successful female jockey and the face of Ladies Day2020, and former amateur flat jockey and Channel 4 racing presenter Emma Spencer.
‘Ladies Day at The Grand National is always one of the most stylish and fabulous days in the racing calendar and we intend to continue encouraging this fantastic array of fashionistas into next year’s festival,’ added Mr Baker.
‘The Style Code is fairly light-hearted but we want racegoers to really embrace it and cement The Crabbie’s Grand National Ladies Day2020 as the best dressed event in the racing calendar.
‘We look forward to seeing how men and women, both locally and all around the UK, celebrate their own incredible styles and enjoy this unique and thrilling three-day festival.’
Short and sweet: Ladies arriving at Aintree show off some thigh-scraping frocks and some on-trend catseye sunglasses
Pretty in pastel: A group of ladies arrive dressed in matching mint green dresses and delicate peony pink coats
Getting stuck in: A lady enjoys a champagne breakfast while another is all smiles as she shows off her rather risqué ensemble
Tasty: A pair of racegoers enjoy a tasty hog roast sandwich in the beautiful sunshine at Aintree
Snap! Photographers weren’t the only ones taking pictures of the racegoers, with many indulging in a selfie or two as they arrived
Big day out: A group of excited friends arrive to begin their day at the Crabbie’s Grand National Festival
Looking good: Many of the racegoers had clearly taken the new style code to heart and arrived looking wonderful
Glamour girl: Arriving racing fans were met by racecourse ambassadors dressed in jodhpurs and chequered silk tops
Ready for action: A pair of ladies, both working for sponsors Crabbie’s, arrive early on the first day of racing action
The booze bus! A pair of ladies inspect the Crabbie’s booze bus which is parked close to the entrance of the course
Final preparations: Course staff put the finishing touches to a burger stand while a trio of guests arrive with their hair in curlers
Peace and quiet: A racegoer takes some time out to enjoy reading a novel in the bright Spring sunshine
Beautiful: The course at Aintree is shrouded in mist as the first day of the Crabbie’s Grand National Festival dawns
Looking good: The course looks perfectly pristine while the stands are eerily empty in a photograph taken early this morning
Challenge: The famous Aintree racecourse is one of the world’s most challenging and includes the infamous Becher’s Brook