Ireland’s Mary Behan, 28, was blindsided by her big win at the 20th Dubai World Cup on Saturday, walking away with the coveted Jaguar Style Stakes’ Best Dressed Lady title in a day that was a win for high-street stores and custom-made suits.
“I’m pretty sure the whole of Ireland will hear about this. This has made my whole life. This is a dream,” said an overcome Behan, who could not stop smiling and laughing. “I wasn’t even going to leave Barasti to come here. My friends are freaking out. I’m freaking out.”
Behan, who moved to Abu Dhabi in January to be a nurse at Cleveland Clinic, said she never expected such luck during her first year in the country. She bought her dress during an everyday visit to the mall, a floral blue number from Miss Selfridge with a chiffon overlay, and paired it with a hat she already owned. She wins the use of a brand new F-TYPE Coupe.
Judge Tala Samman, founder of the style blog myfashdiary.com, said they were looking for “women who looked lady-like and elegant”. Behan fit the bill. Her look followed the guidelines of the competition, which forbade revealing clothing, strapless or thin-strapped dresses, and hemlines that strayed too far from the knee.
Samman said: “To be honest with you, I never dress feminine, but I think following the rules is important. You’re not going to see someone at Ascot looking like they’re going to a nightclub.”
Another big winner for the night was a familiar face: Marlon Weir, who won in the Best Dressed Male category for a second year in a row.
This time, Weir was inspired by Robert Redford in the 1974 film The Great Gatsby. He donned a pastel pink suit, which was custom-created for him by his tailor, Royal Fashion; a floral dress shirt and matching floral accents, a boater hat, quirky glasses, and his signature antique cane.
“Pink is a great colour for my pigment,” he said. “I feel ecstatic right now. I’m really proud of this momentous occasion, being the 20th anniversary of the biggest horse race in the world, and winning for a second time.”
Weir must have been a clear winner from the start, as Judge Dom Bagnato admitted before the beginning of the competition that he loved era-driven looks, such as those inspired by The Great Gatsby or Mad Men.
Bagnato, the Melbourne-based founder of the eponymous men’s label, said he was looking for guys who had taken “time and care” with their looks.
“Days like today allow you to step out and show personality,” he said. “The winners are congratulated on the effort to be extraordinary.”
Weir’s reward for being extraordinary included — but was not limited to — a Jaguar for the weekend, a Longines watch, Dh5,000 at Harvey Nichols, and a stay for two at Meydan.
Asked if we can expect to see him snagging some more prizes at next year’s competition, he said, “It’s all about the hat trick, so don’t be surprised.”
Natalia Shustova was another return winner this year, but this time in a different category — Best Hat. Shustova, 37, snagged the Best Dressed Couple title last year, but said her husband had had his fill of the competition and left her to fly solo this year.
Her winning headpiece was created by milliner Karen Hamilton, a sleek black hat dotted with white pearls. The creation looked spider-like, starting from an oval-shaped base and blooming into a flower of mesh. It matched Shustova’s self-made, body-con white dress that was dotted with clusters of black and white pearls.
“We decided we wanted it to be Chanel-inspired, monochrome and with pearls. I do a lot of research. None of it is sudden,” said Shustova. “Last year, I was super surprising and shocking [with my red rose headpiece and red dress]. This year, I decided to go completely opposite and go classy.”
Bebe Leone, an Italian art director based in Dubai, won for Most Creative Hat with her hawk-inspired headpiece. The feathery hat utilised dense blue glitter for the rounded hawk eyes and a peculiar type of plastic for the protruding gold beak. It was created in London by Leone’s mask-making friend, Charlotte Tiley.
“Creating the hat was a matter of days. We love costumes and masquerades,” said Leone. She admitted her win did not come as a complete shock. “I liked the idea of the hawk. It’s a beautiful, regal creature and it’s part of the UAE heritage.”
The Best Dressed Couple for the night were David and Elizabeth Akroyd, who flew in from the UK for a second time to participate in the challenge. The two have been together 15 years and call each other “best friends”.
Elizabeth was in a creamy pink, A-line dress from Ted Baker with sheer detailing, matched with a light and bouncy butterfly-themed hat. David complemented her with a navy blue suit (also from Ted Baker) and a pink tie.
“I chose first, he had to match me,” said Elizabeth. “The kids won’t believe it. One of them is 19 and one of them is 24. They don’t know we’ve participated.”
Other notable winners included Best Dressed Lady runner-up, Evelyn McDermott, who was in tears of shock as she posed for photos on stage. McDermott is a milliner herself, and had helped many attendees dress themselves for the Dubai World Cup.
“I have about 25 hats here. I didn’t ever expect to win myself,” she said. “I dressed everyone this morning. I made my hat today. These shoes came in at around midnight yesterday.”
McDermott was wearing a bright blue dress and a towering, twisting orange-and-blue hat.
Another milliner winner was Ana Pribylova, who is based in Cairns, Australia, and won Longines Most Elegant Lady.
“My legs went to jelly. I think my legs shook. I don’t think there’s a scale for [my happiness],” she said. “I would have loved to win, and I did.”
Long-time judge and Jaguar MENA marketing manager Nicola Gibson congratulated contestants on their “innovation, creativity and design”. Returning judge Alanoud Badr, founder of fashion label Lady Fazaza, said it was always “so hard to choose” between contestants.
“As long as you’re having fun in fashion, you can’t go wrong. In the end, we’re all winners,” said Badr.
