Fashion at the Dubai World Cup

Contrary to what you might think, the winners of this year's Dubai World Cup BurJuman Style Stakes did not splash out on very expensive hats and accessories or spend months putting their outfits together.

In fact, one winner wore a borrowed hairpiece and another wore a dishwashing sponge on her head. But they all proved that true style is a matter of attitude and comes from within.

Record

Regulars at the annual extravaganza know that the excitement of the event begins long before the first race is run and by 3pm a huge crowd had gathered in the BurJuman Style Arena set up at the International Village to enjoy the Dubai World Cup BurJuman Style Stakes.

This year the style competition attracted a record number of entries with 200 women participating in the best dressed lady competition and 70 couples in the fray for best dressed couple.

The contestants were of all ages and nationalities, with many first timers from the UAE and abroad. Besides prizes for the best dressed lady and runner up and best dressed couple, the judges also selected the best hat for a special milliner's choice award.

The fashion on display ranged from elaborate evening gowns and ballerina dresses to trouser suits and kimonos and from traditional African attire to chic Islamic fashion.

While black and white were definitely the colours of choice there was a good sprinkling of pink, blue, green, lilac and yellow, with the men also contributing with their colourful attire.

The hats ranged from huge, wide-brimmed ones and simple fascinators to headscarves and African turbans.

Mellowed

We saw lots of dresses with polka dots (coordinated with matching bags and shoes), some animal prints (event host Nanette was wearing a lovely Roberto Cavalli number) and plenty of floral prints.

Interestingly, quite a few of the contestants chose not to wear a hat.

The men were well turned out too and definitely less reluctant to come up on stage. Sadly, we missed the over-the-top homemade hats seen at earlier races. Fashion at the Dubai World Cup sure has mellowed.

The judges for the day included British milliner Cozmo Jenks, Dubai-based stylist and image consultant Kelly Lundberg, Katie Heskett, Senior Group Editor for Ahlan and Tim Burnell, who manages worldwide advertising for Emirates Airline.

After the preliminary round, they chose 20 finalists from among the 200 contestants for the best dressed lady.

These were joined on stage by the three winners of the best dressed lady competitions held during the Fillies and Fashion events of the Dubai Racing Carnival.

'A smile'

"It was difficult to select just 20 finalists because all the participants had put in a lot of effort. We looked for appropriate race attire, coordination of accessories, originality, deportment, grooming and, of course, a smile," said Lundberg.

Dressed in a simple floral dress and Swarovski crystal studded hat, Jenks was not happy with the participants' choice of shoes.

"They are all wearing impractical shoes for this occasion and most of the dresses are too evening wear and dressy," she said. She had a complaint about the hats too. "I am tired of seeing so much of feathers. I wish there were more flowers," she said.

However, Jenks was happy with the choice of Abi Ferreira's headgear as the best hat. "It was the right shape and size for her face and I loved the curve of the feather," she said.

Ferreira's black hat with red feathers was designed by Kim Fletcher.

"I saw the hat and just loved it. I liked the way it sat at an angle covering my eye," said the happy winner, who is of Portuguese, Burmese and British origin.

Ferreira,secured an automatic entry into the best dressed lady contest as a winner at the Fillies and Fashion and bought the hat first and then coordinated it with a pretty black and white lace dress from Betty Johnson.

She was thrilled with her $4,000 (Dh14,680) shopping voucher from BurJuman.

"I plan to buy a really nice handbag for myself," she said.

Elegant

The winner of the BurJuman Style Stakes best dressed lady was Milena Diaz. The Chilean from Sydney, Australia, wore an elegant white floral appliqué dress.

Her hair was tied in a neat chignon and the dress was accessorised with a tiny feathered hairpiece pinned onto the chignon, a black bag, black shoes, black gloves, red lipstick, tiny diamond studs in her ears and a fan in her hand.

"I bought the dress in New York from Betty Johnson. I liked its Audrey Hepburn look and tried to keep the accessories simple and elegant to complement that look. I borrowed the hairpiece from a friend, bought the shoes in Singapore and the bag belonged to my grandmother. I cannot believe that I have won," said the surprised winner of a $7,000 (Dh25,700) shopping voucher from BurJuman.

Diaz also won a trip for two to Bangkok and five nights at the luxurious Chiva Som spa in Thailand.

Dishwashing sponge

The runner-up prize of a $4,000 (Dh14,680) shopping voucher from BurJuman went to Dubai-based Leila Amar.

The Algerian from France livened her simple black dress with bright orange shoes, a funky orange bag, black drop earrings and necklace and a truly innovative fascinator.

"I wanted to create the Jean Paul Gaultier look. I bought the dress from Debenhams, the shoes from Aldo and the bag from Paris designer Natasha Farina," she said.

And her fascinator was bought from Carrefour. "I found this dishwashing sponge that was just the right shade of orange and my hairdresser pinned it on for me," revealed the winner.

Choosing one winner from among 70 well turned out couples was a difficult decision for the judges. One could see that a lot of effort had gone into coordinating the outfits and accessories.

While some of the men looked like they had been dragged there by their partners, most posed confidently for the judges and blew kisses to huge audience.

Seven couples made it to the final round and the winners were Australians David Dood and Celena Pelly. Celena wore a lilac off-the-shoulder dress from Australian boutique Review and her black hat with purple feathers was bought from Jenny B in Australia.

"I found the perfect shoes at Paris Gallery in Dubai. David's grey suit was specially tailored for this occasion and we looked for a tie and kerchief to match my dress," said Celena.

The couple received a shopping voucher worth $5,000 (Dh18,350) from BurJuman.

"We will share this. I am looking forward to the shopping as much as Celena," said David.

Besides shopping vouchers from BurJuman, all the winners also received bouquets from Contempo and gifts from African and Eastern.

Winners
Best Dressed Lady: Milena Diaz
Best Dressed Lady Runner Up: Leila Amar.
Best Hat: Abi Ferreira
Best Dressed Couple: David Dood and Celena Pelly.