Vintage year for style amid higher attendences at Killarney Races
Thursday, the first full day of racing, was also Ladies’ Day and the customary, relatively informal inspection, through the spectacular grounds of the course, saw judges Theresa Walker, marketing manager with sponsor Dawn Milk, and Lisa Cannon from TV3’s Xposé mingling with the crowd from the off.
In one of the most stylish gathering in years, the winner of the Dawn Milk Queen of Fashion wore an ensemble of vintage, department store and self-designed. The second major competition, best hat, also went to a vintage outfit.
In fact , the trend this year was one of “upstyling”, acccording to Ms Walker.
“It was a co-incidence that both winners were vintage — but this is the trend now. Everyone is putting their own take on fashion and everyone is upstyling,” said Ms Walker.
It is Dawn Milk’s 23rd year sponsoring the Queen of Fashion at Killarney.
Lisa Cannon, who does the round of race meetings, said the style in an attendance made up of visitors, locals, and racing enthusiasts was “amazing.”
Winner of the Queen of Fashion was local woman Agne Kremenskiene, who wore what judges described as “a classic outfit”. It included a peach vintage lace dress and nude underlay, altered by Ms Kremenskiene herself.
She also designed her own hat, described as percher style in deep forest green covered in soft velvet fabric and with peach handmade flowers.
Her bag, in emerald green, and other accessories were from Killarney’s TK Maxx.
Ms Kremenskiene, originally from Eastern Europe, has lived in Killarney for a number of years and has recently moved to Cork. She has worked in fashion and now has her own hat design business. And yesterday she was accompanied by a number of friends, all wearing hats she designed.
Her prize was an all-in trip for two to Paris, a crystal trophy, and flowers.
The runner up was Yvonne O’Reilly from Glenbeigh, in a white crepe dress. She deisgned her own outfit and got the items made — the dress was made by Cáit Murphy of Killarney and the black and white headpiece by Súla in Killorglin.
The second big prize of the day, with a prize of a break in Milan, Italy, the Dawn Milk most stylish hat went to Sinéad Hayes from Cork. Again Ms Hayes’ look was vintage style — the vintage style coat in baby pink was matched by a floral headpiece in baby blush pink which was designed by Marc Millinery of Douglas in Cork.
The runner-up in the hat category was Siobhán Wharton O’Sullivan, who wore a red and white ensemble.
Meanwhile, not only were attendances up this year on family day and on Ladies Day, but the ground for the main attraction — the horses- was described as “good and yielding”.
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