Horse-racing has long been an activity of the rich and famous and, a few times a year, for the rest of us to get involved in too. Ladies Day at Aintree is one of those events, but in a new move, the ‘authorities’ have been trying to change the nature of the Aintree dress code. Over the past couple of decades it’s become one of the biggest events of the year, with the ladies, in particular, wearing some extravagant outfits that combine fancy dress with high couture to create stunning fusions of popular culture and high camp.

 

That’s no longer so popular. For the second year in a row, the race organisers, who have the Grand National as their key race, are offering massive prizes, including a Range Rover, to the best dressed woman, in the hope of getting racegoers to move from their brash and sometimes bawdy outfits to something entirely more restrained and elegant.

 

We’re a little puzzled by this, after all, we don’t get so many occasions to dress up and have fun in the UK that we can afford to neglect any. We know that in previous years fancy dress costumes such as our Spanish Flamenco dancers have been adapted to serve as novel outfits for Ladies Day.

 

If you want to make a splash, then other costume bases on which to work our personal magic include our flapper costumes which have just the right blend of sultriness and style to make a perfect statement at Ladies Day.

 

And of course, before the end of the month we have Easter, and fluffy chicks, Easter Eggs and mad March hares are all fancy dress costumes to look forward too, as well as the chocolate eggs. Why not plan a big Easter Egg hunt to bring the joy of Easter to your family and friends and, of course, plan it to be done in fancy dress costume.