Derby Fashion Over the Years

Derby Outfit Evolution

From the first year I attended the Kentucky Derby I focused on my fashion. I spent money I didn’t have, yep we’ve all done it, on a gorgeous dress, found a hat to match and killed my feet in a new pair of shoes. Trust me. I’ve been there done that. derby outfit 3

Here was my first ever outfit for the Derby. I purchased my dress at a stylish boutique in Lexington, KY: Bella Rose. I borrowed the large white brimmed hat, which by the way is the only large brim hat I’ve ever worn, and then purchased a red scarf to tie around to synchronize the outfit a bit more. Just kept my hair down and by the end of the day it looked disheveled and frizzy…which I still didn’t perfect a few years later.

derby outfit 2

This was my next outfit, which is very special to my heart. This dress came from my Great Grandmother. It is silk and in great condition but if you look up close you can see the wear on the fabric. It had a 50’s skirt with an elegant train. Can’t see in this photo unfortunately. This was before FATR had the talented Joe Lyman to snap shots!

You can see the bandaids around my toes- my feet took a beating that year. No seats and a lot of walking!

I purchased the straw hat from Macy’s and then sewed on the green ribbon and pink flower to go with my dress. Not too shabby if I say so myself.

Bri Mott Red Carpet Kentucky Derby

My third year I thought I stepped up my game with another vintage dress in a beautiful print. I had it altered as it was a bit too big, picked it up the day before and as you can see, it was a bit too tight at that point. However, I sucked it up, or in, and wore this beauty all day! I sported a simple Studio 910 fascinator and a bold necklace. You can see the heat got to my hair but I did smarten up and put it up! Just needed a bit more spray to keep it together.

Little did I know at that point that I would soon be on the Red Carpet conducting interviews…and not just snapping a picture with my iphone when the lights were all off.

Bri Mott Kentucky Derby BCBG

I swear I have better photos….

This year, I was determined to wear Kentucky Derby Rose Red! I found this beautiful pleated dress from BCBG and paired with a statement fascinator by Sophie Hunter. I put my hair up in a bit of a messy bun with what seemed like 100 bobby pins. I wore platform shoes, which saved my feet, and kept my jewelry simple with just my beautiful Longines timepiece.

This short, but really long, evolution of Kentucky Derby outfits brings me to last year.

bri mott

I actually chose the hat first on this one. Carol Kennelly created this beautiful piece and I knew it was something that would be perfect for my Kentucky Derby Red Carpet debut. I then needed to find a dress and I think I came by this by accident. ASOS was showcasing their bridesmaids dresses and this was one of them. I then found these shows on the clearance rack at Dillards which with some Dr. Scholl’s inserts they kept me comfy all day long.

There might be one or two outfits I look back on and say…really Bri??  But my Kentucky Derby outfits are not one of them.

From brand new, to vintage, more vintage and then some designer fashion mixed in. Each year has been a quite the journey, sometimes last minute, sometimes stressful, but in the end fun and memorable.

There you have it. I’ve learned alot over the years of dressing for the races…hopefully I can share some of my learnings to you!