Louisiana Derby Fashion at the Races Contest
Congratulations to Juan Dismuke and Jill Freman, the 2019 Louisiana Derby Day Fashion Winners!
Juan Dismuke (46 years old), from Slidell, Louisiana loves attending the races. “Its the excitement and the thrill of the races I love. The mystery about who’s going to win and of course the winning aspect of it all.”
Juan’s outfit started out with a straw boater hat from Goorin Brothers. He purchased a bright colored jacket from Jeff’s Habdashery in Louisiana. Paired with a bright pastel blue pants from Dillard’s and Cole Haan leather boots. 
“I was going to go with a white shirt but my wife stepped in and said to pick the blue one. It went great with all of the colors in the jacket and my tie.”
Juan took home the Kentucky Derby branded bottle of Woodford Reserve, $125 to Neiman Marcus Last Call, $125 to Nordstrom Rack at The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk and a $150 Race Voucher to Fair Grounds Racetrack. 
New Orleans’ Hottest Race Day
Who needs an excuse to travel to New Orleans?? Saturday March 23rd brings Fair Grounds most exciting raceday – Louisiana Derby! Fashion at the Races for the second time will travel down to New Orleans to put on a full scale fashion contest in their ‘Party Tent’ on the track apron. Ladies will be invited to compete in their best raceday fashion in front of our celebrity judges to win a fabulous pack of prizes.
Fashion at the Races’ Bri Mott will host the competition while the ladies and gents line up in front of our judges and the fashionable crowd in heats of 8-10. From the first round, 10 Finalists will be selected to once again walk in front of our judges and from that group, the winner will be selected.
FATR Gift bags will be given to the 60 female contestants and the 30 male contestants and a fabulous prize pool including shopping sprees and a bottles of Woodford Reserve Bourbon and racing vouchers will be presented to the winner.
The Fashion at the Races Contest was established in 2012 to celebrate the traditions of fashion in the horse racing world. Fashion has always been a staple of popular horse racing events dating back to the Great Depression. Ladies and Gents would put on their best dresses and suits, adorned with beautiful millinery, and head to enjoy an elegant day at the races. The Kentucky Derby has always promoted fashion and has created its own sense of raceday style and now other tracks have embraced the fashion activation including Fair Grounds in New Orleans.
“The FATR Contest has grown in popularity and prestige each year and we are excited to bring it the New Orleans for Louisiana Derby Day.” -Bri Mott, FATR, “I look forward to seeing the ladies dress up and have fun on stage in the hopes of taking home the prize. Regardless of the winner, everyone always enjoys the event and it just seems to add something extra to the raceday.”
Any questions, please email [email protected]
Registration: 12:00 to 2:00pm at the Apron Tent (***First 30 male and 60 female to sign up)
Contestants will be judged on raceday fashion, millinery, and overall appearance and deportment.
10 finalists will be chosen from the full group of contestants to ‘re-strut’ their stuff in front of the judge, giving them one last chance to make an impression for the win. One winner will be chosen along with a runner-up and 2nd runner up. 
Prizes:
Ladies:
Winner: $125 Gift card to Neiman Marcus Last Call (The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk)
$125 Gift card to Nordstrom Rack (The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk)
$150 Voucher to Fair Grounds Racecourse
Bottle of Woodford Reserve Bourbon
2nd Place: $100 Voucher to Fair Grounds Racecourse
3rd Place: $50 Voucher to Fair Grounds Racecourse
Men:
Winner:
$125 Gift card to Neiman Marcus Last Call (The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk)
$125 Gift card to Nordstrom Rack (The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk)
$150 Voucher to Fair Grounds Racecourse
Bottle of Woodford Reserve Bourbon
Louisiana Derby Day Fashion Contest
First Post: 11:00am
Sign up Period: 11:00am to 1:30pm
Contest Timing & Location: Once all finalists have been selected, the Contest will take place in the ‘Event Tent’ located on the track apron. All finalists must arrive at the stage no later than 2:00pm.
The approximate breakdown for the Contest is outlined below:
• 2:00pm – Contest & Judge Introduction
• 2:05pm – Men’s Showcase – All (30) finalists walk the stage (3 heats of 10) to showcase their outfits
• 2:15pm – Judges’ deliberation period
• 2:20pm – Top 10 announced. Group photo will be taken. Top 10 will then be asked to give one final walk while judges make their selection for the Top 3 (Race 6 run)
• 2:30pm – Women’s Showcase – All (60) finalists walk the stage (5 heats of 12) to showcase their outfits
• 2:40pm – Judges’ deliberation period.
• 2:45pm – Top 10 announced. Group photo will be taken. Top 10 will then be asked to give one final walk while judges make their selection for the Top 3. (Race 7 Run)
• 2:50pm – Top 3 announced. Flowers, sashes & prizing will be distributed. Group and individual winner photos will be taken.
Good luck to all the fabulous men and women on the day!
Contestant criteria
All Contest contestants must adhere to the below criteria, and acknowledge that they understand and agree to abide by the criteria, as they register in order to enter Fashion at the Races Contest:
- Contestants must be 21 years of age or more to win
- Contestants and/or their outfits are not permitted to promote commercially a brand, store or designer
- Contestants must not receive any compensation from a third party for entering this competition
- Female contestants are encouraged but not required to wear headwear
- All prizes awarded to the contestant must remain the property of the contestant
Judging criteria
A panel of judges will base their vote on the following:
- Style and originality
- Appropriateness of the outfit for the Louisiana Derby
- Attention to detail with accessories
- Understanding and interpretation of the current fashion trends
- Grooming and deportment
