The Dubai World Cup is not just about horse racing. It is also a major fashion event with racegoers and even those not interested in horses or racing spending a lot of time, effort and money on their race day outfits.
This year over 150 women entered the Damas and Saks Fifth Avenue Fashions on the Field contests for best dressed lady and best hat. Men were included in the fashion extravaganza for the first time with the best dressed couple contest.
The contests took place in the Style Arena. The judges - Lily Arjomand, general merchandise and marketing manager, Saks Fifth Avenue, New York-based designer Catherine Malandrino, Australian milliner Kim Fletcher and Jacqueline Seemar, wife of trainer Satish Seemar - took a long time to pick the 18 semi-finalists.
Six winners from the contests held during the Dubai Racing Carnival in the runup to the big day joined them on stage for the final round.
For the final judging Bernard Aidan, CEO of Catherine Malandrino, joined the panel in place of Seemar, who left to watch the races run by horses trained by her husband.
The winner of the best dressed lady title was Anett Wockenfus, a German law student who currently lives in Australia.
The win was extra special for her because she won the best dressed lady at the 2004 Melbourne Cup and as part of her prize had been flown in by Emirates for the Dubai World Cup.
Anett bought her beige dress with gold sequins and matching gold bag and shoes in Melbourne and had her beautiful hat customised for the dress. She won an EDIDI precious stone studded evening bag worth Dh20,000 and a gift certificate for Dh1,000 from Saks Fifth Avenue and a Parmigiani watch from Damas.
Asha James, the runner-up, is also from Australia. An account manager with a Dubai-based branding company, Asha began preparations several months ago. She bought her pale pink silk dress and accessories in Perth during her last trip home.
She then e-mailed pictures of the dress to Kim Fletcher who designed the fascinator with long ostrich feathers to go with the dress. Her prizes included a Dolce and Gabbana evening bag worth Dh8,000 and a gift certificate for Dh1,000 from Saks and a Budoor jewellery set from Damas.
Fifty couples of all ages and nationalities entered the best dressed couple competition, but the judges had no trouble picking Blair Sheard and Jamie Jack as the winners.
The 18-year-old students from South Africa were perfectly co-ordinated in black outfits with a touch of red.
Their prizes included a Prada handbag worth Dh3,100 for her, a Prada sports bag worth Dh3,265 for him and gift certificates for Dh1,000 for both from Saks. Damas presented a solitaire ring to Blair and a Parmigiani watch to Jamie.
The Milliner?s award for best hat went to the pink, feathered creation worn by Josephine Barker. The hat was custom-made by a milliner in London and won Josephine a Christian Dior handbag worth Dh4,500, gift vouchers for Dh1,000 from Saks and a Budoor jewellery set from Damas.
Marietta De Boer, a visitor on a wheel chair from the Netherlands, had a special surprise when the judges sought her out to present her with a gift voucher for Dh1,000 from Saks.
?She did not enter the contest, but I noticed her hat decorated with fresh flowers and felt that it deserved a prize,? said Lily Arjomand.
