LPA x Investec Derby

Holy hell this year is going fast, how is it almost June already!?! Not that I’m really complaining, June is an excellent month. My birthday, the official start of summer, my birthday, parties galore, my birthday, racing season… Oh and did I mention, my birthday? Maybe once… But believe it or not my annual excuse to behave like the nightmare lovechild of P Diddy and Paris Hilton is not the subject of this post, that’s a tale for another day, maybe. I am in fact going to talk about a different joyous June occurrence, the Investec Derby.

As you no doubt already guessed, I’m not about to share any great insight into or information about racing. I wouldn’t even know where to begin! The subject of this post is of course Derby style. Earlier this year, Investec Derby approached me to partner with them as an official Style Consultant and Ambassador alongside Esquire Style Director Teo Van Den Broeke, renowned Male Style Writer/Influencer Grey Fox and Couture Milliner Rachel Trevor Morgan. Obviously, my answer was an instant yes.

There are few, if any, things the British love more than traditional sporting events that have been taking place for centuries and dressing for said events… Apart from tea and complaining about the weather, obvs. But that’s beside the point so let’s get back to the matter at hand (after I’ve made myself a nice cup of Earl Grey) AKA dressing for annual sporting events, like the Investec Derby.

In the past dressing for the races, or indeed at all, was both a much simpler affair and an infinitely more boring one. Nowadays most of us are free to explore, enjoy and choose from a vast spectrum of styles, silhouettes, aesthetics and trends. Centuries of social, economic and sartorial progression has culminated in a situation that is wonderful, empowering and a lot of fun. It can, however, make styling oneself for a traditional British event like the Investec Derby somewhat challenging. If your day to day style is androgynous and minimal, why should you feel obliged to force yourself to wear a floral sundress and colour popping lipstick just because it’s Derby Day? Short answer, you shouldn’t and neither do you have to. There’s always a way to stay true to your personal style and wear what you feel comfortable in while also respecting the dress codes of whatever event you happen to be attending. Investec gave me a lot of creative freedom with these videos so that was the message I tried to convey and base my style tips around. Reckon I managed it?