#dayatracescuration

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Two ladies sporting dresses with ruffled hems, fur accessories and black shoes with eye-catching buckles. Spotted at the Auteuil racecourse. Paris, 1912. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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Contrasting fabrics and colors make for an opulent, voluminous outfit at the Chantilly racecourse, June 1912. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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Dress with draped top and skirt and contrasting layers, seen at the Grand Prix de Paris horse race, June 1912. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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Duo at the Longchamp racecourse, Paris, 1913, photographed from the back. On the left: kimono-style straight dress. On the right: dress with skirt in layered tulle. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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Feathered hat and layered dress in contrasting colors, worn at the Auteuil racecourse. Paris, June 27, 1913. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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Veiled, feathered hat worn with a full-length, layered satin dress in dark colors at the Deauville racecourse, 1910. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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Lace and satin create relief and play with the light in this white creation worn at the Longchamp racecourse. Paris, 1912. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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Lace dress layered with semi-transparent, oriental-style coat. The outfit is styled with a feathered hat, white shoes and gloves, a purse and fan. Spotted at the Longchamp racecourse in Paris, 1912. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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Layered dress with tulle, lace and satin, adorned with a belt sporting flowers. Accessories include a feathered hat and small purse, contrasting black laced shoes and a bicolor parasol. Seen at the Auteuil racecourse, on June 27, 1913. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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Elegant couple at the Longchamp racecourse, Paris, 1912. The gentleman opted for a black waistcoat and top hat, the lady for separates, most notably adorned with a lavish tulle neckpiece. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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Dress with train, feathered hat and parasol photographed in profile at the Grand Prix of Trouville-Deauville, 1908. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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Both women accessorized with black, feathered hats and dark, round purses. On the left: dress with embellished bodice and dark shawl-bolero. On the right: sailor-style collar echoing the white long gloves and white trimmings on the sleeves. Seen at the Longchamp racecourse. Paris, 1913. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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Stoles in ermine fur worn at the Auteuil racecourse on February 16, 1913. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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Elaborate headgear and draped dress seen from the back at the Longchamp racecourse. Paris, 1910. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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Lady visiting the Chantilly racecourse, June 1912, in an overcoat with dotted piping, layered with a skirt featuring stylized botanical motives. Accessories include a feathered hat, lavish stole and parasol in contrasting colors. © Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger Viollet, Parisienne de Photographie. In Copyright.

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‘A Day at the Races’: ladies’ fashion at race tracks in the early 20th century

An article in the Times published in 1922 deemed Ascot to be “the best place in England to see beautiful women in beautiful clothes.” Since the very beginnings of modern horse racing, the tracks were used as a ‘catwalk-avant-la-lettre’ by ladies and fashion designers alike. Horse races were a golden opportunity for high society women to spot and to don fashionable outfits, while couturiers dispatched models to the tracks dressed in their latest creations. Especially in France – host to such legendary races as those in Auteuil, Longchamp and Chantilly – ladies and models ‘promenading’ in high-end fashion thoroughly influenced the development of the fashion industry and the growing reputation of Paris as the fashion capital of the world. But the ‘trend’ of races was soon taken up with enthusiasm all around Europe, making these sport events catalyst of new social behaviours characteristic of the modern age.  Today, still, ‘Race day’ is as much about the clothes as it is about the sport, and dressing up in the finest garments and luxurious accessories is a self-evident requirement if you’re aiming at blending in with the in-crowd. Yet in this double guest-curated feature for our friends at the recently renamed ‘European Fashion Heritage Association’, managing also the sister-thematic collection ‘Europeana Fashion’ on Europeana.eu, we shift the focus to the early decades of the 20th century, when modern horse racing was reaching its heyday.

Read more on our blog: https://fashionheritage.eu/introducing-the-new-tumblr-curations-fashion-at-the-races-i-ii/