One of Britain’s most glamorous horse racing festivals was given an extra dash of color and style by some of its nation’s top designers on Thursday.
Vivienne Westwood, the doyenne of British fashion, headed a list of famous UK designers who lent support to the 2015 Qatar Goodwood Festival, creating exclusive jockey silks for an annual charity race, the Magnolia Cup.
The all-female field was made up of 10 amateur and professional riders that included Dido Harding, CEO of UK telecoms company Talk Talk, and International three-day eventer, Izzy Taylor.
For this year’s race, which raised money for charity Amref Health Africa, Westwood designed a turquoise silk adorned with colorful roses.
Other famous brands also donated eye-catching prints.
London department store Liberty produced a typically classy silk with flower prints while Belgravia-based Tabitha Webb opted for playfulness, adorning her silk with horsey phrases like giddy up and gallop.
Webb, who has collaborated with the Duchess of Cambridge’s sister, Pippa Middleton, was full of praise for Westwood — the woman who brought punk fashions into the mainstream in the 1970s and who remains an enduring influence to this day.
“She’s such a marque in British fashion history for me. Her work is so recognizable I think she’s never bowed to what anyone else wants,” Webb told CNN from Goodwood.
“She’s never really followed the trends and she’s steadfastly stuck to what she believes in. To be anywhere near her is a massive honor,” she added.
Webb teamed up with Middleton earlier this year designing a dress and scarf to raise money for the British Heart Foundation and was thrilled to be helping out another good cause at Goodwood.
“It’s just a really fun thing to be involved with and obviously all the other designers are incredible,” Webb said.
“It’s great to be on the roster and when they asked me to do it again I jumped at the chance.”
‘Such a lovely vibe’
With its laid-back, stylish atmosphere, the five-day festival at Goodwood Racecourse in West Sussex is a much-cherished date on the racing and social calendar.
“Two years ago, I met a couple of girls at the Ladies Day (charity) race who have become two of my best friends,’ Webb explains.
“It’s very much that kind of atmosphere at Goodwood. Of all the race meets it’s the only one I go to really that still retains that.
“It’s such a beautiful, beautiful location and the views are so gorgeous. It’s still got that vintage feel about it… it’s such a lovely vibe.”
With a backdrop of the Sussex Downs, the racecourse is part of the 12,000-acre Goodwood Estate owned by Charles Gordon-Lennox, better known as Lord March.
Ladies Day is one of the highlights of the festival attracting around 20,000 racegoers.
In the end, the charity race turned out to be a slightly chaotic affair with four horses being disqualified for jumping the gun.
Eventually, Camilla Henderson, daughter of trainer Nicky Henderson, crossed the line first on High Fidelity in silks made by local designer Claire Featherstone.
“We lined up, but the starter’s flag hadn’t dropped, and we were told to come back,” Henderson said.
“We expected the others to return, but they kept going. It’s a shame, and what happened has happened, but I’m delighted to have won.”