Team KLuK CGDT goes to the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, here’s what we thought…
On 11 January 2014, the KLuK CGDT team was invited to attend the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate at the Stud Tent. This sophisticated horse racing event took place at Kenilworth Race Course form 11am to 11pm and saw thousands of guests sporting blue and white formal day wear along with fascinating millinery as the placed their bets on the best South African equestrian sprinters.
THE HISTORY and THE HORSES
The Queen’s plate first started in 1861 as a dedication to Queen Victoria who held the throne at that time. The name comes from whoever is in the seat of power, that is once Prince William takes the seat as King it will be called the Kings Plate. It’s a 1600m Horse Race and therefore attracts the best middle distance (1800m – 2000m) and sprinters (1000m – 1400m).
The conditions for the horse are weight-for-age meaning that all the horses who are the same age, carry the same weight and they compete against each other. Fillies get a sex allowance, so they carry 2.5kg less than colts. In addition, every time a horse wins, it is assigned more weight to carry and the best horses compete in the final Queen’s Plate Race. The 2014 Queen’s Plate Race was won by Capetown Noir.
The FASHION of it all
The dress code is strictly Blue and White, and guests should dress elegantly. Women are encouraged to wear hats and men in a suit or jacket. Casual Wear is forbidden, though we saw a few guests who flirted with inappropriate informal wear. As a whole men appeared to be better dressed than the women. Many of the female attendants opted for short, bright and tight attire which is not the desired image of #LQP. KLuK CGDT we on the Best Dressed judges panel along with Bronwyn Day (Fashion Director at Glamour Magazine), Tammy Tinker (Creative Director at Merchants on Long) and Dominic from The Little Hattery. Siv Ngesi was awarded Best Dressed Male and Cindy Nel Walked Away with Best Dressed Female wining herself a R5000 KLuK CGDT voucher. We spotted some other fashion friends, such as Malibongwe Tyilo. We dressed some of the attendees, including Vivid Luxury’s Anina Malherbe, Expresso Show’s Leigh-Ann Williams as well as Tammy and Bronwyn.
TOUCH and TASTE
L’Ormarins has been the headline sponsor since 2005 and they once again showered Stud Tent guests with Chenin Blanc which is a delightful accompaniment to their abundant display of finger foods. These include burgers, wraps, olives, salads, caprese pastries and gourmet sandwiches. For dessert, food lovers devoured jelly beans, soft serve and a plethora of toppings, marshmallows, liquorice, blue fizzes and chocolate. Once the races concluded, younger guests flooded the Skyy Vodka Tent and were entertained by Euphonik and DJ Fresh till closing at 23h00. This annual function ends early, but guests leave well oiled and hopefully richer.
THANK YOU
The biggest THANK YOU goes out to the Rupert Family for once again including KLuK CGDT in this fantastic event. We’d also like to thank Katherine Gray for her exceptional organisation, CSA for the press dealings and our dear friend Jessica for attending with us. In addition, we’d like to thank Sunglass Hut, as ambassadors it’s always a pleasure to sport your chic sunnies especially to a function as fab as this. We look forward to seeing how Cindy will spend her voucher. See you in 2015, we’re sure it will once again be…
