The Queen’s Plate Hats & Horseshoes party: 15 pictures of horse racing fans in stylish headwear

by Paige Dzenis July 8, 2013

Queen’s Plate Hats and Horseshoes party 2013 — Photography by Michelle Nunes

See the Queen’s Plate Hats & Horseshoes party photos »

Horse races and ladies in fancy hats make for a most stylish pairing. From the Kentucky Derby to the Royal Ascot to Canada’s very own Queen’s Plate, an afternoon at the race track demands a wide-brimmed hat. (Or, in the case of a fascinator, a hat as tall as it could be wide!) This past Sunday saw the 154th running of the Queen’s Plate and many of Toronto’s most fashionable crowd made the journey to Woodbine Racetrack, hats in tow. To celebrate the race, Woodbine’s annual Hats & Horseshoes party took over the grounds around the walking ring, bringing together food trucks, betting stations, a Grey Goose-sponsored VIP lounge and, of course, the aforementioned stylish racing fans. Milliner David Dunkley was also on hand with many of his couture creations available for partygoers to try on—or buy if they happened to arrive sans hat. Compared to previous Queen’s Plate races, this weekend it was quite apparent that fashion has become a huge focus. Yee haw!

For further fancy dressing encouragement, FashionMagazine.com spent the day scouting the crowds for the most stylish attendee. Kate Middleton was certainly the style inspiration of many guests—pretty summer dresses in pastel shades and mid-height heels were most popular—but it was a fashion blogger Kimberly Lyn who took the title of Queen’s Plate best dressed. Wearing vibrant orange pants, sleek see-through heels and a wide-brimmed hat with hand-sewn accents, she proved that’s there’s more to garden party style than fit-and-flare dresses.

As for the Queen’s Plate race, a well-timed pause in the late-afternoon rainstorm allowed Hats & Horseshoes partygoers to rush the grandstand and cheer on the horses, with the screams getting especially loud as Midnight Aria crossed the finish line.