The overall Best Dressed winner in the competition, which was judged by stylist Clementine MacNeice and former Irish Independent fashion editor Bairbre Power, was Lorraine Ryan Kelly from Galway.
Attending the Horse Show with her husband and daughter Willow (2), Ms Ryan Kelly wore black trousers from No Name Style with a black and bronze shirt by Irish designer Julie Caulfield, shoes from Zara and her mother’s handbag, to claim the €10,000 prize.
Hats off to teacher Lorraine as she wins Best Dressed on Ladies’ Day at Dublin Horse Show
“I’m in absolute shock,” she said. “My blouse is by Julie Caulfield, who express-posted this to me because they know how unorganised I am. My shoes are Zara and this is my mam’s bag that I stole off her.
“For today I changed up the styling. My career is teaching but I love fashion as well and any opportunity I have to dress up I try to take it.
“I have a two-year-old down there who will probably make a list for me and it’s her birthday in a month so we’ll have to splash out.”
It was clear that style and community were the order of the day on Ladies’ Day.
While some of those in attendance yesterday had cherished childhood memories of the Horse Show, for many this year marked their first visit.
Best Dressed entrant Philip Brophy gets a birthday kiss from his carer Áine Cryan as he celebrated his 90th birthday. Photo: Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland
The Horse Show draws dapper crowds all anxious to see the best Ireland has to offer in dressage, local produce and fashion.
People mingled in the sun, but had to take cover when the occasional shower arrived.
Mary Ajide (31), originally from Nigeria and now living in Dublin, attended with Alan Sherwood (77) from Blackrock.
“Alan actually introduced me to the Dublin Horse Show, otherwise I would have never heard of it,” said Ms Ajide.
“I wouldn’t regularly attend something like this so it’s really a great way to experience Irish culture.”
Mr Sherwood came to the Horse Show for years with his father and brother. Now he keeps the tradition alive by attending with his son.
“Events such as these have a long history here in Dublin. It’s a good show and Ireland breeds some of the best horses in the world,” he said.
“Even though I am more of a city person like my father, I do enjoy watching various breeds of horses compete. It’s important to see the introduction of new machinery and new methods into farming.”
While most of the crowd were happy just to relax and soak up the atmosphere, others chose to raise awareness on issues that mattered to them.
Family traditions live on as thousands descend on RDS for Dublin Horse Show
Teresa McMahon and Denise Flynn from north Dublin both wanted to show how any clothing can be worn by women of all ages, sizes and shapes.
Ms McMahon is the owner of Curvy Couture, an inclusive fashion store with sizes ranging from 12-18. She has two stores, one in Saggart and one in Glasnevin.
The two women hope to have their own stand at the Dublin Horse Show next year.
Svetlana Sova (38) is originally from Ukraine and is now based in Dublin. She attended the horse show previously with her two daughters and they bonded over equestrian sports.
“I love seeing all the female jockeys on the course,” she said.
Dressed to the nines, she said her friend, who is a designer, needed a model to promote her portfolio.
Ms Sova obliged and happily walked around the grounds of the RDS in a stunning assortment of white and red with subtle but elegant touches of tulle and lace.
Nearby, colleagues Babatunde Olabi (27) from Ashford, Co Wicklow, and Sarah Inaven (28), from Stoneybatter in Dublin, stood proudly in unique attire, with both of them entered in the Best Dressed competition.
“I’d been to the Horse Show every time since I first moved here in 2018 but this time I saw that they were offering a cash prize to the winner of the Best Dressed competition so I knew I had to call Baba,” Ms Inaven said.
From left, Most Creative Hat winner Laura Hanlon, Tressed to Impress winner Babatunde Alabi, Best Dressed First Prize winner Lorraine Ryan Kelly and runner-up Jodie da Silva Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland
“At first, I wasn’t all that interested but once she mentioned the Best Dressed competition, my interest was piqued and I knew I had to show up and show out,” said Mr Olabi.
The pair were not expecting to meet such a variety of people attending the RDS on a dazzling Thursday afternoon.
“What people might not expect is that you meet a lot of different people, whether it’s in the queue for the event, or just sitting down to eat. It’s people from all walks of life here. We met a GP who talked to us about how she handled Covid and we spoke to people about their grandchildren. It’s really interesting,” said Ms Inaven.
“There’s a lot of people I’m talking to today that I wouldn’t really have encountered in my day-to-day or in my regular walk of life, so that’s what’s exciting to me,” Mr Olabi added.
Speaking after his win in the ‘Tressed to Impress’ category, Mr Olabi said a new summer tradition might have been born.
“I’m so thrilled, shocked and happy. I really was not expecting to win but I hoped I would. So to actually win is amazing,” he said.
“Everyone is looking fab. If you have a look around you can see everyone is showing up and showing out. It’s a great event.”