Off to the Races
As the resident Southerner here at Men's Vogue, I would be remiss not to mention the fashion spectacle of the region: any event having to do with horses. The 67th Annual Iroquois Steeplechase in Nashville, Tennessee this Saturday was an example of Southern style at its finest. While Good Night Shirt galloped and leapt his way to victory, the guys were overcoming an obstacle of their own. How, for instance, does a man stand out when women are wearing hats the size of flying saucers? These gents are quick to yield to a lady on any other day, but not so on the final lap of the fashion showdown. By all accounts, they held their own.
Hats off to a few of our favorites:
1) Any man can mix a mint julep, but foxhunter Bill Andrews mixed a mint green Paul Stuart jacket with a peach tie and a pink striped shirt. That's something else all together.
2) The word "steeplechase" dates back to 18th century Ireland where horses raced from church steeple to church steeple. And while there were no such markers in Percy Warner Park, the Reverend Joseph Davis turned out in seersucker. "I've spent more time observing fashion than I have observing racing," he said.
3) Los Angeles native, Robert Kirk, demonstrates another take on the seersucker staple.
4) Lamont Carter (left) sports his signature pink coat while Huntley Bennington (right) follows up the British pith helmet he wore last year with a slightly disheveled hat and a pair of English Round Frames from Ben Silver. "Fashion's always number one here," Carter says of the balance between the horse and the people watching. "It's not even close."
5) Kevin Churchwell is the very well-dressed CEO of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, the proud beneficiary of the Iroquois Steeplechase.
6) As expert reveler Mike Faherty exhibits, madras reigned supreme in the decidedly casual infield. Fresh off the Kentucky Derby, Faherty said the party at Churchill Downs was "a little bit less civilized." Scary thought. But if the Iroquois were to follow in the Derby's footsteps and anoint an official host of the infield party, it would likely be Nashville's Andrew Steffens. He organized a live performance by The Chris Weaver Band -- even sneaking a stage onto the grounds the night before -- much to the madras mob's delight. --LIZ McDANIEL WITH PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIMI RITZEN
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