In Galway, the race is on to look your best

Put your best foot forward and don your finest suit  - The Galway Races are upon us yet again. It's time to be stylish.

It’s that time of year again – time for the Galway Races to get underway. There might not be a Fianna Fáil tent pitched in the hospitality area of the racecourse at Ballybrit these days, but otherwise it’s business as usual as crowds flock to the week-long horse racing bonanza.

The Galway Races offer a chance to have a flutter and cheer on that old nag who your trusted in-the-know mate was convinced would romp home yet proved to be good for the burger vans on the course’s approach roads and little else.

But if you’re going to lose your shirt on a 66-1 outsider, you should do so in style and ensure that the shirt you lose is a smart, fitted one.

Of course, the racing is central to the whole event, but so is getting togged out in your smartest attire as you move from one bar to the next, stopping only to pay through the nose for a lacklustre piece of meat in a roll.

Getting dressed up for the Galway races is not just the domain of the fairer sex.

We men may not get paraded up and down and photographed as much as the women in their fancy dresses and fancier hats, but it’s the perfect opportunity to bring out your inner sartorialist.

Not everyone dresses up, but there’s an increasing trend to make the most of a once-a-year opportunity to look as if you belong to the jet set.

Brisk

Reidy Menswear is a leading independent tailors situated within the Galway Shopping Centre within trotting distance of the racecourse. Owner Paul Reidy says that this year they’ve done brisk business providing male racegoers with a range of dapper outfits.

“I think people are on the lookout for an excuse to escape the gloom of the recession,” Paul says.

“Given that many men don’t need to wear a suit these days the Galway Races is a great excuse to put on your smartest clothes. A suit is not just for weddings, it can lift your look at a variety of occasions and the Galway Races is the perfect opportunity to look your best.”

So what should we be going for?

“The important thing is that you dress up and treat the Races as a real occasion,” Paul says. “Beyond that it’s up to you.

“A lot of younger lads have been coming in and buying a smart fitted suit and a fitted shirt especially for the races.

“Dressed in a sharp two-button suit with an open shirt you’ll look the business. But it’s also the perfect opportunity to really go for it and wear a three-piece suit, a tie and a pocket handkerchief that either matches your tie or picks up on a detail in your shirt.”

Nick Bradshaw