Kentucky Derby Uniforms
The founding father of the Kentucky Derby, Colonel M. Lewis Clark Jr., envisioned an elegant and contemporary fashion full of color and vitality. To this day the Kentucky Derby showcases the finest in spring fashions! The Kentucky Derby is notorious for big hats and bright suits. The race is one of the most fun days in uniforms. Let’s take a look at all the style throughout the Kentucky Derby.
1920s: Women were full of elegance, wearing a dress or even a modern suit with a jacket, as well as your classic hat and gloves. Strings of pearls were popular; some jackets were large and showy, while some were fitted and classical.
1950s: With the arrival of the 1950s and the end of the war, fashion was changing in a way that reflected the revived affluence of Americans. Feminine dresses, fitted skirts, and modern suits were popular with women as were fur coats and smaller, thinner hats. There was a surge of short, elegant heels.
1960s: Most of us are well-aware of the philosophical and cultural changes that the U.S. underwent in the 1960s. This reflected in the fashion at the Kentucky Derby, where the sustained elegance of the event enjoyed a renewed vitality that saw women wearing crazier hats, brighter colors, less sensible patterns, and rebelliously shorter skirts. Everything was changing: even our pictures from this era are colored, emphasizing the confidence and excitement of 1960s Kentucky Derby fashion.
1970s and 80s: The casual influence of 1960s fashion becomes even more pronounced in the 70s and 80s decades. The initial burst of confidence had turned into something people were used to seeing, and fashions got even more out-there, but in a way that continued what had already been occurring. Women can be seen in primary colors, with pixie cuts and spaghetti straps, as well as soft woolen hats.
1990s: White gloves have officially been out of fashion and wearing them is an homage to the traditions that began the Derby. In the 90s, elegance makes a resurgence, with women wearing linen dresses and matching-colored hats. But the relaxed, casual influx of the 60s, 70s and 80s has become a staple of American clothing by this point and we still see people in shorts, cotton skirts and soft sundresses.
The style and feel of the Derby has morphed over the years, but some things haven’t changed. The Kentucky Derby is still the pinnacle of class and fashion. Just like we recognize the uniforms of the Kentucky Derby, let your customers recognize your business with work uniforms. Service Uniform can find the perfect program to get you off to the races!
