Men's Preakness Style Guide

One of the greatest things about horse racing’s Triple Crown is that it crowds so much action and excitement into a short five-week window. Believe it or not, we are less than ten days away from the 140th Preakness Stakes, which is quickly approaching on May 16. While you may still be neglecting that trip to the drycleaner to take care of your Kentucky Derby outfit, with the Preakness coming up next weekend you might want to start planning your wardrobe for the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course is a historic facility and offers many different seating, dining, and hospitality options for fans to utilize and enjoy as part of their Preakness experience. In scanning the Preakness website, one can find seating possibilities ranging from corporate tents to private clubhouse boxes, and from the terrace dining room to the infield mug club. With so many unique and dynamic viewing areas for you to enjoy at Pimlico, it would be difficult to list fashion recommendations for each area. To keep it simple, below are some basic guidelines for men’s fashion at the Preakness, separated into three distinct areas of the racetrack facility: clubhouse, grandstand, and infield.  
Clubhouse:
The clubhouse is where you will find some of your pricier and more exclusive seating options at the Preakness, such as the Terrace Dining Room and private clubhouse boxes. If you plan to spend your afternoon in one of these locations, I would recommend wearing a suit, or a nice pair of slacks along with a sports coat. Keep in mind that you will be moving around a little on race day (trips to the paddock, to the betting windows, etc.), so don’t completely sacrifice comfort for style when picking your outfit, as that decision may come back to haunt you. A traditional and well-fitting navy suit, along with a great tie and tasteful accessories would be a sure bet for your Preakness day outfit in the Pimlico clubhouse:
 
Suit: Moss Bros., $175.88
Tie: Ties Planet, $30.34
Shoes: Holmes Fielding Brown Dress Shoe, $90.00
Belt: Smathers & Branson, $165.00
Hat: Christine A. Moore Millinery (Blake Collection), $205.00
Grandstand: 
The grandstand has a bit more casual of an atmosphere than the clubhouse, yet still offers some fantastic views of the racing action on Preakness day at Pimlico. While you may not need to break out the three-piece suit for your afternoon in the grandstand, it never hurts to look sharp, particularly on a Triple Crown race day. If I were lucky enough to get my hands on some grandstand seats for the Preakness, I would still choose to wear a jacket, and my getup would like something like this:
 
Jacket: Tommy Hilfiger, $120.00
Shirt: Lorenzo Raffinato, $31.60
Slacks: Banana Republic, $69.50
Shoes: Johnson & Murphy, $129.99 
Infield: 
Well over 100,000 people are expected to be on hand at Pimlico for the Preakness, and the majority of those fans will be spending their afternoon in the infield. The Preakness infield is known to be one-of-a-kind, and in addition to being a unique location from which to watch the day’s races, the infield is also home to “InfieldFest,” which is Pimlico’s Preakness day music festival.  This year’s InfieldFest will be headlined by Armin van Buuren, and his progressive trance music will undoubtedly have you in the dancing mood. Knowing that a trip to the Preakness infield in 2015 will include the unique blend of exactas and electronic music, here is what I would plan to wear:

Shirt: Polo Ralph Lauren, $19.99
Shorts: Musto, $89.00
Shoes: New Balance, $74.99
Hat: The Preakness Store, $23.00
In whatever attire you choose, remember to be yourself, and be confident in what you are wearing. Confidence in your outfit will not only lead to a more enjoyable time at the races, but may also lead to some astute handicapping and winners on the racetrack. Good luck!