Christine A. Moore Millinery: Spirit of Santa Anita
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The San Gabriel Mountains at Santa Anita Park provide a picturesque backdrop for horse racing and a fantastic source of inspiration for artists and designers. (Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire)
When you think of Santa Anita Park you immediately picture the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains in the background, and you cannot help to think about the storied history of this track. Images of Seabiscuit come to light as well as classic film sequences like A Day at the Races.
You can almost feel the presence of the old Hollywood stars dressed to the nines for a day out of L.A. and on their way to the track in big powerful shiny cars.
Molly McGill, digital media coordinator at HRTV, strikes a pose in a hat by Christine A. Moore
When you take the time to look around this place you notice the wonderful Art Deco architecture and you know you are somewhere special. I am a great fan of Art Deco and have been styling some of the hats from my collections in that style for years, and currently have some in my 2013 Fall Collection.
So with so much history here, there is, of course, a great fashion history as well. Back to those beautiful shiny-chromed powerful cars pulling up to drop off elegantly dressed women and men, all topped off with classic elegant hats. This is not only my dream - the dream of a milliner in a world where everyone wears a beautiful hat - it is the fashion reality of Santa Anita.
Look at the faces around you and you will see people here to have fun and to dress up for the occasion of having fun! Fashion is well established at Santa Anita, and it can always be 1934 again in the mind’s eye.
Champions Gift Shop at Santa Anita
I love this track, and I love it’s mood and the excitement you feel when you walk through the crowds. I love walking anywhere here, never a bad view, always something interesting and someone fun to see. Watching people, is not only a New York thing, it is a fashion thing!
What I see here is an ever-expanding audience for fashion and one that wants to embrace the fashion days of old.
Here is my advice to move the fashion forward, especially in light of Breeders’ Cup World Championships coming on Nov. 1 and 2! If you are new to racing, I always say start out slow, find a comfortable dress and a pair of low wedges, and try a small fascinator or a medium-brimmed hat. Stay away from flip-flops and floppy beach hats. Choose a hat with some structure. There are many elegant, sustainable looks at any price point out there!
ABR’s own Penelope Miller wearing a fascinator by Christine and Andrew wearing a fedora from the Blake Collection
Find a look you are comfortable with, and one you will look great in at any event at the track. Wear it with confidence, feel your best and have fun! If dressing up and having your photo taken on a sunny, beautiful day at the track appeals to you, then you are at the right place!
Since Breeders’ Cup is a world event, there will be fashion looks from all the American tracks as well as looks from all over the world! All this competition for the camera means one thing - be on your best game! There will be many fascinators on show for the big race and Breeders’ Cup has kind of adapted it as their young, fun, hip look. They coined the phrase “fascinator and fedora lounge” and I love it!
This means there is a Breeders’ Cup look out there for both women and men! Whatever look you choose, take time to think about coordinating your ensemble and get the men to dress up and coordinate, too! Go with elegance, comfort and style and you cannot go wrong.
Ms. Racing Queen, Tatiana Schoeppler, wearing one of Christine's hats at Santa Anita
Finally, for those who have been to the track many times and are knowledgeable about racing fashion, I ask you to be an example and embrace the new members and welcome them to this wonderful world of racing and fashion. Remember, we all gain from an infusion of new folks interested in this wonderful thing we call horse racing.
See you at the track! The best is yet to come!
Christine A. Moore shows off her own hat