At 91 years of age, Philip Brophy from Malahide was probably the oldest contestant at this year’s RDS Horse Show’s Best Dressed competition.
He donned a blue and white striped linen Louis Copeland suit which he received as a gift for his 90th birthday, the jacket lining adorned with 1950s pin-ups. Underneath, his white sequined waistcoat sparkled, while his blue hat, topped with a large pink feather, sat at a jaunty angle.
“Philip likes the finer things in life,” says Áine Cryan, who works in the residential home where Brophy lives.
On their sixth annual trip, Cryan says, Brophy jumped out of bed at 8am on the day of the horse show.
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“We wouldn’t miss it for the world. He’s a man who loves his style. As you can see, he’s very sharp,” she says.
Spanning almost a 70-year spectrum, both young and old are out in style at the 2025 Best Dressed day.
Marian Hassan and Rima Elmazbouh, both aged 22, were first-time attendees at the Dublin Horse Show. The women wore hijabs and found it challenging combining their Best Dressed looks with their head scarves.
“We had to experiment with headbands and hairbands to see what worked, but I think we got it in the end,” says Hassan.
“We knew we were going two months in advance, but the outfits were last minute because I didn’t think it would be so challenging to find modest outfits.
“I think we need to put a lot more effort into finding something that has full coverage,” she says, dressed in a blush blue gown from Cos, a matching scarf and a hat from Amazon.
“Most stores – especially in summer – don’t have full-length, long-sleeve outfits,” says Elmazbouh, sporting a polka dot black and white number from Mango and a hat that was a charity shop find.
“I didn’t realise how extravagant people would go. I love it,” she adds.
Faith Ammond from Milford, Co Carlow, is a veteran of the Irish Ladies’ Day circuit, having won thousands of euro in prize money over the years, as well as a new Land Rover.
The former Grand National Ladies’ Day winner says: “I don’t think there’s any magic or secret to winning Ladies’ Day. For me, I go with what suits me.”
Ms Ammond wore a Louise Kennedy dress she has had “for a few years”, as well as a custom-made Miriam Nolan gold embroidered coat.
Joanne Byrne, who works with the communications team at the RDS, grew up just minutes from the venue. She began her career helping with security as an 11-year-old at the Horse Show.
“How an 11-year-old did security I have no idea,” she says, laughing.
According to Byrne, the annual Horse Show is special because it is the “most incredible example of rural meeting urban”. “You have 1,800 ponies and horses with everything that entails: horse manure, hay, straw, saddles, bridles, all in Dublin 4.”
The history of Ladies’ Day, Ms Byrne says, is rooted in female solidarity. “Thursday was always the day at the RDS Horse Show way back where ladies were allowed to compete in the arena, and then other ladies came to support them, but those ladies were dressing up.
“A few years ago, in the spirit of the world we are living in now, it was changed to ‘best dressed’,” she says.
Prizes are awarded to the best dressed (€10,000 for this category), sustainability and Irish heritage, best hat and best dressed duo.
One pair competing for best dressed duo were Anna Kane and Daniel Hilfeldt. Kane, who is studying at the Institut Français de la Mode in Paris to become a seamstress, made the outfits for her end-of-year project.
She made every element, including the dress, waistcoat, jewellery and linen, which alone took “over 70 hours by hand”. The waistcoat took a comparatively merciful two days to make.
Local woman Nadine King took home the €10,000 cash prize after wowing the judges with her “chic contemporary elegance”.
King says she did not have far to travel, being from the Donnybrook side of Herbert Park. “I literally walk by the RDS every day,” she says.
Her Best Dressed debut was inspired by the hydrangea print of her Agua Bendita dress, she says, adding that this is her favourite flower. The hat was from bespoke hat store Ana De Cocó in Bilbao.
The fashionista’s plans for the winnings are much less sartorial, however: “I haven’t even thought of it yet! Maybe I might look at fixing the leaky roof of my house.”
