Off to the Races...How I Got Ready for the Kentucky Derby

Hello dolls!!! 

HAPPY MAY! If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you may have read that I'm going to the Kentucky Derby this weekend. I have never been to the Derby before so as you can imagine I was incredibly excited when I found out I was going. First thought: WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR?!? Second thought: WHAT WILL EVERYONE ELSE WEAR?!? Third thought: WHAT DID JESSICA SIMPSON WEAR WHEN SHE WENT?! 

The ultimate fashion statement at the Kentucky Derby is of course the HAT! It's all about the hat. I knew there was no need to find a dress without first finding THE ONE…THE ONLY…THE HAT. I eagerly searched Google & found my favorite looks.... 

Jessica Simpson: I love her girly and feminine Derby look. Pink + flowers. 

Kim Kardashian: Her black & white is SO glamorous. Also this picture made me decide I definitely wanted to wear gloves.

So I actually found my derby hat in NOLA (read about my trip HERE) at a little boutique. I tried on a few different ones….

It was a tough decision but I ultimately knew I wanted a floppy hat, with feathers, black because I'm blonde, and something light weight & breathable. This one fit that description perfectly:

So on to the next important decision….the dress! I wanted a bold, bright and fun dress so I knew EXACTLY the designer I wanted to go with: Lilly Pulitzer. As you probably know, she is known for bold, standout patterns that I thought would be PERFECT for the Derby.

I am not the most decisive person so I just decided to try on as many as possible…hence the beautiful Lilly explosion that was my dressing room:

I will say one thing: the first dress I tried on was THE one I ended up choosing. I don’t want to reveal yet which one I chose (I have to save some new stuff for the post-Derby post!), but here are some snapshots of what I tried on:

Does anyone else take these goofy dressing room pictures and make the faces I do??? Anyone? Anyone? Help me out here! :)

Dress: check….hat: check….the next and final step (no pun intended) were SHOES! Oh the shoes. This was definitely a process. Normally with a dress I LOVE wearing heels (truthfully I just love heels in general with anything I wear!) but I knew I would be on my feet ALL.DAY.LONG.

So, the logical side of me was saying: go for COMFORT. I mean let’s be honest, I’m not really a fan of the “I need to sit down right this second because I feel like my feet are about to fall off” feeling. But the FASHIONISTA side was saying: WEDGES!!! Wedges are such a great option for a day-time heel. So which did I chose??? After spending about an hour and a half in the shoe department I settled on these…..

I know you are shocked that Fashionista Ashley didn’t win. What happened?! All I have to say is there is a first time for everything. I knew I would be a much happier girl if my feet weren’t hurting all day!!! The sandals I bought are by Gianni Bini who I LOVE (he makes great shoes + purses).

I really had SO much fun picking out my Derby outfit. I feel like the Kentucky Derby is a truly classic southern event and this southern girl is SO excited to go.

So is anyone reading right now going to the Derby??? Oh I would LOVE to hear what you’re wearing or any tips for the day!

I can’t wait to post a re-cap afterwards so definitely be on the lookout for that!

Thank you for reading dolls & have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Xoxo,

Ashley