Fashion has played a large part in the Derby, ever since the first race in 1780. So when Felicity Brown, one of the brightest talents of the British fashion scene, was asked to be the official dress designer for this year's Investec Derby Festival, she looked to the event's rich seam of history for inspiration.
London-born Brown, who worked for Alberta Ferretti, Loewe, Mulberry and Lanvin before setting up her own label, was asked to design a bespoke dress for supermodel Erin O'Connor, the official face of this year's Investec Derby Festival. "It was great because Investec produced a full archive of the Derby," says Brown. "There were some great pictures of the early Derbys, of the history of the whole thing, and I wanted to capture that."
Looking through the photos, Brown was particularly inspired by the ladies who made a real effort for their day at the races. "I took the extravagance of the occasion from those early pictures. I wanted the dress to be really exuberant, and to have an Edwardian or Victorian look," says Brown.
O'Connor will wear the dress on the all-important Ladies' Day, which opens the Investec Derby Festival on 3 June. It has a net under bodice and a back bustle to give it a vintage feel. "Erin loves bustles, so I'm building on top of the net back bustle with pleated fabrics," says Brown.
Brown's love of all things historical often finds its way into her beautiful creations. "I always end up looking at old costumes, especially old dance costumes, and I am inspired a lot by the way the Victorians and Edwardians had so much structure to their clothes," she says.
The designer was also inspired by the ornate hat designed for O'Connor by Louis Mariette, the official milliner for the Investec Derby Festival. "I wanted to incorporate the hat, which is very colourful and inspired by an African bird [the lilac-breasted roller]," says Brown. "I love the purples and pinks Louis has chosen for the hat, so the dress had to work with that, but the colours in the dress have to complement rather than clash. If I put Erin in loads of different colours it wouldn't work with the hat."
Of course, the dress has to work with O'Connor's colouring and unique look. "I looked at a tonne of pictures of Erin and she looks really good in reds, so the dress is reds and purples, which will look great on her and really set off the vibrant colours of the hat," says Brown. "It will also pick up on the colour-blocking trend that's everywhere this season."
The shape of a dress is also a reflection of the mood the designer is in: "Each dress I work on is a backlash to the one before. I did one for the V&A before this and it was very tight and controlled, so this one is looser, more flowing." says Brown. Was O'Connor a vocal muse? "We had one fitting early on. Erin was very helpful – she's obviously worn a lot of fabulous dresses and knows what suits her."
Brown is joining O'Connor and Mariette in judging the annual Style on the Downs competition for best-dressed lady on Ladies' Day. So what fashion tips does she have for anyone hoping to win the prize of a luxury weekend in London and a £1,000 spending spree? "I always think about the colour first, and then it's all about the detailing," says Brown.
