Photography by Shawn LaChapelle
Trying to find fabulously dressed people at Belmont wasn’t difficult; the problem was that there were just too many fabulously dressed people! Tens of thousands of attendees were roaming around—those who made a point of dressing up as well as those who wanted to spend the hot, humid, and at times rainy day in more comfortable attire. Here you will find a cross-section of racing fans who enjoyed talking about what it took to put their look together.
Event: The Belmont Stakes
Place: Saratoga Race Course
Date: June 7
Mary McDermott & Abby Froehlich
from: Saratoga Springs
Content Creators
Did you bring some actual shoes to change into?
Mary: I have a change of shoes, but they’re just sneakers. We walk all day long.
Abby: I have ballerina flats.
Jack Gialanella
from: Saratoga Springs
College Student
Did you buy that jacket specifically for Belmont?
I bought it for Belmont, but I have the same one in blue. I wore it last year.
Lisa Kenyon
from: Hamilton
Customer Care Specialist
Were you worried about the weather? That hat’s not good in pouring rain.
No. I think it’s sacrilegious to be at Belmont without a hat.
Jayson Werth
from: Sarasota, FL
Horse Owner, Retired MLB Player
You’re in a three-piece black suit on a hot day in June?
It’s my best suit. I figured on Belmont Day, you wear your best suit.
Curt Eskew & David Tarella
from: Saratoga Springs
Financial Advisors
Where did that suit come from?
Curt: His wife is a tailor. They’ve been to Belmont before, and she tailored our attire.
Would you wear this elsewhere?
David: Not a chance.
Corey Bynoe
from: Barbados
IT Specialist
Tell me about your beautiful suit.
It’s an Italian linen suit, in sandstone.
I’m loving your mules…
They are Sabah shoes, from New York City. I have three pairs of them.
Were you concerned about the rain today?
I didn’t even know about the rain.
Lisa & Michael Holloway
from: Upper Marlboro, MD
Chief of Education Policy for the DOD Education Activity; retired
Lots of coordination going on here…Can you talk about your process?
Michael: Every time we come to the track, it’s a planning event for what we wear. This is another Lisa Holloway production.
Lisa: I start with either shoes or a hat and build the outfit around that. This time, it all started with his shoes.
Do you enjoy going to the races?
Michael: I grew up on Belmont Park. I can’t wait to see the new track.
Mark Davidson
from: Atlanta, GA
Auto Auction Executive
Do you wear that to work?
I would wear this to work…I wear a lot of crazy stuff to work. But I always wear a pocket square, and this rose on my lapel is in honor of my grandma Rose who was a seamstress in the garment district in New York. She did sequin work on dresses.
Peter Hatch
from: Winston-Salem, NC
Retired
You’re in shorts—you’re casual—but you clearly put some styling into your casual look.
We were all deciding what to wear. They were all teasing me about my white cut-off shorts. So I said I needed to wear them to express myself.
And what about the rest of your self-expressionism outfit?
I had to really think about the quarter-zip. In the end, I went with the Vineyard Vines. This shirt was a definite. It’s dressy yet expressive.
Catharine Shields
from: Saratoga Springs
Mom
What made you go in an all-white direction?
I love white. I feel like white is classic at any age.
Would you wear this someplace else?
I would wear this out to dinner with my husband. Or with a jean jacket.
Richard Sansen & Nancy Buckingham
from: Estero, FL
Retired
You definitely look like one of you should not be seen without the other.
Nancy: I love matchy-matchy. No matter where we go, we’re like this so everyone knows we belong to each other. It’s a lot of planning and, of course, acquiescence on his part.
Matt Greco
from: Saratoga Springs
Cybersecurity Specialist
You look like you dressed with the weather in mind.
It’s hot out. I went with a J. Crew shirt, linen shorts, and a big hat. I call it “elegant comfortable.”
