The spring brings more with its arrival than lilacs and lilies and is one of the busiest times for the milliners of Melbourne. The Races, and Melbourne Cup to be more specific brings ladies searching through department stores for hats, headbands and fascinators. Everyone wants to look their best for the Crown Oaks Day, but what is it that makes this event so loved that the entire state of Victoria gets a day off and what have horses and high tea to do with it?
Equestrian elegance
Horses have always played an important part in our lives, and the bond between humans and these magnificent, intelligent, and gentle creatures is easy to define given the long history of relationship with human and beast. From working horses to racing thoroughbreds and noble Arabians, equestrians and horses have a bond and a connection.
Horses and races have a connotation to the rich and noble, and one’s social status and power has been linked to horses for centuries. The late Queen Elisabeth was notorious for her love of horses and was often seen as a keen spectator at the Royal Ascot. The Royal Ascot race was the place to be seen as early as 1752. It is said that the Duke of Bedford once arrived in London during this time and cried out that” I could not find a soul to dine or sup with”. Poor Duke. If you cannot kill them, join them, I say.
Sports that include horses are often associated with wealth and social status and through times sports like polo and fox hunting were mainly for the affluent who could afford the upkeep and maintenance of the animals. Today, fox hunting is thankfully banned and replaced with trail hunting, but the sport still requires plenty of land to host these hunts and is mainly contained to privately held estates.
Perhaps this, more than a desire to throw pennies on the ponies is what draws us to the races, a desire to feel exclusive and part of something coveted and using the occasion as an excuse to get dressed up to the teeth.
Nothing beats the bubbly
While trail hunting traditionally starts with a port wine in a stirrup cup to send off the hunters, polo and horse races require a bottle to be popped. If you ever watched “Pretty Woman” with Julia Roberts and Richard Geere, you likely remember a scene where the spectators raced off to the polo field and attended the tradition of divot stomping. This amusing tradition takes place during the half-time of the polo game. Once the umpire blows the whistle, ladies and gentlemen in their polished shoes and high heels engage in pressing the grass that the horse hooves damage back in place, often with a glass of champers in their hand. Next time you are invited to watch a game of polo, perhaps consider leaving your Louboutin’s at home and opt for wedges.
Almost every elegant occasion requires flutes filled with Champagne and at the races you will see more flutes than flies. From the Kentucky Derby to the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai and Melbourne Cup, the days are filled with champagne and high tea.
Introducing high tea
For the tradition of afternoon tea, we have another Bedford to blame, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, Anna Maria Russell. So, even if the Royal Ascot race became popular long before the tea did, tea is what makes a good race a perfect one today.
What we call High Tea in Australia is in England simply Afternoon Tea. Not until sometime around 1920’s did it start to look like high tea, with the silverware, finest porcelain and decorated tables. This ritual, again, was back in the days associated with showing off your wealth and status, you correct manners and poise. Add some champagne to the mix and you have the perfect recipe for an elegant occasion, and what occasion could be better for high tea than the races? The elegantly dressed, the social butterflies, the punters in pinstripes, all up for a high tea. The excitement, the atmosphere, elevated by elegant tea served in charming china.
Host your own
It has become increasingly more popular to host your own high tea for a group of friends while watching the races from home, or by attending a private function. Taking advantage of the Public Holiday in Melbourne and hosting your own has its advantages. You beat the traffic to the races, skip the crowd and can enjoy this day from the privacy of your own home while you still adhere to the dress code of high fashion and fascinators. Whip up your own heavenly high tea with shortcrust pastries, cucumber sandwiches and finger food, accompanied with the finest tea and keep those flutes filled with bubbly. Place your bets beforehand and cheer your champions.
Garden parties are brilliant, however weather depending. If you have space for marquees, these can be styled and decorated to create unforgettable race day high teas. Perhaps you wish to go all out and rent chandeliers, lanterns and dress up your garden chairs, or take the headache out of organising and hire an expert to host the event. Worried about your backyard lawn? You could always blow the whistle and ask your guests to stomp a little, couldn’t you?
While there at first sight seems to be very little in common between a mammal, a grape and a tea leaf, they are all tied to elegance, the nobility and exclusivity. Adding everyday luxury to your life is a perfect excuse to get together and making the most of a day off, and what better way to unleash that inner royal than enjoying horses and high tea, in a hat.
For more advice on etiquette, manners, interior design and how to live your life with grace, elegance and poise, read the book “Tea with the Dutchess: How to do anything with style” by Kate Gawi.
Comments