The 2014 HerKentucky Guide to Keeneland Springtime Style

Every spring, we get a ton of questions from readers; they all send some variant of the question "What should I wear to Keeneland?"  Now, if there are two things I love, it's shopping at local Kentucky boutiques and taking in a day of horse racing. I asked a few of our favorite Lexington-based boutiques to help us sort out the Keeneland Dress Code.

If you're going to stay near the Paddock -- General Admission, Grandstand, or Equestrian Room -- there's no need to dress up very much.  Guys often opt for khakis and polo shirts, and women can wear slacks. These are the areas nearest the track itself, and people are truly there to watch (and bet on) the horses. With that said, don't be surprised to see a lot of dresses and sport coats in the lower-levels.  In recent years, a culture of dressy tailgating (think Steeplechase) has popped up among college students and twenty-somethings, and the second floor (General Admission) Sports Bar often resembles a campus bar or fraternity semi-formal.  While the dress code says "casual", there's plenty of Vineyard Vines ties and Lilly Pulitzer to be seen. The Peppermint Palm suggests the Richelle dress -- available in pink seersucker, as shown below, mint green seersucker, or fun Lilly prints to brighten up your day at the track.

If you'll be dining in the upper-level, enclosed dining rooms-- The Lexington, Kentucky, or Phoenix Rooms-- then expect to dress for a business event.  The Lexington and Kentucky rooms -- dining rooms often reserved for business and social gatherings-- have a "business formal" dress code; these areas require men to don a coat and tie, and skirts/dresses/dressy slacks for ladies.   The Phoenix Room-- another reserved dining room-- is "business casual", requiring collared shirts and slacks for men and dresses/pantsuits for ladies. During the week, many professionals take long business lunches in these areas, as is reflected in their dress code. This Lilly Pulitzer Pearl shift from the Peppermint Palm comes in a versatile white lace that allows you to pair with a sweater or blazer for the area of your choice.

The members-only Clubhouse similarly requires coat and tie for men and dressy pants/skirts for ladies.  I find that a skirt suit or a dress paired with a pretty cardigan or wrap is always appropriate for the upper levels.  In general, if you'd wear it to church or a business meeting, you're golden. Most of all, remember to look nice because you'll see plenty of people!

AJ's Casuals suggests this Hunter Bell lace dress, DVF clutch, and Carol Bader Designs fascinator for a fancy day on the upper levels.

To coordinate with your Keeneland ensemble, we're thrilled to offer one lucky HerKentucky reader a seersucker bow clutch purse designed by our own Italian-trained handbag maven, Elizabeth Elfen! I love this bag for a day at the track, a summer wedding, or any time you want to add a little Southern sass to your ensemble.

Just enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and tell us what you're wearing to Keeneland this spring, and check in Thursday when we answer a pressing question about Keeneland style!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So I'm a Derby Festival Princess. What Now?

Hey y’all! I’m Grace, the gal over at A Southern Drawl --my personal style blog of all things southern, stylish, and awkward.  I’d like to describe my style as preppy, classic, and feminine (yet very much unexpected at times).  My personality, on the other hand, is quite different.  Yes, I may say y’all and may be a George Strait fan, but I’m not the typical southern proper girl.  I come from a large Lebanese family that’s always in your business.  {There’s no such thing as privacy in my family.}  So, pretty much here’s the equation of my life: Lebanese + South = Comedy.  I’m sarcastic, loud, blunt, and despite “popular” belief, I’m not graceful, have no poise, and trip in public daily {if not more}.  Sounds tragic, right? Right.

…and then I became a Kentucky Derby Festival Princess.  Go ahead, gasp.  I was pretty shocked too, to be honest.  But, don’t worry, I’ll give you some background. 

Kentucky Derby Festival {KDF} kicks off with Thunder Over Louisville  {April 12} and consists of nearly 70 events leading up to the good ol’ Kentucky Derby {go baby go!}.  As for the KDF Royal Court {that’s me!}—we act as ambassadors for Louisville and represent the community at all of the functions and Derby Festival activities.  That means we attend nearly every event {and keep in mind that all the princesses are full-time students}.  The princesses are chosen out of more than 100 applicants with two interviews, the last being given by out-of-state judges. How are we selected? Knowledge of the Derby Festival, Poise, Intelligence, Personality, and Campus/Community Involvement.

So, I’m a Derby Festival Princess.  What now?  First, I wear my crown and pray that I don’t trip and break its precious stones.  Chances are pretty high for that, y’all.  Second, the great sponsors, like Macy’s, Anthropologie,Dillard’s, Gretchen Scott , and many more dress us until we’re looking as fabulous as can be.  {I always love getting to do what I do best—try on clothes and shop}.  Third, we get to be ambassadors for the KDF events and functions and strut our stuff everywhere. A scholarship is also given to us by The Fillies, which is quite the perk too.  So here’s to me {and the other four gorgeous princesses} proceeding through these last couple of weeks without doing anything too traumatizing to the public and to us enjoying every fleeting second of this. Oh wait, and to always remembering that the soup spoon is scooped away from your body and not towards {etiquette lesson of the day}. 

Feel free to stop on by over here to get your daily dose of sarcasm and style from yours truly.  I promise I don’t bite…well, sometimes.

Win a Kentucky Derby Hat from Goorin Bros!

Derby is only 24 days away, y'all!

Can you believe that it's already time to plan your Kentucky Derby outfits and finalize your plans for Derby Day?

Goorin Bros Hats wants help you get ready for Derby with a hat from their Kentucky Derby Hat collection.

Established in 1895, Goorin Bros has carried on the tradition of authentic family craftsmanship for five generations. This year, they want to help one lucky HerKentucky reader get ready for the Derby in style!

The winner will choose from the Ms. Churchill Straw Boater

or the Mrs. Perfecta Straw Floppy Hat.

We'll pick a winner on Monday; you can enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just tell us, what are you wearing to Derby?

Big Blue Dallas: Our Trip to the Final Four

The second the buzzer sounded after Aaron Harrison's spectacular game winning shot against Michigan to reach the Final Four, my husband said, "We have to go." Within a few hours, we had made travel arrangements, hotel reservations, found tickets, and made sure my mom could fly over and stay with our younger boys.

By Friday, I had gotten a Big Blue pedicure, packed my lucky sweater, and rounded up all of my eldest son's Kentucky gear. I put on my lucky blue earrings (which were, oddly enough, given to me by my very dear friend who just happens to be the biggest Gator I know).

Had John known Russell Wilson's collegiate loyalties, he would have left the Seahawks lid at home, I'm sure.

This guy was on our flight. Proud to say I successfully controlled my tripping foot.

Yes, there is something Big and Blue happening in Dallas!

Pre-gaming at Bracket Town

I was so excited to run into my Transylvania University friend, classmate, and sorority sister, Lisa Ezell Allen! This was definitely good luck.

Almost beat his old man in Pop-a- Shot!

This IS the year of the UK tattoo, right? See below. Unfortunately, they didn't have this one available.

Before leaving Bracket Town to make the drive to AT&T Stadium, we picked up some official Final Four merchandise. We are so nice, we even picked up some Gator gear for our sweet friends.

SEC love, y'all.

Absolutely thrilled to share this time with my favorite ten year old Wildcat!

I really wanted to see an All-SEC final. Boo.

There was some foreshadowing.

That many people and very little traffic control. It was a late night, but we didn't mind. Why?

Because this happened!

Then THIS happened!

An unbelievable finish!

Best Night Ever

When the game ended, we hugged strangers and didn't care at all. More than one Cat fan was overheard saying, "I'm so happy, I don't even know what to do!" Then there was more hugging, because that's what you do when you are so happy you don't know what to do.

Here I sit on Monday, back at my house in North Carolina, a decision made in favor of school and work, and one I knew we would regret. I desperately want to be back there in Dallas, or at least somewhere on Limestone. I feel as antsy as you probably do, but don't worry y'all. I have my lucky earrings.

A New Generation of CATS Fans: Baby's First Final Four

Hi, everyone! My name is Lilly, and I blog at Pancakes and Beet Juice. I was born in Dallas, Texas, where I live today, but have plenty Bluegrass in my blood from my Dad and living in Western Kentucky for four years growing up. One thing I've known my whole life is that there is nothing more exciting than Kentucky playing in the March Madness tournament!

This year's tournament has been special for two reasons. First of all, it is the first time to share our love for UK with our three month old daughter and my parent's first grand-baby, Heidi. It has also been so fun to root for the Cats to play their way into our own backyard with the Final Four and National Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington! When we won our Elite Eight game, it was a mix of jumping up and down and calling family and friends to see how we could be a part of the welcome wagon to Texas.

The University of Kentucky Alum Association had a great pre-game party on Saturday by the stadium. We got to see the Kentucky band, meet other alum families and, most importantly, show Heidi the award winning Kentucky cheerleaders! She loved all of the attention. It was a rainy afternoon, but nothing could dampen the spirits of these diehard fans.

The best part of the game being in Dallas was we were home for game time. Heidi loved showing off the moves she learned from the cheerleaders before she tucked in to bed.

I'm excited to have a new generation of Dallas-bred Kentucky girls in the house and to share this fun family tradition with her! Tonight we're cheering for title number nine!

#BLUBRUNCH with Southern Blog Society and Marriott's Blu Italian Grille

This weekend, I attended a brunch at Blu Italian Grille in the Louisville Downtown Marriott for Kentucky members of the Southern Blog Society. It was so much fun to meet some girls whose sites I love, like Danielle of Lou What Wear and Beth of Seersucker + Saddles, as well as get an introduction to blogs and bloggers I didn't know, like Grace of A Southern Drawl and Jennifer of Girl Eats World.

Me, Grace, Danielle, Beth, and Jennifer

We chatted about life, SEO, and social media. And, of course, Derby. But the oddest thing was that, at a table full of social media addicts, nobody took the time to Instagram the buffet brunch. To me, that's always a sign that the food (and company) are quite good!

While several diners enjoyed the breakfast offerings, I headed toward the herb-rubbed New York Strip, roasted asparagus with baby bell peppers, and a cup of cioppino. Let me tell y'all, it was fabulous. Real, life, meal-type food in a frou-frou breakfast buffet setting. I also enjoyed a cheese plate from the Kentucky proud table, as well as a glass of John Conti peach iced tea with mint -- the closest replica to my beloved Nashville-style Fruit Tea that I've found in the Commonwealth. A glass or two of prosecco washed it all down nicely!

I can't recommend the #blubrunch highly enough for your next get-together or fancy brunch. The food and service were supurb!

{Thanks to Danielle for planning the event, to Grace for letting me reproduce a photo from her Instagram account, and to Blu for the complimentary #blubrunch!}

Celebrate April Fools' Day with Kentucky-themed Tervis Tumblers!

So, April Fools' Day isn't my favorite.

My humor has never run toward pranks, puns, and cheap jokes. Plus, it's April 1st -- that means my total attention is turned toward sports. The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is wrapping up. Keeneland's Opening Day is mere moments away. And, a whole lot of my friends are starting to focus on baseball. I can barely let real life intrude on my thoughts, let alone silly jokes. (Unless it's DeMarcus's CD, natch...)

I do want to let y'all know about an April Fools' event that is no joke. Today only, you can use the code APRILFOOLS on all Tervis Tumbler online orders to receive 20% off your purchase. Since I never, ever have enough Tervises, this is an offer I take pretty seriously.

Here are a few fun Tervis Tumbler Kentucky designs y'all will love!

It's a UK wine glass, y'all. Kind of perfect for when the Wildcats take on Bucky Badger this weekend.

This Derby mug would be perfect for any Kentuckian's office!

The Cardinals fans in my neighborhood have been proudly wearing their red all weekend. I LOVE team loyalty after a close defeat! This U of L Tervis lets you go L's up in style.

 This year's Derby design reminds you that we're only about a month away from the most exciting two minutes in sports!

This UK water bottle is on my short list of upcoming splurge purchases!

And what Kentucky girl doesn't need a pink UK Tervis?

Head over to Tervis today and take advantage of these serious savings!

{This post contains affiliate links.}