The Style Files : The Royal Turf Club Presents Fashion At The Races! 

The Royal Turf Club, a club dedicated to promoting ethical, free and fair horse racing in Sri Lanka recently concluded the biggest race ever held in Sri Lanka, the Kunigal Stud Magic Million with a rich purse of 1.75 million rupees. The fashion stakes were high with some of Sri Lanka’s finest designers, under the guidance of Colombo Fashion Week, creating collections that showcased the spirit of fashion at the races. Fashion is ever evolving but with racing fashion an essence of glamour, elegance and femininity has always been key and the designers embraced that ethos. On the 23rd of April, the Nuwara Eliya racecourse will see more thrilling “edge of your seat” races as well as more cutting edge fashion. 

Ramona Oshini 

Ramona opened the fashion shows with her sublime collection. The Ramona Oshini woman is confident, while portraying elegance through simplicity in her attire. Ramona can always be relied upon for a stunning look with pure femininity at the forefront of her mind. For this collection she took a couture attitude to some of the season's big trends, like bare shoulders and ruffles. Her colour palette had beautiful muted macaroon pinks some colour blocked with vibrant plum, deep burgundy and exquisite prints. She gave a sense in this collection of a particular type of women, a distinct new tribe, soft without being girlish, sophisticated and sassy at the same time with her brocade top and shorts and box pleated, sleeveless shirt dresses and oversized silhouettes with ruffle details. 

KASUN 

Has a habit of making you hanker for the simple life. KASUN presented a new rendition of his seemingly uncomplicated uniform. In reality, however, his work is anything but. So detailed are the techniques that go into creating the soothing palette and graceful form of his collection. His tunics and kaftans stood out for both their craftsmanship and femininity.  The LASALLE College Of The Arts trained designer seems to focusing on a luxurious take on the wardrobe basics that most women own, or want to own. Each look was shown with fuss-free hair and bare feet making it that little bit easier for an audience with a notable absence of high heels, to imagine themselves in the clothes. There was a lot for KASUN to shout about here, not that he will of course, preferring instead to construct a scene where the overriding message is one of flow and  tranquility. 

KOCA by RN 

For me watching this collection started with bring back the energy of music into fashion as the show continued the use of grommet detailing was fascinating as it added an edge to feminine silhouettes which included wrap dresses. These were shown paired with very cool large Perspex visors which lent a futuristic air to the aesthetic. Their colours didn't stray further than beautiful beiges, navy and white with accents of pink  and it was all the better for it, everything felt like it had been blasted with fresh air it was so crisp and precise. The detachable ruffled sleeves were clever and executed beautifully.  You can't fail to get noticed if you're in KOCA. KOCA by RN donate 20% of all proceeds on their collections to the development of education and wellbeing of underprivileged children. 

Charini Suriyage 

The way strength and delicacy were juxtaposed in this collection was truly beautiful. Charini’s structures which we were informed and I loved how her aesthetic translated into contrasts of fluidity and solidity. She channelled the stimuli well, with long lengths on her gowns – billowing in the models’ wake – juxtaposed with  a bolder tops. The muted gold block-coloured beside black, metallics and stripes formed a visual that showed Charini's skill at giving a collection context, but also one that will cater well to her core customer with its easy, pared-back palette and comprehensive choice of party-ready dresses that came silky and sensual but also very functional. Charini always manages to find just the right balance of confident femininity and easy chic. 

Text by Minoli Ratnayake 
Photograph credits : Sagara Lakmal De Mel