A mother-of-two has said that it was her dream come true as she was crowned Best Dressed at Tuesday’s Punchestown Racing Festival.
Tramore native Louisa Murphy was overcome with emotion when she was named Tuesday’s finalist during the Bollinger Best Dressed competition.
Hairdresser Louisa told EVOKE that becoming a finalist ahead of Friday’s grand finale was something that she had dreamed of for the ten years that she has been coming to the Kildare races.
Louisa Murphy
© Pic Michael Chester
She said: ‘I’ve been coming here for 10 years, and it’s so hard. Sometimes you come, you don’t get picked. You just keep coming. The friendship that I made here, all the girls, I came up on my own today.
‘But the girls here, like, they’re such good friends.’
Originally from Wexford, Louisa said: ‘I’ve been doing racing for so long now. I have three hair salons but my pastime is putting outfits together, and then when you have the outfit, it’s all there.’
Louisa has recently got engaged to horse trainer JP Flavin and winning best dressed was somewhat poignant for her.
She got her mint green dress from fashion resale website Vinted and went to extraordinary lengths to secure a matching headpiece.
‘I spotted this hat on a girl at the Australian races and I stalked her on Instagram and then asked her to buy it and she agreed to sell it to me.
‘I thought it was such an unusual piece. I just had to have it. My partner John trains horses so we’re usually here on business but I always come for the fashion,’ she said.
Louisa has seven outfits prepared for the week and won’t be stuck for choice ahead of Friday’s grand finale.
