Wild West style meets Mouttet’s millions

Tomorrow’s buzzworthy Mouttet Mile race day at Caymanas Park is a sure bet to up the fashion ante.

With a dress code calling for those RSVPing to suit up in ‘Wild West wear’, well-heeled spectators and style watchers can expect a parade of denims, sueded leather, big hats and boss boots.

For womens- and menswear designer Orlando Sylvister Samuels, the eagerly awaited horse racing event set off the starting pistol to his inner creative.

“I was inspired by the traditional Native American style, mixed with a modern cowboy twist,” he explained, which led to his imagined gendered looks for a themed day at the tracks. I drew from elements of their culture, such as earth-tone colours and fringes.”

Invitation accepted to join him for a New Kingston-booked photo session, Living is on set in the gardens of The Jamaica Pegasus hotel with the Zen-like Samuels.

It’s an overcast Tuesday afternoon, but the Jamaican designer, who has been in the biz for a decade, is in decidedly sunny spirits as he adjusts the cuff of a crisp white shirt that model Aaliyah Gordon is wearing for his ‘cowboy chic’ created look.

He is a stickler for the finer details, and wants to ensure that his stitched ensemble of a brown printed leather vest, matching boot-cut pants, and a tribal print fringed wrap-over are captured beautifully.

Not quite a tall order, given that his work is well-tailored with clean lines.

“I think the Mouttet Mile’s concept of encouraging patrons to dress in a Western theme is fantastic. It’s a great way to add an extra layer of fun and creativity to the event,” he raved, in between sharing sketches with us of multiple looks he envisioned for racing enthusiasts angling to put their most stylish feet forward. Cue ‘rodeo luxe’ - his modern menswear take on a cowboy look with brown leather pants and a matching vest. Then there’s ‘rattlesnake’ – a jazzed-up leather jacket, teamed with denim shorts and leather fringed chaps.

In the global fashion space, where Louis Vuitton (LV) men’s creative director Pharrell Williams has hit the zeitgeist bullseye with his current fall/winter 2024 collection that’s heavily influenced by American Western culture, Samuels has thoughts.

“Pharrell’s LV collection is incredible. The way he’s reinterpreted classic American West elements, such as cowboy hats and boots, into modern, luxurious silhouettes is truly inspiring. While I didn’t directly fuse any elements from the collection into my designs, I did draw inspiration from the bold, adventurous spirit of the collection,” he admits.

Re-centring focus back on The Rock, he told Living, “As a designer, I love seeing people go the extra mile to coordinate outfits. It shows that they’re having fun with fashion and expressing themselves. I find that Jamaicans are generally bold in how they dress, which I love.”

To complement the anticipated dressed-up patrons on Saturday, there is, of course, the matter of big bucks on the line.

One-hundred and sixty-three horses spread across 11 races are on the line-up at the Mouttet Mile. The marquee race, offering a purse of US$250,000 ($39 million), will see 16 horses in competition.

“This year is the third year that the Mouttet Mile Invitational is being held at Caymanas,” the park’s vice president of operations and information communication technology, Chris Willis, explained.

As to the allure of the big race day for bettors and non-gaming patrons alike, Willis said: “We’ve curated a great package of sports and entertainment with activities for all. So whether you’re on the infield, in the lounges or in the stands, you will be entertained by the action on the track as well as what our partners have in store for you. The Mouttet Mile is our feature race and is the race that carries the largest purse, but we will, however, have an exciting undercard on the day,” the racetrack executive explained.

“There is also the running of the Chairman’s Plate, which is another Grade 3 stakes race ... our punters will be especially happy to know that each race will have a minimum of $1 million per purse.

Racing fans across the Caribbean, he further noted, were craving the return of racing on a grand scale.”With that in mind, we are proud to have created the Mouttet Mile. Our goal is to solidify Caymanas Park’s position as the premier destination for racing in the Caribbean. We are already witnessing increased interest from jockeys, owners, sponsors and other racing enthusiasts, both locally and internationally,” he boasted.

As the hyped race day comes nearer into view, Living is training our eyes on the fashion bonanza ahead, and ready to make our wagers.

lifestyle@gleanerjm.com