Mood Board Monday: Kentucky Derby Time!
On your mark, get set, place your bet! Fun bits, vintage footage, memories, outfit inspo, and recipes all centered around the big race.
Dear Reader,
It’s the 150th Kentucky Derby this weekend. And I’m so excited!! Are you planning to watch the races? Better yet, are you going?? Attending the event in person is definitely on my bucket list, but until then we will be watching from the comfort of our own home.
Since I’m not all that into football like my husband is the Kentucky Derby has kind of become “my Super Bowl” of the year where we host a casual gathering with a few friends and family and just enjoy the day watching the races together over some yummy food and drinks. I tell myself every year that I’m going to go bigger and better the next year, but always end up keeping it simple. So far they have been good fun.
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MOOD BOARD
To get myself geared up for the occasion I revisited some beloved historical stories revolved around horse racing. I usually watch the 2003 film “Seabiscuit” staring Jeff Bridges and Toby McGuire every year so to change things up I opted for reading the book instead written by Laura Hillenbrand. I just finished the book last week so the characters involved in this beautiful story during the late 1930s and early 1940s are all still very fresh on my mind. I also recently re-watched the 2010 film “Secretariat” staring Diane Lane. It had been awhile since I’ve seen it so it was a nice refresher. I also found this really cool vintage post card of Secretariat autographed by the jockey. And it looks like it’s still up for grabs! Did you know that Secretariat still holds the fastest horse record in the Kentucky Derby since 1973?! Pretty amazing!! I get a bit emotional watching the vintage footage of the race...
The Line Up! As mentioned our derby gatherings have so far been very simple. So I have yet to tap into any betting games, hat contests, etc. I do however try at the very least to have a list of all the horse contenders available to view (or even sent out to everyone before the gathering). That way we all can pick our personal favorite horse to cheer for in the final race. Part of the fun is getting to see all the interesting names the horses have.
Speaking of hats, if I am ever given the opportunity to go to the Derby in person or decide to host a gathering requesting hat and coordinating ensemble participation I would wear this hat with possibly this dress or maybe even this dress. I would consider pairing the duo with either these shoes or these shoes and then safely store these beautiful vintage binoculars inside this bag or this bag.
I’m very excited to use my new embroidered cocktail napkins this year. I had my eye on them since last year’s derby. So when they finally restocked a few weeks ago I ordered them right away. I think they are going to look so lovely accompanying our mint juleps. And now this beautiful brass horse bottle opener just might need to be my next purchase to add to my collection.
Speaking of Mint Juleps, you can find the Kentucky Derby’s classic recipe here. I also like using this recipe for serving a crowd.
bottle opener // tumbler // cocktail napkin // binoculars
*Mood board vintage images sourced via Pinterest.
Let me know if you plan to watch, I’d love to hear your plans.
Until next time, thank you so much for reading. Cheers to the upcoming races and May the 4th be with you.
Love,
Really enjoyed all the back stories and current