Opening Night at Churchill Downs is this weekend… THIS WEEKEND. I can’t believe it’s almost here. Probably because it’s still cold and rainy. I heard on the news today that the weather is supposed to turn this week so hopefully it will be sunny and not freezing (I don’t want to push it with Mother Nature) for this weekend’s fun.
Drew and I are excited to be attending Awards in the Arts on Saturday night, an event hosted by the Fund for the Arts, Churchill Downs and the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation. The event honors exceptional members of Louisville’s arts community while raising money for the Jennifer Lawrence Art Fund so that they can continue promoting and funding art education throughout the city. This year, they are encouraging everyone to wear orange for opening night so I partnered up with the ladies helping make this event a reality to pick out something to fit the evening’s theme.
Meredith Lawrence, Executive Director of the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation, Mo McKnight Howe, Owner of Revelry Boutique and a Fund for the Arts Board Member and Tonya Abeln, Director of Community Relations at Churchill Downs all met up with me at Rodeo Drive to narrow down some options. To be totally honest, orange really isn’t my color but I love a theme so I was game.
Plus, it was really nice to partner up with women doing impactful work in our community. It may seem a little frivolous to get together and talk about clothes but it’s certainly no different than a group of men getting together to talk business over a game of golf. Each of these women is doing big things to foster growth and appreciation of the arts in Louisville. Beyond that, all three are involved in other charitable organizations and causes – so you’ve no doubt seen them supporting other philanthropic organizations around town. Our community could definitely use more women in leadership positions and these three are great role models.
Tonya Abeln – Churchill Downs, Mo McKnight Howe – Fund for the Arts & Revelry Boutique, Meredith Lawrence – Jennifer Lawrence Foundation & Fund for the Art, Me!
If you’re heading to the track and are thinking about wearing a little orange, you can go as all out or as little as you like. Think of it like the Pink Out at Oaks. You can go head-to-toe or just work it into your accessories. I actually ended up getting the shirt I’m wearing here (and cannot for the life of me remember the brand… I’ll find it and link it) but I was tempted to snag the melon-colored jumpsuit Meredith is wearing here.
Since full on orange can be tough for anyone to pull off, I would definitely recommend some of the more coral, melon or lighter orange options. Or you can always go a little darker too. Meredith scored this Rachel Zoe v-neck dress on serious sale (so jealous) that would be perfect. I also love the idea . of adding the color with shoes or a bright clutch.
Make sure to follow along on Instagram on Saturday, I’ll be sharing lots of pics from the event and more details on what everyone ends up wearing. If you’re interested in learning more about the event, this year’s winners or how to donate to Fund for the Arts, visit here.
p.s. – Just in case you were wondering, this post was not sponsored. Just wanted to partner up and share some of the good work and of course, talk Derby fun!
Images by Monica Beavers
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