The Randox Grand National takes place in April over three days – this year 2025, the dates are  Thursday 3rd April until Saturday 5th April. 

Official Dress Code – There is no official dress code -it is encouraged to come dressed to feel your best. But please note when choosing your outfit, this event is famous for its glamour and high fashion with most of the ladies pulling out all the ‘stylish’ stops and really going to town on their outfits. Fancy dress is NOT permitted. Sportswear – avoid wearing team colours/sports kits.

The Opening Day usually attracts the seasoned racegoers who come to spot the future champions in the Foxhunters Steeplechase which features amateur jockeys and their horses. This group of racegoers will dress for the weather so no short summer dresses for them. However this does not mean they skimp on style: tweeds and wool can be chic and striking as any more flimsy ensembles. 

Day 2 is Ladies Day where all things style and fashion are in the spotlight. This is also the day of The Style Awards. 

Day 3 is the Grand National Day featuring the ultimate challenge in Jumps racing. This famous race attracts spectators from every spectrum, and sees outfits ranging from tweed to ethereal dresses. The glamour continues from Ladies Day – after all this is a Saturday and many of the spectators have not only come for the famous race but also the after-parties. Their outfits need to look as good in a nightclub or busy bar as they do at the racecourse.

All prices are correct at time of publishing.

River Island – Official Style Partner of Ladies Day

River Island is the Official Style Partner of Ladies Day and offers a great choice of dresses for a day at the races.

Pretty in pink in their cute Pink Sleeveless 3D Petal Mini Dress £46.00. Shown here with Pink Beaded Cascade Earrings pink beaded cascade earrings £16.00, Pink Bubble Round Sunglasses £16.00 and Pink Feather Embellished Clutch Bag £38.00 Complete the GN look with Pink Sequin Flower Headband pink sequin flower headband £26.00 and Pink Pointed Mule Heeled Court Shoes £40.00

Lady in red in Red 3D Flower Occasion Midi Dress £110.00. Shown here with Red Roll Top Clutch Bag £25.00,  Gold Crystal Drop Flower Earrings £18.00 and Black Cat Eye Slim Chain Sunglasses £14.00 Add a touch of drama with Red Large Flower Fascinator Headband £36.00 and Red Perspex Flared Wedge Sandals £46.00

Like River Island, most brands are starting to bring out their spring/summer collections. So if you’re looking for a fun day out at the races but prefer to steer your budget away from designer outfits, this is the time to shop and you’ll still come away with a show-stopper. 

The Style Awards 

Held on Ladies day which is Friday 4th April – The Style Awards has tremendous prizes on offer, and attracts fashionistas from all over the country, as well as from Aintree’s home town of Liverpool. It also attracts the world’s media and the Ladies’ Days Competitors know all eyes are on them for a few hours at least. Spectators in this crowd are rarely the horsey type – they are out to impress and they know it is springtime even if the weather doesn’t agree. There are two awards: The Best Dressed (for two best racegoers) and The Most Sustainably Dressed

The Best Dressed – The stakes are high so you need to stylishly stand out from the crowd. Place your bets on relatively new fashion designers or the smaller fashion brands who only create limited quantities of each outfit. This way you have less chance of someone else turning up in the same outfit. There are two winners in this category, so we’ve put together two outfits: the first a quiet elegance and the second the ‘on trend’ maximalist style.

Best Dressed – A Quiet Elegance

Straight off Leblon London’s AW24 catwalk is the  Adele Trousers featuring a trompe l’oeil digital print £420.00 and matching Lizzie Blouse with pussy bow £380.00. A soft glamorous  Damien Shrug in chartreuse olive faux fur offers a more luxurious alternative to the pashmina. £380.00.  Add a ray of sunshine with their  Viva Leather Bag in yellow £240.00 and and team with Meenu Graziani Luna Yellow silhouette sandals in yellow suede with yellow transparent front and embellished fine straps. £235.00 Although a headpiece is not essential at the Grand National, a best dressed racegoer will need one to complete her outfit. Merve Bayinder’s Amenita Light Green Headband mirrors the quiet elegance of the Leblon outfit. In light green silk sateen adorned with vintage green veil and multi coloured matt resin flowers and see through leaves £450.00 Accessorise with Sif Jakobs flexible Capizzi earrings to customise your look. Wear the Earrings Capizzi Pianura (£105.00) and Earrings Capizzi with white zirconia (£115.00) separately or link them together for a longer earring. They are available in two sizes, silver or gold plated so mix them up for a sparkling individual touch!

Best Dressed – A Touch of the Maximalist Style

Desire Avenue’s Corset Dress in Cotton Jacquard Boucle  is a corset inspired shape with moulded cups and boning. The sweetheart neckline frames the décolletage while the skirt creates the romantic feeling. It’s detachable sleeves help you to create different styles. Was £380.00 NOW £190.00 If the day is a bit nippy you can always remove the sleeves and wear the matching Cotton jacquard boucle Jacket . Was £200.00 NOW £120.00. Bring out the baby blue in the dress with Leblon London’s Viva bag in sky blue. £240.00 and the lime green with Merve Bayinder’s Gecko Florescent Green Headband £550.00. In fluorescent green, this eye catching headband is embroidered with multi colour flower sequins, decorated with two multi colour crystal embellished frog brooches and a multi-colour crystal decorated chameleon. Go big and bold with Multi Drop Necklace by Lucy Quartermaine  in silver £1050.00. This standout piece features flowing silver drops for a striking molten effect. Complement with their Single Drop Earrings £115.00. Make a bold step forward in Meenu Graziani Rio Pump £225.00. A classic pump style in black satin with a statement buckle of black, white and pearl gems.

The Most Sustainably Dressed – for this category, not only do you have to attain the highest stylish standards but also need to consider your garments have been sustainably sourced. Fashion brand Isabel Manns’ commitment goes beyond creating beautiful clothing; they ensure that their processes and products are ethical, environmentally friendly, and make a positive impact on the world. Their pledges are: made in Britain, reversibility, zero waste, sustainable materials and seasonless collections. Their Penelope Trousers in Textured Navy/Flecked Emerald are a wrap around style. The outer leg seam is open, as the back wraps around the sides to the front of your leg and the printed green lining brings a pop of colour. £475.00 Here shown with Reversible Sophie Top Flecked Emerald/Cobalt – a silk halter neck top in Flecked Emerald print with cobalt reverse side. £350.00 and matching Flecked Emerald Silk Padded Headband £45.99. Early April can still be chilly although the GN ladies don’t let that affect their choice of outfit so Isabel Manns Reversible Long Flecked Emerald/Forest Green Silk Satin Scarf will provide some warmth for your shoulders whilst not hiding your fabulous ensemble.  £85.00. Accessorise with  Mashu’s Calliope Bag – a structured bag with the brand’s signature statement wiggle handle made from 24ct gold plated brass handle. Was £300 NOW £265.00 Mashu was born out of a desire to create vegan accessories that offer sustainability without compromising style. From Under Her Eyes, Daryl Large Statement Hoops (£135.00) complement the shape of the bag’s handle and Daryl Chunky Heart Statement Ring (£100.00) with green malachite matches the green in the outfit. Both pieces are 18k Gold-Plated on recycled 925 Sterling Silver and are the product of skilled artisans in Thailand dedicated to merging tradition with ethical practices.

The Headpiece

Although the headpiece is an important accessory, the GN lady focuses more on her dress than a hat so you will find small fascinators are just as popular as large hats. As the official style partner on Ladies Day,  River Island has a selection of affordable headbands and fascinators. Pink embellished Headband £36.00 Also in black. White Bow Hat Fascinator Headband £32.00 Yellow Fascinator Padded Headband £26.00

Although the weather is still unpredictable at this time of year, it is all about the glamour so many GN hats/fascinators will be adorned with feathers and blooms. For an investment piece at the start of the spring/summer race season (and the summer wedding season) ,milliner Merve Bayindir offers luxurious headbands you will want to wear time and time again.

The Foldable Shoes

For the ladies who like to socialise in the bars on the ground floor, high heels are the favourite to show off those tanned legs. If anyone can wear high heels all day at the races it is the Grand National lady! Luckily Aintree is mainly concrete with no grass to get the heels stuck in or muddied. However Aintree is a massive racecourse and potentially racegoers could be doing a lot of walking. If you are more inclined to move around and explore the racecourse then comfier shoes would be a better choice. And in order to get the best views there are a lot of steps to climb up to the top of the stands. So bringing along a pair of foldable flats to change into would be wise.  Cocorose London specialises in Foldable Shoes | Folding Ballet Flats for this purpose. Pop them in your handbag or their own travel purse and when your feet do need a break from your high heels you have them to hand. Cocorose London offer both soft leather and faux leather ballet style flats.

River Island images provided by River Island PR team

Leblon London images provided by Leblon London

Desire Avenue images provided by Desire Avenue

Merve Bayinder images provided by Merve Byinder

Isabel Manns images provided by Isabel Manns

Meenu Graziani, Lucy Quartermaine and Jakob Sif images provided by Amand Ferrari at We Are PR UK

Mashu images provided by Mashu

Under Her Eyes jewellery images provide by Under Her Eyes

Cocorose London images provided by Cocorose London