Cork woman wins Best Dressed at Galway races

Alex Butler won the prize worth over €10,000 for her one-shoulder red dress

Alex Butler from Middleton,  Co Cork won the  Best Dressed Lady prize at the Galway Races. Photograph: Cyril Byrne/The Irish Times
Alex Butler from Middleton, Co Cork won the Best Dressed Lady prize at the Galway Races. Photograph: Cyril Byrne/The Irish Times

East Cork native Alex Butler has won the Best Dressed Lady title at this year's Galway Races at Ballybrit.

Ms Butler from Ballyedmond, Midleton, won a prize valued at over €10,000 for her one-shoulder midi-length red dress with the Teria Yabar label and a headpiece made by Leitrim milliner Jennifer Wrynne.

Her nude Louboutin shoes were a present from her boyfriend, she said, and she carried a pearl clutch.

Mayo milliner Mary White from Claremorris won the "best Irish design" prize in the contest, which is sponsored this year by the Kilkenny Group.

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She wore a 1950s-inspired outfit by Irish designer Laura Jayne Halton, and says her grey percher pillbox hat with Russian veiling and ostrich feathers was designed by herself.

The best hat was won by Yorkshire-born Danielle Gingell, who lives in Claremorris, Co Mayo.

Her veiled floral cream hat with tulle netting is from the US-based Arturo Rios collection.

Judges were RTÉ broadcaster Maura Derrane, Irish Independent fashion editor Bairbre Power, Image Magazine editor-in-chief Melanie Morris and Catwalk Model Agency owner Mandy Maher.

Thousands of punters are attending the fourth race of the summer festival, with weather remaining mainly dry and temperatures of just 14 degrees.