New data from Debenhams Group – home to Debenhams, Karen Millen and PrettyLittleThing – reveals how Britain’s summer racing season is driving a surge in demand for occasionwear, with searches, sales and page views rising across race day fashion.
From the Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot to last weekend’s Debenhams July Festival, the UK’s biggest racing events are inspiring customers to refresh their race day wardrobes with a mixture of timeless occasionwear and pastels to more modern, trend-led styles and statement accessories.
At Debenhams, searches for “dresses for the races” increased 70% month-on-month, while “race day dresses”rose 45%. Race Day page views also increased 66%, with yellow emerging as the standout colour trend and fascinators and hats generated more than 13,000 searches during June.
At Karen Millen, shoppers are building the complete race day look, as fascinator sales became the fastest growing race day category, increasing 120% month-on-month, with occasion jewellery sales also rising 30%. During the peak race day shopping period, searches for pleated dresses (+66%), embellished dresses (+60%) and polka dot dresses(+44%) also all saw strong growth.
Ahead of Royal Ascot, searches on Karen Milllen for white dresses jumped 81% week-on-week, with additional spikes also seen for jumpsuits, pink dresses, black dresses and blue dresses.
Meanwhile, PrettyLittleThing customers embraced a younger take on race day dressing. The Premium White Halter Neck Dress is one of the brand’s bestselling race day looks, while Square Toe Thong Mules ranked among the bestselling accessories. Across the raceday category, florals, lemon tones, chiffon and satin are emerging as the defining trends for the season, alongside, baby blue and pink pastels, corsetry, lace and peplum detailing.
A Debenhams Group spokesperson said: “When it comes to the races, shoppers aren’t just looking for a dress – they’re planning an entire look, from statement fascinators to jewellery and shoes. While classic occasionwear remains popular, we’re also seeing shoppers embrace brighter colours, statement accessories and more trend-led styling, showing how race day fashion continues to evolve.”
