When Isaac Quaynor attended his first spring racing carnival back in 2023, what he wore was of little consequence.
“I was a bit of a deer in the headlights,” the Collingwood player and G.H. Mumm ambassador admits. “I was just happy to be here, so I didn’t really pay attention to what people were wearing.”
It’s a far cry from his approach to Derby Day 2026, for which Quaynor worked with his stylist Simon Finnegan and Australian tailor Oscar Hunt to design a custom-made pinstripe suit that suggests more spritzer than simpleton.
“When I started working with him he wore a lot of streetwear and colour. We still do that now but we lean a lot more towards men’s tailoring and focus on the silhouette,” Finnegan explains.
Quaynor is leading the new wave of young men approaching their race-day outfits with careful intent and experimental enthusiasm.
“It’s a reflection on men taking more risks now but also brands are giving men more options,” says stylist Donny Galella.
“Suiting used to be very black, white, grey, beige – you know, the same colours – so it’s great to see now a plethora of all these fun colours that guys can wear, and fun suit styles: the oversized ’90s jackets, wide-leg pants, double-breasted jackets. Guys have more options and have more fun.”
Frankie Foster says he’s lost count of how many ties he has. The 30-year-old former Love Island UK contestant-turned-racing commentator and presenter found himself accumulating the accessory at a rapid pace once he became a race-day regular, leaning on the tie as a cost-effective way to update his look without needing a new suit.
“I was going racing all the time and I don’t have 20 suits in my wardrobe – but I can have 20 ties,” Foster says.
“And with a different shirt, tie, pocket square, hat – whatever it is – you can wear the same suit as many ways as you want.”
Foster became such an aficionado that in 2022 he launched his own label, Franc James, specialising in 100 per cent silk ties, hand-stitched and printed in England.
“I once calculated the value of all of them, and that’s probably when I decided: let’s stop buying them and let’s start making them.”
Asked what advice they’d give men keen to make their mark this Derby Day, Quaynor and Foster echo similar sentiments: get a suit that fits properly, and stay sharp.
“If you want to get with the times, go for a baggier pant and stay away from anything tight,” advises Quaynor, who says he’s taken to trawling Pinterest when he needs a spark of style genius.
Foster offers dually sage wisdom: “The most frequent mistake happens after you’ve had a few drinks and your tie starts to loosen,” he says.
“It looks a bit scruffy. Readjust it, make sure it’s fastened tight to the collar of your shirt, give a little pinch to make a dimple and you’re good to go.”
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