The race is on to find your glammest outfits to say goodbye to summer because Ladies’ Day returns to Kempton Park Racecourse on Saturday, September 5.

Fashion will take centre stage at this day at the races with prizes for the best-dressed lady, gentleman and best hat.

TV presenter Laura Hamilton, who was born in Meopham and lives in Purley, is one of the judges.

Speaking from Spain, where she’s filming more episodes of A Place in the Sun, Laura told us: “I’m really excited.

“I’ve never been asked to judge Ladies Day before and I must admit I’m feeling a little bit of pressure on my outfit. I can’t be judging Ladies Day and not have a pretty cool outfit myself.”

We quizzed former Dartford Grammar School for Girls student Laura, 33, on her tips for competition.

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Get ahead with a hat

Mum-of-two Laura has nearly sorted her own outfit, but is now searching for the right accessories, chiefly a hat.

She said: “When you’re looking for something you don’t ordinarily wear, it’s quite exciting. The only time other than ladies day you get to wear a hat is a wedding and I’ve only been to one of those this year.

“I love quirky hats. I like to think the simple things are the most classy but, saying that, I think it’s cool when you see some quirky hats as well. I once went to a wedding and borrowed a hat of my mother-in-law’s.

“I say it was a hat, it was more of a head piece. It was a massive statement. It was bright red headband with huge feathers and red netting. I absolutely loved it but the thing is you can only wear it once.”

Be bright

“Because I do a lot of A Place in the Sun, bright colours stand out for me,” said Laura.

“I’m probably looking for something that’s not garishly colourful but I’m quite into my bright colours.”

Accessorise

Laura told us: “Put good accessories with the dress as well, think about the jewellery.”

“I have learnt as I have been styled by people along the way that putting an outfit together isn’t just about the dress.

“It’s the bits and pieces that go together with it.

“It might not be the norm. I’ve learnt that sometimes colour clash works – for example, if you put bright pink shoes with a burgundy dress.

“It can sometimes work. You can’t do that with all the accessories – it has to be one statement thing.”

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Be bold

“When you walk around in an outfit, your persona, the way you carry it off can actually highlight whether you are well dressed or not,” said Laura. “It can help make an outfit stand out.”

No-one wants a dress twin

“It’s hard to say this because a lot of people will get dresses from the High Street – which is what I do – but one of the biggest things when you go to a wedding or an event like Ladies Day is having the same outfit as someone else.”

Be unique

With that in mind, Laura had some suggestions for people looking for something a bit different.

She said: “If you want to be in with a good chance of winning, it’s finding a dress that comes from somewhere no-else goes or maybe even customising a dress from the High Street to make it different so it does stand out.

“That’s always something that’s good thing to do.”

Ladies’ Day at Kempton Park Racecourse on Saturday, September 5, features a full afternoon of racing followed by a party in the parade ring hosted by Heart FM DJ Toby Anstis. Tickets cost £12 in advance or £16 on the day. Go to Kempton.co.uk