SHOPPING AT ZARA

As Cheltenham Festival begins today, the down-to-earth royal's favourite country outfitter kits out Express writer ALICIA LIBERTY for a day on the open-air catwalk at the world's favourite celebration of racing

- ALICIA LIBERTY

Alicia Liberty perfects Alicia's elevated countryside look in fairfax & Favor

THOUSANDS are due to pour through the gates of Cheltenham Festival, the spiritual home of jump racing, as it makes its glorious return tomorrow.

Horses will thunder down the turf and fortunes will rise and fall in seconds - but beyond the pop of champagne corks, seasoned racegoers know the real theatre unfolds beyond the track.

At Cheltenham, fashion is the thrilling heartbeat of the occasion.

When the first race begins and the famous “Cheltenham Roar” rolls across the grandstands, the spectacle is not confined to the turf. Beyond the rails, racegoers arrive wrapped in tailored coats, knee-high polished leather boots and carefully chosen accessories planned weeks in advance, transforming the course into one of Britain’s most stylish sporting stages.

No one understands the style brief better than royal equestrian and Olympic silvermedallist Zara Tindall. The daughter of fellow horsewoman Princess Anne, Zara, 44, always perfects the practical and sartorial requirements of the annual meeting with showstopping results.

And there’s one British brand she has sought out time and again for a winning look: Fairfax & Favor. The Norfolk-based label has quietly become one of the defining names in modern racecourse style, known for its craftsmanship, heritage roots and unmistakable equestrian influence.

Speaking last year, Zara said: “I have always liked how [Fairfax & Favor] manage to combine timeless elegance with craftsmanship and practicality in their products.

“Their versatile and stylish designs make it the perfect brand, whether that’s for the casual day to day or smarter look when I’m attending events.”

Among the sea of race-day fashion expected across the next four days, it’s the one label that will be impossible to miss.