The Bohermore native admits she was ‘absolutely flabbergasted’ when her name was announced at the judging podium.<\/p>\n
‘It’s a very overwhelming experience and, to be honest, I didn’t think I stood a chance,’ she says. ‘I had uploaded my photo through the QR code system, but when I got into the room, I nearly backed out it was so packed.’<\/p>\n
But Megan is no stranger to the winner’s circle, having scooped Best Dressed at the Galway Races last July, taking home a \u20ac10,000 prize for a striking monochrome look. Two weeks previously, she won Best Dressed at Dundalk Stadium, building a reputation on the racing circuit for her polished, distinctive style.<\/p>\n
What made her Cheltenham win even more impressive, however, was her bold outfit choice. Known for elegant midi dresses, Megan surprised everyone, including herself, by opting for a heritage- inspired three-piece trouser suit.<\/p>\n
![\"Megan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/107558231-15695273-Megan_loves_to_pair_midi_dresses_with_eye_catching_hats-a-1_1775162553878.jpg\")
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Megan loves to pair midi dresses with eye-catching hats<\/p>\n
‘A lot of people expected me to be in a dress so I really shocked everyone. Years ago, ladies weren’t allowed go to the races, and the men would go in three-piece suits and they’d bet all day. I tried to bring that back into it, like it was a man’s game first,’ says Megan with a glint in her eye.<\/p>\n
The irony of her look is not lost on her. This is the first year since 2019 that the Ladies Day event has gone ahead at Cheltenham – for six years the event had been renamed the more gender-neutral Style Wednesday. But glamour and glory are back for 2026 as evidenced by all the high-fashion looks and, of course, Megan’s brown tweed ensemble, paired with a crisp white shirt and trilby hat, with its distinctly vintage feel.<\/p>\n
‘It was inspired by that oldschool era, when racing was seen as a man’s world,’ she explains. ‘There was a real Peaky Blinders feel to it.’<\/p>\n
While she had no idea at the time if it would win over the judging panel, she had already impressed her toughest critic of all – her five-year-old daughter, Ella.<\/p>\n
‘She’s my harshest judge,’ Megan says. ‘She loves outfits and heels. She actually said, “Mum, I don’t like suits but I think you’ll win in that”. And she was right.’<\/p>\n
Megan reveals that her husband, hospital porter Ian, also supports her passion for fashion, even if it means he’s not quite getting equality when it comes to wardrobe space. ‘We’ve a double room in the house converted into a walk-in wardrobe for me,’ she says, laughing. ‘He has a chest of drawers and for him that’s more than enough.’<\/p>\n
Ian has a talent for art and helpfully sketches Megan’s outfit concepts before she brings them to life.<\/p>\n
‘My husband draws up my designs then I worked with a local dressmaker but because I’m getting so many outfits made, the budgets were becoming unwieldly,’ she says. ‘I was looking at \u20ac700 per outfit, and I’d want ten outfits.<\/p>\n
‘So I recently started working with a manufacturer in the Middle East,’ she explains, adding that she also has something else in the pipeline which she can’t really speak about yet but it may make fans of her style very happy.<\/p>\n
‘There’s a lot of research that goes into each look,’ she says. ‘My inspirations range from Dior archives to silver screen icons like Grace Kelly, as well as modern-day royals such as Princess Kate.<\/p>\n
![\"Megan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/107558229-15695273-Megan_won_Best_Dressed_at_Dundalk_Ladies_Day_2025-a-3_1775162554266.jpg\")
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Megan won Best Dressed at Dundalk Ladies Day 2025<\/p>\n
‘I plan my outfits months in advance – I already have this year’s looks sorted,’ she reveals.<\/p>\n
Megan’s got a busy schedule ahead because not only has she got the Irish racing calendar to think about, her Cheltenham win included luxury jewellery, fashion vouchers and exclusive racing invites to the British Grand National and the Derby too.<\/p>\n
What makes Megan’s success all the more sweet is the confidence the stunning mum-of-one now feels, thanks in part to her 26,000 followers on Instagram. She reveals she was trolled online for her stylish ensembles when she started content creating a couple of years ago, so much that she considered quitting altogether.<\/p>\n
‘Oh yes I had some people calling me a granny or boring, and a plain Jane,’ says Megan. ‘But I stayed true to my own style. I believed my own gut.<\/p>\n
‘I know what is timelessly stylish and I refuse to bow to trends.<\/p>\n
![\"Megan's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/107558173-15695273-image-a-58_1774972151149.jpg\")
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Megan’s three-piece suit won over the judges at Cheltenham this year<\/p>\n
‘I have some old friends, you know, the ones you grow out of, the ones who used to mock my videos, and now they are calling me a style icon,’ she shrugs. With her eye for detail, dedication to originality and unwavering sense of style, it’s clear this Galway fashionista is going to continue to make her mark in the style stakes.<\/p>\n
Follow @megancunniss on Instagram\u00a0<\/p>\n
MEGAN’S TIPS ON CATCHING THE JUDGES EYE\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
GET THERE EARLY\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘YOU need to be there when the gates open,’ she says. ‘You want to get photos and meet the photographers when you’re fresh.’<\/p>\n
Arriving ahead of the crowds also increases your chances of being spotted by judges. ‘There are fewer people around and the judges are walking the grounds, so they actually see you,’ she explains.<\/p>\n
GET A HAT TO GET AHEAD\u00a0<\/p>\n
WHEN it comes to race day dressing, headwear is non-negotiable.<\/p>\n
‘You won’t be taken seriously without a hat – and you definitely won’t win without one,’ Megan says.<\/p>\n
But choosing the right milliner is key. ‘Irish milliners are incredible, but you need someone who understands your vision,’ she explains. ‘People create what they want, not what you want.’<\/p>\n
Megan has been working with Liz O’Sullivan from Marc Millinery in Galway, who also designed her eye-catching trilby for Cheltenham.<\/p>\n
‘She’s incredible and she’s designed all my hats for the rest of the year,’ she says. ‘Remember, a great hat can elevate even the simplest outfit.’<\/p>\n
GO CUSTOM IF YOU CAN<\/p>\n
IF YOU’RE serious about winning, Megan insists that off-the-rack won’t cut it.<\/p>\n
‘For race days, I never shop on the high street,’ she says. ‘You risk someone else turning up in the same outfit. I never go for trend-led pieces either. I think, what is ladylike dressing? And it’s big hats, long gowns – less is more.’<\/p>\n
SAVE ON ACCESSORIES\u00a0<\/p>\n
WHILE Megan invests heavily in her outfits and headpieces, she’s far more frugal when it comes to finishing touches.<\/p>\n
‘I’d never splurge on bags,’ she says. ‘Some people go all out on designer accessories, but you don’t need to. You could rent a designer bag for the day either, but it’s really not the most important feature.’<\/p>\n
In fact, some of her winning details cost next to nothing.<\/p>\n
‘The gloves I wore when I won Ladies Day at Galway were from Amazon, they were about \u20ac3,’ she reveals.<\/p>\n
HAIR UP – ALWAYS\u00a0<\/p>\n
IRISH and English race days come with one guarantee – unpredictable weather – so you need to be somewhat prepared.<\/p>\n
‘The wind is brutal, particularly at Cheltenham,’ Megan says. ‘Never wear your hair down, it’ll be everywhere and your hat won’t stay on.’<\/p>\n
An upstyle is essential, both for practicality and polish.<\/p>\n
‘It just looks more puttogether,’ she adds. ‘Otherwise you could end up looking like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.’<\/p>\n
KEEP MAKE-UP RACE-PROOF<\/p>\n
BETWEEN wind, rain and long days outdoors, make-up needs to go the distance, so leave out the eyeliner and the instant tan.<\/p>\n
‘You’ll get watery eyes, and it’s tough when you’re trying to look good and not blink for photographs,’ Megan advises. ‘So skip anything that might run. If you want a bronze look, pop on some fake tan but you don’t want it rubbing off on your clothes.’<\/p>\n
A SECRET TIP FOR HIGH HEELS<\/p>\n
MEGAN’S most unexpected tip? Deep Freeze muscle spray.<\/p>\n
‘I spray it all over my feet before I leave,’ she says. ‘It works wonders if you’re wearing high heels – the effect mean you can last about four to five hours in them before the discomfort kicks in.’<\/p>\n
Although, Megan laughs, she’ll suffer for her art.<\/p>\n
‘I always tell my husband if I die before him, I want to be buried in them,’ she grins. ‘I refuse to give in and take them off.’<\/p>\n
DON’T FLASH TOO MUCH FLESH<\/p>\n
WHILE modern race day fashion is more relaxed than in the past, Megan believes elegance still wins out.<\/p>\n
‘I personally wouldn’t go too low-cut,’ she says. ‘You don’t often see those looks in the final line-up.’<\/p>\n
Instead, she favours classic silhouettes. ‘Longer hemlines tend to do better. I usually go midi, over the knee.’<\/p>\n
PERSONALITY MATTERS TOO<\/p>\n
WHILE looking the part is essential on Ladies Day, it’s only half the battle.<\/p>\n
‘The judges talk to you and want to get to know you, especially if you get down to the final 10,’ she says. ‘They want to see your personality too.<\/p>\n
‘A previous judge admitted she thought I might have been a little stuck up, and then realised my personality is not like that at all,’ she says, laughing. ‘Of course, if you love clothes, that passion is going to come through on the day.’<\/p>\n
![\"Megan's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/107558209-15695273-Megan_s_monochrome_ensemble_won_at_Galway_Races_Ladies_Day_2025-a-2_1775162554257.jpeg\")
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Megan’s monochrome ensemble won at Galway Races Ladies Day 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MEGAN Cunniss from Galway knows exactly how to stand out from the crowd – and it’s not just…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":380033,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[539,93,61,60,149742,43],"class_list":["post-380032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-dailymail","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-m-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=380032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380032\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/380033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=380032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=380032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}