EVERY SPRING, Churchill Downs calls the world to Louisville. But on Saturday, May 2nd, Boston answers with its own signature version of the Run for the Roses — and it’s happening right here in the Seaport.

Boston’s Fashion Derby returns to The Sporting Club at the Omni Boston Hotel Seaport for SC’s 5th Annual Kentucky Derby Party, running from 2 to 7 PM. What started as a Derby watch party has evolved into something far more ambitious — a full-scale fashion and lifestyle event that has quietly become one of the most anticipated afternoons on the New England social calendar.

Hosted by BostonMan Magazine and Wave + Woven, the Fashion Derby is New England’s signature Derby experience, embracing Kentucky Derby culture in full — from the tradition and history of the race to the rituals that have defined the day for generations. Think Woodford Reserve bourbon cocktails, Moët Chandon, Leyenda 1925 Tequila, and culinary creations from The Sporting Club kitchen. Add live music from The Elephant in the Room Band, immersive photo activations, a Woodford Reserve ice sculpture, live wagering on the full Churchill Downs racing card, and interviews with LFG Media and LFG Boston — and you have something that goes well beyond a bar with a television.

The fashion, however, is the real centerpiece.

The Fashion Derby Show spotlights three curated collections handpicked by Wave + Woven celebrity stylist Amanda Vargus, showcasing 2026’s most inspired Derby trends. Each designer collection is walked on the Sporting Club’s Runway for the Roses every 90 minutes — and topped off with a custom fascinator designed by Ellie Jian of Ellie Jian Millinery. This year’s featured designers — Gretta Monahan, Sara Campbell, and lalla bee by Melina Cortes — bring three distinct visions of what it means to dress for a day this important. Together, they represent the full spectrum of what Boston’s fashion scene has quietly been building for decades.

GRETTA MONAHAN

Raised in Boston, Gretta Monahan attended New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology before opening her first salon at the age of 24. Within a decade, the sales of her multifaceted beauty and fashion empire topped $10 million. That trajectory was no accident. A graduate of Harvard Business School’s three-year Owners and Presidents Management Program, Monahan was later selected as a case study subject for the school at only 34 years old.

Her boutique Gretta Luxe has been setting the pace of Boston style since 2001, curating runway styles for real life. Her award-winning collection of sleek boutiques and spa emporiums stretches from Boston to Connecticut, while frequent television appearances on The Rachael Ray Show and Good Morning America bring her down-to-earth approach to a national audience. She has also co-hosted Bravo’s Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style and authored the book Style and the Successful Girl.

“The Kentucky Derby is the one day a year when the whole country decides fashion matters,” Gretta said. “That’s always been my argument. Derby just makes it official for everyone else.”

At the Fashion Derby, Monahan is in her element — an event built around the intersection of dressing well and celebrating life.

SARA CAMPBELL

Sara Campbell has been designing clothes since she was six years old, when her sister taught her how to sew and she began making dresses for dolls. That instinct never left her. Originally from California, Campbell came to Boston for graduate school at Lesley University in Cambridge, where she pursued a degree in Art Education. She later received a Master of Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Boston kept her, and she built something lasting here.

She launched her namesake fashion company in 1985, beginning by manufacturing and selling her designs to private labels. By 2008, Campbell opened her first pop-up boutique in Wellesley, which led to permanent locations. Today, there are a total of 22 Sara Campbell boutiques found along the East Coast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest.

What distinguishes Campbell in a crowded market is her commitment to doing things right. For nearly four decades, as the designer, founder, and CEO of Sara Campbell Ltd., she has developed timeless women’s apparel that appeals to all ages and features bright, bold color. Her entire collection is manufactured in the United States. Her boutiques are known for their charitable giveback events. Every design comes to life in her Boston headquarters and sample shop, where each piece is thoughtfully constructed and fitted.

“We’ve always believed the most elegant thing a woman can wear is something she’ll still love in ten years,” Sara said. “The Derby gives us the perfect canvas for that — color, structure, joy. That’s the Sara Campbell way.”

For the Fashion Derby, that philosophy translates beautifully — occasion dressing that looks like it belongs, without trying too hard.

LALLA BEE BY MELINA CORTES

Melina Cortes-Nmili’s path to founding Lalla Bee is a vivid tapestry of ambition, resilience, and visionary purpose. Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, Melina’s beginnings were humble, her dreams anything but. From a young age, she harbored a deep-seated desire to make a mark on the world, initially imagining a future where she would empower women through entrepreneurship.

This dream followed her as she navigated her way to the United States, carrying not just her aspirations but also an unwavering determination to succeed. Her path to fashion was anything but conventional. While others were pursuing degrees in fashion or fine arts, she pursued her MBA. She understood from the beginning that building a fashion house required a business foundation as strong as the creative one.

For two and a half years, she dedicated endless hours to learning the fashion ropes — meeting with experts, researching the industry, and sourcing fabric samples from across the globe. Finally, after more than 30 months of overcoming obstacles, Melina launched Lalla Bee and unveiled its first capsule collection in 2016.

Boston Magazine named her the city’s Best Clothing Designer in 2023 and 2025. Her work has been featured in international runways as well as New York Fashion Week, Boston Fashion Week, and StyleWeek. lalla bee is a modern fashion house rooted in individuality, intention, and timeless design — creating luxury clothing that feels personal, confident, and enduring, never driven by trends.

“I design for the woman who doesn’t ask for the room—she defines it the moment she enters. At the Derby, she’s not just attending—she’s setting the tone, effortless and unforgettable,” Melina added. “She isn’t led by trends; she moves with intention, with presence. That has always been the spirit of lalla bee.”

For the Fashion Derby, Melina brings exactly what the event demands: bold color, structural confidence, and the kind of craftsmanship that makes a room stop.

THE RUNWAY FOR THE ROSES

Three designers. Three collections. One afternoon in the Seaport that captures something Boston’s fashion community has been building toward for years — a real scene, rooted in real talent, with a stage worthy of both.

The Kentucky Derby has always been as much about fashion as it is about horses. Hats, fascinators, silk, linen, color combinations that would never work anywhere else but somehow do at Churchill Downs. Boston’s Fashion Derby understands that assignment and raises it — pairing the pageantry of the race with designers who have spent careers earning the right to dress the city.

This year’s Runway for the Roses features three collections built for the moment. Gretta Monahan’s sharp, curated eye. Sara Campbell’s timeless American craftsmanship. Melina Cortes-Nmili’s vibrant, confident couture. Each one walks every 90 minutes, each topped by an Ellie Jian custom fascinator that completes the look.

Tickets are available now. Bring your best hat. The race goes to the bold.

Boston’s Fashion Derby takes place Saturday, May 2, 2026, at The Sporting Club, Omni Boston Hotel Seaport, 2–7 PM. Hosted by BostonMan Magazine and Wave + Woven.