Regatta Chic - Oxford University Summer Eights

Anyone else over average height with fairly well-functioning limbs have a "hey, maybe I could still get an Olympic medal" moment whilst watching the rowers (some of whom hadn't been training since they were in nappies) last year? Mine was relatively short-lived, faltering substantially once I heard tell of pre-6am all-weather training sessions, and biting the dust once and for all when I discovered that even University-level sailors train use sandpaper to improve their grip - ouch! My cousin Martina (of How to Wear Shirts and Blouses and Afternoon Tea at the Savoy fame), however, decided that a Masters at Oxford wouldn't be complete without an appropriate number of gruelling hours spent propelling herself through a river in all temperatures, and set about transforming herself into a First VIII rower for her college within a matter of months.

Invited to witness the final races of the year this shockingly sunny Bank Holiday weekend, my Scarlett O'Hara-meets-Toad of Toad Hall ensemble was planned days in advance - well, where else are boater hats not only acceptable but virtually de rigueur (for both genders)? Clearly, this was the moment my £3 Primark number had been waiting for since 2011.

Dress, Hat, Belts and Cardigan: All Primark, Skirt (Worn as Petticoat): Coast, Wedges: New Look, Blazer c/o F&F at Tesco

L-R: Me, Dion (my "step"-cousin), Uncle Roger (caught attractively mid-gurn), Nana (caught mid-gleeful chortle re: the prospect of mum - our camerawoman - stepping off into the river behind her), Uncle Martin (Martina's dad)

Martina = 2, second from back - apparently known as the position of the "Raging One" in rowing parlance

Despite having lost both their boat and cox to a savage collision the previous day (it's a brutal sport, y'know!), the St Hilda's first team managed to avoid being "bumped" (overtaken, or literally hit, by any of the boats behind them), which, in the world of college rowing, is apparently cause for unbounded merriment, showering in champagne and (for a lucky few) bathing in the river, the last of which Martina thankfully managed to avoid. I'm pretty sure a well-timed exit in favour of Prosecco cocktails, pizzas and mini chocolate and espresso tortes (or a maxi chocolate sundae in her case - fair enough) with the rest of the Afternoon Tea Crew made for a more pleasant end to the day!

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