56 SIDELINES SEPTEMBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Alessandra Shultz
You may know him as David Marcus, the Ontario-based
member of the Canadian Dressage team who competed in the
London Olympics, but we also know him for another reason: he’s
the best-dressed guy on the circuit. Besides snatching up wins at
prestigious grand prix across North America on his remarkable
equine teammate, Chrevi’s Capital, David also has a knack for
clinching style awards including the Champion Equine Insurance
Dressage Style Award and the PanaCavallo Style Award in
Wellington, Florida.
I caught up with David to get some insight and relay his astute
fashion-forward creed for dressing for the barn. Although never
straying from a professional appearance, David has a propensity
for mixing and matching menswear basics in untraditional color-
ways and patterns for a fresh take on the tried-and-true ensemble
of tailored chinos, dress shirt, tie and a blazer. In particular,
I love his pairing of a madras tie and gingham button down in
complimenting palettes for a FEI jog with Chevri’s Capital.
I asked David if he has a method to his stellar attire for the barn
and he said, “I’m actually a fairly conservative dresser. My daily
outfit for the barn would be a pair of breeches paired with a fitted
Best-Dressed Guy In The Ring
David shows off his fashion sense during the jog.
Photo by SusanJStickle.com
e
Fashion Scene
David’s casual attire.
Photo by A. Woodley
polo shirt. Sometimes I wear a light sweater as well.” But like every
“look-to fashion authority” he has that signature accessory that he
can’t get enough of. Anna Wintour (the iconic editor of
Vogue
) has
oversized black sunglasses, and David has his boots. He adds,
“I have a bit of an affinity for different colored riding boots. I have
a patent pair I show in, a black pair, a brown pair, a red pair and
grey polo boots. I generally wear a belt that matches my riding
boots.” With the exception of the grey polo boots by Der-Dau, all
of David’s boots are by Koenig.
For the show ring, David opts for Pikeur or Cavallo breeches, an
elegant custom navy pinstripe tailcoat by Alessandro Albanese,
which he wears over a dress shirt and tie. For competition, he
prefers the traditional look of a top hat, but he schools in a navy
helmet that matches his tailcoat. When he isn’t riding, he said,
“Out of the saddle I’m normally in Diesel jeans, a custom fit polo
shirt, and a pair of Sperry deck shoes.”
To summarize, in the realm of elite well-dressed horse loving
individuals, in a sport that inspires runway design houses like
Ralph Lauren and Hermes, David Marcus is the best dressed guy
in the ring. And that’s no small feat.
About the writer: Alessandra Shultz grew up in the mountains of Colorado, but
now lives in upstate New York where she is studying Apparel Design Management at
Cornell University. Alessandra covers the fashion scene for Sidelines. She currently
has two mares that she trail rides and shows in the jumpers.
