2013-01-24 13:35
Nylon and his fellow judges will be on the lookout for originality and a feminine 1950s flair at the Melbourne Cup's other hotly contested event - Fashions on the Field. bridal gowns sheath
Vogue Australia editor-in-chief Kirstie Clements loathes seeing sunburnt shoulders and tipsy women staggering with shoes in hand. She advises waiting until at least 1pm to start drinking, "so you're still in a nice condition when you leave".
"You see girls in strapless dresses, all sunburnt and drunk and carrying their shoes, and it's truly awful," she said.
Clements is also bothered when "people get too tizzy".
"All the fascinators and feathers and cocktail frocks and disco dresses get over the top and glitzy," she said.
"I would like to see things a lot more sleek and pared-back and simple.
"And for men, all that hair gel and sports sunglasses with suits is a pet hate of mine."
Perth couture designer Aurelio Costarella, another judge, regards too-short skirts as the most common fashion faux pas on the field 
.
"I'm looking for someone who is really well turned-out, in a 50s-inspired ensemble of beautifully tailored pieces and a great hat," he said yesterday.
"Quality is what I'm looking for, rather than quantity."
The official Fashions on the Field ambassador, Rachel Holland, predicts a return to "ladylike" designs, with feminine 50s glamour, lace detailing, soft pinks and dusky blues.
"It's always good not to dress like you're going to a nightclub," she said.
"If it's too short, too tight or too evening, it's not appropriate.
"And carrying your shoes is a very bad look; it's on par with lying on the ground."
Read the full story at The Australian.
Donna R of QLD Posted at 9:30 AM October 24, 2010
About time someone said it. It doesn't take a lot of money to dress appropriately for the races, but no amount of money can buy class. Young women are treating race days like a nightclub - for heaven's sake, girls, lay off the shorter-than-short hemlines, excessive cleavage and SEQUINS! One simple rule for the clueless - treat a race day as you would christening favors a wedding: keep it classy. A friend of mine recently won the fashion comp at a local race day with a $49 Target dress - she had her shoulders and knees covered, a cute hat from an op shop and her favourite pair of heels. Didn't cost a fortune and she looked like a lady, not a hooker!
The public drunkenness from both sexes is also distasteful, if you want to 'go on a bender' in order to 'enjoy yourself', please stay at home so you don't make a fool of yourself and ruin the day for others. Australians seem to have a major problem with sticking to 'a couple' of drinks and see formal occasions (including weddings, sadly) as some kind of invitation to get paralytic drunk and make idiots of themselves. Absolutely tragic!
