Mighty Oaks

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Dress: Anthea Crawford silk chiffon

Heels: Betts for Her iridescent patent

Clutch: Mombasa Rose iridescent patent

Belt: Blue Illusion silver & stretch

Bracelet with Charms: Pandora silver & onyx

Ring: Pandora silver & onyx

Headpiece: Target satin, ribbon & mesh

Butterflies: Interflora paper & wire

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Following on from the "Race That Stops A Nation" was the more subdued Crown Oaks Day, traditionally known as Ladies' Day, where muted colours, girly prints, feminine touches & sweet yet sophisticated embellishments abound. Although I wasn't in Melbourne to witness the national Fashions on the Field final at Flemington, it didn't stop me from dressing "to the nines" to attend another elegant luncheon at an exclusive member's club in the River City.

Rather than the structured, guipure lace fabric that I wore on Melbourne Cup Day, the stunning Anthea Crawford dress that formed the base of my outfit was made from floaty silk chiffon fabric covered in butterflies & cut into a tapered shift with cowl neckline detail & sweet ruffle cascading from the left side of the waistline. 

When wearing a dress that is widely available in two of Australia's biggest department stores - in this case Myer & David Jones - it can be important to really "make it your own" & I accomplished this by gathering one side of the cowl & securing it with a large thin bow fashioned from the dress' fabric waist belt. This produced an asymmetrical detail on the OPPOSITE side of the body to the aforementioned waist ruffle, opening up the neckline to show off more of my decolletage. Where the fabric belt had been, I covered with a stretchy black belt from Blue Illusion, held together with a silver clasp that looked like stylised butterfly wings, cinching in my waist & creating further visual interest.

Instead of wearing my usual patent black accessories with such a ladylike look, I decided to go a bit "edgier" with a pair of sky-high iridescent patent platforms & a matching clutch in the shape of lolly wrapper for that touch of kitsch. Whimsy was also the name of the game when it came to jewellery - in this case a bangle with silver & onyx charms in the shape of hearts & presents from Pandora & the corresponding "heart" ring. 

Of course, it wouldn't be Spring Racing without the headpiece & this one was a true work of art, if I do say so myself: an oversized black ribbon & mesh "wing" designed headpiece from Target that I customised with a trio of gorgeous botanically accurate light blue paper butterflies from my local Interflora florist. Using wire clippers, I liberated the winged insects from the "stem" they were attached to & poked the ends through the tiny holes in the mesh at intervals, playing around until the formation looked natural & pleasing to the eye. Check out my little craft project in detail below:

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