Race That Stops A Nation

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Dress: Anthea Crawford guipure lace

Heels: Target Collection glitter platforms

Clutch: Taking Shape mesh & resin

Headpiece: Lovisa satin

Watch: Guess silver

Bangle: Gift, vintage Indian beaded

Cuff: Vintage, Art Nouveau silver

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It's billed as "The Race That Stops A Nation" & this year's Melbourne Cup didn't disappoint; the auspicious race won by a female jockey - Michelle Payne riding Prince of Penzance - for the first time in history! Unfortunately, it cannot go without stating that there were also tears on the track, with three-time-runner-up Red Cadeaux "breaking down" close to the winning post, requiring the dreaded "green screens" to be brought in, but thankfully, he appears to be recovering well after life-saving surgery...

But I digress.

This is a fashion blog, so you're probably here to discuss fashions on the field...

I'm not a Melbournian & didn't attend Flemington, but I did have the opportunity to revel in the spirit of the day with a banquet luncheon at an exclusive member's club in the River City. For such a chic occasion, I donned a floral 3D guipure lace dress from Anthea Crawford with scalloped v-neckline, empire-line detail to draw attention to the narrowest part of my waist, cap-sleeves & classic just-below-the-knee hemline. The vivid shade of blue was enhanced by the dress' black lining & I picked up on that when it came to the accessories, teetering in a pair of sky-high black glitter platforms (picked up during a sale at my local Target store for $4!) & edgy chrome "chain mail" mesh clutch with black resin clasp from Taking Shape.

When it came to jewellery, I went for pieces that were elegant yet unexpected: a chunky silver Guess watch from their "androgynous" range, a vintage silver Art Nouveau dragonfly cuff - given to me by a dear friend - to echo the botanical nature of the dress' lace & finally, a thick black Indian bangle from the 1970s - yet another gorgeous gift from another darling friend - covered with silver beads of differing shapes & sizes. Scroll down to check out each in detail:

Of course, it wouldn't be a Spring Racing Carnival look without the exaggerated headpiece & I decided to go with something sculptural: an oversized, black satin rose with malleable petals on a thin headband from Lovisa that blended in with my brunette bob. It worked perfectly with the modishness of the accessories & the starling shapes created by the stunning guipure lace, as evidenced below:

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