Winter Racing Carnival

 

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Dress: Anthea Crawford velour

Wrap: Vintage, Collectorville Rocklea woven jacquard, fur

Heels: Kitten D'Amour vegan leather

Clutch: Asos velvet

Bangle: Musee de l'Orangerie Gift Shop paper, resin

Headpiece: Hummingbird the Shop velvet, embellishment

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While it's true, I do continue to struggle with the moral implications of horse racing, I'll be honest & admit that the one thing I do love about the sport is the race day fashion & as a stylist, dressing lots of lovely ladies for these particular events could often be considered to be my "bread & butter." Due to recent Covid 19 outbreaks, restrictions & lockdowns, this year's Winter Racing Carnival came & went without much fanfare, although I did manage to attend a luncheon showcasing a host of fashionable options for the discerning racegoer, trends which will certainly translate to the upcoming Spring Racing Carnival & the feted Melbourne Cup, the "race that stops a nation." 

For the occasion, I wore some of my winter best - a sumptuous deep burgundy velour wiggle dress with boning in the bodice, cold-shoulder detailing & sweet bow shoulders from celebrated Australian designer Anthea Crawford, a divine paisley printed woven jacquard wrap in shades of burgundy, gold & pale blue with fur bobbles that I picked up from a lovely vintage linen seller at Collectorville Rocklea, a pair of 1930s inspired black vegan leather heels with dual buckles from Kitten D'Amour & a pale blue velvet roll-top clutch from online emporium Asos to carry all the essentials including hand santizer & a mask. Word to the wise about clutches, especially during this pandemic: sew a loop of fabric inside the clutch so that when you go into public toilets/restrooms, you can hook it on the door as you would a normal handbag, meaning you don't have to place it down on any surfaces & pick up unintended germs. I find grosgrain ribbon to be the best when it comes to this - it's flat & strong. When it came to jewellery, I chose a funky resin bangle with a picture of Modigliani's "Reclining Nude" (1917) that I purchased in the gift shop of the Musee de l'Orangerie in Paris nearly a decade ago & that is one of my most prized pieces. Finally, I donned my first headpiece of the year - a stunning velvet headband embellished with blue, gold & silver 3D flowers, beads & pearls from Hummingbird the Shop at Paddington, chosen to pick up on the blue hues in the wrap & match the wintry nature of the velvet clutch. Ah, cohesion... the key to a successful racewear ensemble...

Scroll down to see more of this stunning look - this time without the wrap...