Melbourne Cup & Racing Fashion â€" Dresses & Glamour to Die For!
It is the race that stops a nation - the horse race AND the race to be the best dressed fashionista on the field.
The Melbourne Cup has traditionally been an "urban fashion parade". It is an event where attendees arrive decked out in their most fashionable (and sometimes outrageously so) clothes. Top-of-the-range designer dresses and suits, exotic costumes, thousand-dollar hats and fascinators, diamond-encrusted stilettos... From celebrities to your next door neighbour, everyone is dressed to be noticed.
The first Melbourne Cup race was held in 1861. In its early days, the annual races were the very few places where upper-class society and the lower ranks met and socialised. The first Fashions on the Field competition was started more than forty years ago, as a publicity tool to attract more females to the racetracks. The races have now evolved to a full-fledged fashion fiesta, with international celebrities attending to judge the Fashions on the Field competitions.
The competitions are hotly contested every year â€" and it's no surprise why. This year's grand prize is a SAAB Convertible for a year, and two return trips to Dubai, flying Business Class with Emirates Airlines. The Melbourne Cup indeed involves much more than just a simple horse race.
To keep up with the culture of dressing to be seen, most racegoers have their clothing tailor-made. Australia boasts a range of tailors and seamstresses who specialise in racewear. The Melbourne Cup Day Design Award â€" which honours the most outstanding racewear design â€" is a highly competitive and exclusive affair. It is an invitation-only event, and judging criteria include originality of style, matching of accessories, and appropriateness of the outfit to the weather, individual, and trends.
d'Italia, a designer fabric store located in Malvern, Victoria, has been a key partner to many Melbourne Cup fashionistas. The store imports all its fabric from Italy and France, and has been providing Australian racegoers and award-winning seamstresses with high-quality, exclusive fabric for the creation of eye-catching Cup dresses.
The store offers an extensive range of designer fabric, from bright, bold prints to sleek, toned-down silk. A dressmaker referral service is also available for racegoers who have not found their own seamstress or tailor. Staff in the store regularly work the fashion circles in Australia, and consistently provide ideal recommendations for the best fit and originality.
