Melbourne Cup Snapshot 2011

Well, another Melbourne Cup done and dusted and what a lovely time was had by all ! 'The race that stops a nation™' , but what does that mean? I guess the Melbourne Cup has different significances for each person. What cannot be argued with though, is that it is the people's race, and no matter what you take from it, there is something for everyone.  "The Cup is not just a story about horse racing, it's about triumph over adversity and that inner courage inside all of us."(melbournecup.com)

That might sound excessive and corny, and it might be easy to be a bit cynical however, lets look at the facts:

Melbourne Cup injects life back into many industries like the food and beverage channels and those  related  to it . From the caterers, food supply chains, restaurants to the staff that serve us. Then there is all the support industries, like security, the media, and others and of course the enormous fashion industry.

Which brings me to the important stuff, Fashions on the Field !

Myer Fashions on the Field holds the pinnacle of all that is fashion around Australia on this particular day. This years overall winner was Angela Menz, 27, of Canberra, she also took out the home runner-up Millinery category - well done Angela. Menz used the hot colour blocking of this season, with an outfit designed by herself, in magenta and chartreuse. With orange accessories on neck, wrist and feet and of course the amazing fascinator/hat. The gorgeous orange sandals are a Mui Mui creation (shown in the group pic below).

  

The winner of the Kerrie Stanley Millinery Award was Stephanie Martin, also 27 years young. She is a local girl from Brisbane, seen here wearing a military style dress. The hat is a white straw Seeberger cloche.

 

 "Shoes Glorious Shoes"

So how did we here on the Redcliffe Peninsula compare in the Fashion stakes? Pretty darn well I think. Based on the "experts" opinion of what was hot on the day, there was a steering away from a straight fascinator. Half fascinator, half hats were the top billing. One of our very own, Regan (of the Herald) pulled this off exceptionlly well. She also won hat of the day at the Redcliffe Paceway luncheon in this amazing piece. Showing off one of the hot colours of the season as well, go Regan !

Local artist Beth Thomas (right of screen) won outfit of the day, and what a co-incidence, Beth not only created her own hat, she also designed and made the dress ! Clever girl she is, I can't help but draw similarities with the Myer winner, who also designed and made her outfit. Beths outfit also has similar colours of a darker shade a chartreuse and orange in the fabric, hmmm I think Menz was spying on our Beth !!

Vintage was also a look of the day, with the Milliners award going to a cloche hat and these fillies at Flemington in a selection of outfits (below). We had that covered as well, one of our ladies (left of screen) showing the others how its done.

In closing, we would just like to say that we think all the ladies on the Peninsula are amazing ! And that no matter what venue you choose to celebrate Melbourne Cup in, be it in Scarborough, Redcliffe, Suttons Beach, Woody Point, Margate or anywhere in between, we always have a remarkable time wherever we go and we cant wait until next year! Oh and well done to those horsies that ran really hard and fast - you are awesome as well, I didn't forget about you, just got distracted.

P.S. Below are a few more pics from Flemington and here on the Peninsula, I have also included a history of Melbourne Cup and Fashions on the Field which was sourced from melbournecup.com website.

  

 History of Melbourne Cup (melbournecup.com)

The Melbourne Cup is truly "the race that stops a nation".
Since it's inception, great stories have emerged from this famous horse race, run each year on the first Tuesday in November, but none had a more extraordinary effect on the entire nation than the running of the 2002 Melbourne Cup.

Through tears and triumphs, has cemented its position as a revered sporting, social and cultural event, that continues to play a significant role in defining Australia's national identity.

Today, the Melbourne Cup is the richest handicap race held in Australia, and the prize money and trophies make it among the richest horseraces in the world.

While the Cup was first run on a Thursday, in 1875 it changed to a Tuesday and has normally been run on the first Tuesday in November each year. In three of the five years during World War II (1942, 1943 and 1944) it was held on a Saturday.

At the time of the first Cup, Victoria was experiencing the gold rush and many people had flocked to Melbourne, Bendigo and Ballarat in the hope of finding gold. A few gold-diggers were fortunate and became wealthy, and they enjoyed splurging at Flemington.

By 1880, 100,000 people would make the journey to Flemington to attend the Cup. As Melbourne’s population was only 290,000 at the time, this attendance was quite phenomenal, and many visitors came from the country and other Australian colonies, too. These were flourishing times as Melbourne continued to grow during and after the gold rush period.

"There was barely standing room on the lawn and many ladies were unable to find a seat for the whole day. The Paddock was overcrowded to excess and the Hill was simply a mass of human beings. It has reached a stage now that almost everyone in Melbourne goes to the Spring racing." - Australasian Newspaper (1871)

FASHIONS ON THE FIELD

Where did it all begin?

The VRC's Fashions on the Field was instigated in 1962, following initiatives implemented by a VRC sub-committee set up in 1960 to promote the Centenary Cup. The contest formed part of the 'Fashions, Flowers and Favourites' celebration and was an attempt to 'woo more women to the races'.

The competition was launched with the object of 'finding the smartest dressed women at the Carnival within economic restraints' and would-be entrants were enticed with a generous prize pool of goods and cash to the value of almost £7,000. There were initially two categories for ladies' outfits - one for those that had cost no more than £30, and one for those worth more than £50. First Prize was a return sea trip for two to the UK, valued at £1,400.

Fashions on the Field captured the imagination of the public. It was covered extensively in the press of the day and grew rapidly in popularity. Little did the VRC organising committee realise that its new marketing initiative would change the nature of racing forever.

1960

In 1965, a new form of controversy came to set all critics’ tongues wagging. Often referred to as the Melbourne Cup Carnival's most famous fashion spectacle - English model Jean Shrimpton, attended the Cup wearing a one-piece shift four inches above the knee, with no hat, gloves or stockings. Despite causing outrage among fashion traditionalists, Shrimpton instantly turned the world fashion spotlight on Flemington. And, when it comes to Spring Racing, it has remained there ever since!

1970

Just as Fashions on the Field was finding its niche, the poor economic climate of the early 70's saw the competition almost fold. As an event so dependent on sponsorship, the final Fashions on the Field contest, as it was known in the 60's, was held in 1971.

1980

1981 saw the re-instatement of the fully fledged 'Fashions on the Field' competition and the 80's proved to be an era of immense prosperity for this event - sponsorship increased, the prize pool expanded, media coverage grew, the calibre of judges & celebrities augmented and contestants flocked to Flemington for the fashions!

The 80's saw the competition open to people in both the public and members' areas and would-be contestants were advised that they could be required to produce invoices and sign statutory declarations verifying the cost of their outfits. The competition was sponsored by Schweppes and Fletcher Jones in the early 80's with a prize pool of more than $20,000 in four categories: outfits costing less than $250; outfits costing between $250 and $500; outfits over $500 and the best-dressed couple.

Two years later, MYER became the major sponsor of the event, an occurrence that was to herald the start of a long association.Since then, the competition has featured two or three categories variously known as 'The Open', 'Invitation Only', 'The Fashion Outfit', 'The Complete Hat', 'Young Contemporary Fashion', 'Designer Fashion', 'Classic Racewear', 'Crown Hats', 'Crown Carnivale' and 'Classic Hats'.

1990

From its initial beginnings as a promotional activity to attract more women to the races at Flemington, by the 90's Fashions on the Field had carved a niche for itself in the ritual and pageantry of Australian racing.

The 90's saw the competition was simplified in the late 90's to two sections - Classic Racewear and Classic Hats and a sponsor hand-over in 1993 from MYER to Crown. Crown held the naming rights until 1997 (in association with David Lawrence in 1998) and for the first time the prize pool exceeded $100,000. By the late 90's prizes included a trip for two to Hong Kong, Paris and Tahiti with a $10,000 fashion wardrobe and $5000 in spending money.

Recent fashions

Fashions on the Field at Flemington continues to grow in prestige and stature as it enters the 21st century. The simplified categories of 'Classic Racewear' and the 'Milliners Award' of the 90's remain steadfast, while the successful introduction of a men's competition in 2001, highlighted a new facet to the competition. Contestants and crowd numbers continue to claim records each year and the judging positions are one of the hottest tickets of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

The 21st century not only saw local and international celebrities as a regular item in the Fashions on the Field enclosure, the event now attracts the attention of the fashion and social media across the globe. As a result of the competition’s popularity, in 2005 the VRC decided to add a new and exciting element to "Fashions on the Field at Flemington" as it is now known. In a 'Fashions on the Field' first, the VRC introduced a National Competition bringing the excitement of the Melbourne Cup Carnival to the rest of Australia. Women from New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia were invited to show off their Women's Classic Racewear finest at mini competitions in the state's capitals. The National Competition culminated with the four state winners taking on the Victorian winner in the National Final on Oaks Day.