You get the Melbourne Cup — "the race that stops a nation."
On the day of the Melbourne Cup, it is tradition to gather with friends, get dressed to the nines, and watch the race at some posh luncheon. Many people take the day off from work, and some companies are only open in the morning, but then hire a bus to take their employees to a pub or a hotel (the Aussie word for "casino") for lunch, drinks and to watch the race. In the U.S. this kind of event would be scheduled for a weekend, but not in Australia! Aussies enjoy their holidays. And the more holidays they have, the happier they are.
The horse race itself dates back to 1861, and being fashionable at the race was always a priority. After the centennial celebration, however, the Victoria Racing Club decided that they needed a way to attract more women to the race. So in 1962, they created the Fashions on the Field competition, and gave away prizes every year to the best-dressed women and to the woman wearing the most elegant hat. The prizes were impressive (the first year's grand prize was a Ford Falcon), and the competition started a media frenzy over the fashions worn to the race.
Over time, more and more people began to put their most fashionable foot forward on Race Day, whether they were in Melbourne or not. Naturally, you can't just sit at home alone to watch the race if you're wearing your finest attire. So, restaurants and hotels began selling tickets (anywhere from $50 to $250 p/p in Brisbane) to Race Day luncheons, complete with champagne and opportunities to bet on the race.
For my first Melbourne Cup, I decided to start small. A friend and I bought tickets to a luncheon at our kids' school. The luncheon was to be catered by the school's very talented chef, the wait staff would be high school students, and there would be a fashion show from a local boutique, as well as Year 11 and Prep ("kindergarten") students modeling fascinators that they made themselves. There was also going to be betting on the race, a raffle and a silent auction, with all proceeds going to a charity.
If you aren't sure what a fascinator is... it's a hair ornament that can range in size from a single flower to a small hat. The most infamous of these was probably the one worn by Princess Beatrice to William and Kate's wedding...
Even though the school's luncheon was to have only 80 attendees, I was still quite stressed about what to wear. I've always enjoyed experimenting with fashion, but fashion needed to take a backseat to comfort once kids entered the picture. (Sitting on the floor to play is not much fun in a pencil skirt and heels!) Also, I'm just not as cosmopolitan as the other school mums, many of whom are on their second or third international relocation. I'll admit; I was nervous about looking amateurish and out-dated in a room full of fashionistas.
I started shopping for the hat/fascinator first. And while I found one very reasonably priced that I loved, I decided to take the frugal route and wear a dress out of my closet rather than buy a new one. I added some bright pink shoes for a pop of color, and I painted my nails and lips to match. At the very last moment, I found a rose pin in my drawer that was the same shade of pink. I really liked the retro look I pulled together, but everything I read online about trends for this year's race said that I was WAY off base. Oh well! I did my best, and I stayed true to my own tastes.
After a couple weeks of trying to decipher the culture here — not sure whether racing fashion is super important and my "outdated" outfit would be a joke OR whether this whole fashion thing was a bunch of media hype and I would be overdressed for a school luncheon — yesterday was finally Race Day. It was a crazy morning. We had no hot water in the house. I spent a chunk of the morning heating water on the stove for the tub (so I could shave without goosebumps!), while simultaneously making numerous phone calls to get someone to fix the water heater. By the time I got the water heater issue squared away, I was running late. Driving there was a challenge. I took my car seat as low as it would go, so that I could drive without knocking over the hat that was precariously pinned into my hair. I laughed the whole way there at the thought of myself "low-ridin'" in my 1950s finest!
Once there, everything was fine. The lunch was delightful, and we were seated with some other mums we knew. We also had a few new faces at the table, and they were a riot! The fashion shows were lovely, and the Prep students were beyond adorable as they modeled the fascinators they made out of paper plates and rainbow-colored feathers.
 |
| There was no way for me to be in a group shot with that hat! I was either blocking someone or my face was hidden — hence my weird slouched pose. |
After the prizes were handed out, they announced it was time for the fashion awards. Huh?? No one said there would be fashion awards here too! I couldn't wait to see who would win. I enjoyed the luncheon and the lovely company immensely, and I want to attend again next year. A fashion competition sounds fun, so I needed to take mental notes about what it takes to win!
There were four prizes awarded — Best Male Attire, Most Elegant Fascinator, Most Creative Fascinator, and Best Overall Outfit. My friend Catherine (pictured above, third from the left) won Most Elegant Fascinator, for her beautiful fascinator made by a local milliner using pheasant feathers. I was so happy for her! I was also quite happy for the winner of Best Overall Outfit... she was awarded a lovely bottle of sparkling wine!
