Fashion a racing certainty

Glen Atwell
FASHION, fascinators and forget the racing!
It was the unofficial motto of the Fashions on the Field competition on Sunday, when more than 100 entrants contested a variety of categories in the pursuit of some amazing prizes.
Hours of morning preparation proved well spent and Pakenham racecourse was temporarily transferred into Melbourne’s fashion capital.
Featherlaced fascinators, diamondencrusted handbags and delicate designer dresses kept the judging panel, which included Cardinia mayor Kate Lempriere, busy.
Berwick’s Jackie Forai won the esteemed Most Elegant Lady category and collected $4348 in prizes for her efforts. Ms Forai wowed the crowd with her simple yet stylish approach and convinced the judges that elegant need not be expensive.
Wearing a floral inspired Sportsgirl dress and clutching an oversized Portmans purse, the 24yearold was thrilled to receive the judge’s final tick of approval.
“I’m over the moon,” she said. “I entered last year and finished in the top 12. This year I altered my approach a little and tried to emphasise an elegant style.
The judges were looking for something elegant, easy to wear and suitable for the Pakenham Cup, and this outfit came together well. My outfit cost somewhere between $400 and $500, so it proves that you don’t have to spend a lot to impress.”
Ms Forai enters the competition every year but isn’t solely focused on the fashions. “I love Pakenham Cup day and not only the fashions, the racing too,” she said.
Former Cardinia mayor and current councillor Bill Ronald was the winner of the Best Dressed Gentleman category.
Cr Ronald won more than $3000 in prizes with his top hat and tails inspired outfit but quickly ruled out a possible career change.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” he laughed. “It was the first time I’ve ever entered a fashions competition. I borrowed everything I’m wearing, except the shoes.”
Cr Ronald’s wife, Gillian, said her husband’s outfit was a real family affair.
“It is his brother’s suit and his father’s hat,” she laughed. “It was a real team effort.”
Candice Hutchins won the Best HatFascinator category with her towering feathered creation.
Pakenham Racing Club assistant racing manager Michelle Tones said the Fashions on the Field competition was again a runaway success.
“The calibre of the entries was very high,” she said. “Our Oaks Day meeting is traditionally our biggest fashion day, but the Cup Day competition is getting better and better.”