The ultimate dream for a Fashions on the Field enthusiast? Being crowned National Winner at Flemington Race Course on Oaks Day November 9th of course!

And The State Finals for 2017 are now under way…

myer fashions on the field state finalists

2016 State finalists from L-R: SA Courtney Moore, QLD Inessa McIntyre, NSW Reggie Thei, WA Ashleigh Ridgeway, TAS Alice Bright. Image credit: @wendellt

It’s an exciting time for me. I love hearing about how each finalist came up with their outfit.

I want to know how long it took, what brands they are wearing and the personal anecdotes that go along with how they pulled together their own individual look.

So this year I’m sharing. I’ve put together this blog post, which I will update as each finalist is announced.

It’s not all about the prizes…. (really)

…but, there is a huge prize pool on offer!

Last year the winner took home a Lexus RC 200t F sport, valued at $83,000, a Myer shopping spree to the value of $6000, A TCL TV package valued at $2300, a trophy, a white gold brooch with black diamonds valued at $1750 and $1600 worth of Antler Luggage.

I saw Courtney’s suitcases and they were BEAUTIFUL!! All gold and shiny!

fashions on the field competition prizes

2016 national winner @courtneymoore with her shiny new lexus and gold Antler Luggage.

If that isn’t enough to make you stop and consider making your way to a State Final, then I don’t know what will!!

A Quick Overview for the Beginner

(For the non-beginners, you can click here to skip to the 2017 winners)

The Myer FOTF competition is the biggest and most prestigious competition in the industry.

Heats are held in each of the six states as well as a “Semi Final” in Darwin, and, as of last year, China has been introduced to the competition as well.

As a Semi Finalist, the winner is fast tracked to the preliminary finals on Melbourne Cup Day.

darwin and china foots state finalists

Last year’s semi-finalist Penny Caputi (Darwin) and Elisha Song (China). Image credit: @ontrackontrend

How to Enter

To enter a State Final, you just have to turn up on the day to the event, but make sure you get there early to register within the registration times. Otherwise, online registrations open weeks prior to the event and can be found here.

You do not need to be a resident of that state to enter. It’s quite common for states to be represented by women who reside in other areas.

fashions on the field competition flow chart

Myer Fashions on the Field State Competition. Image credit: Flemington.com.au

You will notice above, that Victoria has three opportunties; Derby Day, Melbourne Cup and Oaks Day.
The Victorian State Finalist is chosen from the winners of each day’s competition.

So, the winner from Derby Day, Melbourne Cup Day and Oaks Day enter a competition on Oaks Day to decide who will be the Victorian finalist.

derby day melbourne cup oaks day

The Oaks, Melbourne Cup and Derby Day winners from 2016. Gracyn (left) was chosen to represent Victoria in the finals. Image credit: @ontrackontrend

Then, there is another competition- the State Finalists Competition. Winners from the 6 states compete for the overall winning sash. Prizes are awarded for first, second and third place.

myer 2016 state finalists

2016 State Finalists on stage. Image credit @ontrackontrend

Click here to learn more about what happens behind the scenes at a Fashions on the Field competition.

Dates and Locations for Each State Final

Here are the dates and locations for this year’s state finals. Source: Flemington.com.au

Queensland- Completed
Venue: Gold Coast Turf Club
Race Day: Magic Millions Race Day
Date: Saturday 14 January
Winner: Stacie Galeano
Registrations open 10am

Tasmania- Completed
Venue: Luxbet Park Racecourse
Race Day: Hobart Cup Day
Date: Sunday 5 February 2017
Registrations open 11:30am – 1:30pm

South Australia
Venue: Morphettville Racecourse
Raceday: Adelaide Cup
Date: Monday 13 March 2017
Registrations open 11:30am – 1:30pm

New South Wales
Venue: Merivale Coogee Pavilion
Raceday: Not held at a racecourse
Date: Saturday 14th October 2017
Registrations: 11:00am – 11:30am

Western Australia
Venue: Ascot Racecourse
Raceday: Crown Perth Opening Day
Date: Saturday 21st October 2017
Registrations: 11:30am – 1pm

Victoria
Racecourse: Flemington Racecourse
Raceday: AAMI Victoria Derby Day; Emirates Melbourne Cup Day; Crown Oaks Day
Dates: 4 November; 7 November; 9 November 2017
Registrations: 10:30am – 11:30am (Derby); 9:55am – 10:55am (Cup); 11:25am – 12:05pm (Oaks)

The Winners so far…

Queensland State Finalist

qld state finalist Stacie Galeano

L-R Sarah Bremner 1st runner up, Stacie Galeano Winner, Arriell Scuderi 2nd runner up. Image credit: @flemingtonvrc (left), theraces.com.au (right).

Winner: Stacie Galeano – @stacie_galeano

Stacie, a Cairns local, stood out in a stunning custom made canary yellow dress paired with an Alexander McQueen embroidered tulle overlay, by dress maker Pauline Fenech.

Stacie found inspiration whilst scrolling through Pinterest and her talented dress maker went to work for hours to put together this delicate dress. Aligning the tulle would have taken forever!!

race dress fashion design state finalist winner

black tulle overlay racing fashion

Stacie paired her look with a very chic black wrap turban by @millineryjill. She asked Jill to make her something black that was simple but structurally unique.

She found hair inspo on Pinterest for a stunning up do to complement the turban shape.

statement earrings trend 2017

Stacie wore gold and black jewel statement earrings by Chelsea De Luca, patent leather closed-toe pumps by Kurt Geiger, and a black Olga Berg clutch with gold tassel detail which tied in the gold from her earrings nicely.

Her overall look will carry through to Spring Carnival in November and will still be very on trend.

Tasmania State Finalist

tasmania state finalist Amanda Southwell

L-R Whitney Berry 2nd runner up, Amanda Southwell Winner, Carle Rutledge 1st runner up. Image credit: @madamhat (left), @amanda_southwell (right)

Winner: Amanda Southwell – @amanda_southwell

Tasmanian girl, Amanda, took out the sought after sash in a homemade dress and millinery!

A very talented woman, Amanda purchased her bright red fabric locally from Ruche Fabrics. The dress took 40 hours to make as she made many changes before she was happy with it, and made it without a pattern, so there was a lot of trial and error.

I love the shape of the layered overlay bust and waist panels over the full skirt with contrasting bias fabric on the edges. Her inspiration for the dress came from what she has seen on the catwalks recently.

Amanda’s own personal fashion critique (her husband) was to thank for the idea of adding maroon to the outfit- the winning touch!

Amanda’s crown millinery, featuring a geometric pattern, was the perfect ‘wow’ factor to accompany her dress and the red leather roses and curled quills tied it all together beautifully.

fashion accessories clutch bracelet

Image credit: @amanda_southwell

An avid DIY’er, Amanda recovered an old clutch to match her millinery, spray painted her strappy heels a deeper red colour (the field fashion community members are also big fans of spraying shoes) and wore a bracelet that was originally a necklace, which she painted to match.

These winners have set us up for what could be an interesting array of colours at this year’s National Finals, with yellow and red being chosen so far.

South Australia State Finalist

myer fashions on the field state final winners melissa barnes

L-R Bernadette 2nd runner up, Melissa Barnes Winner, Bec Butcher 1st runner up. Image credit: @morphettville_racecourse (left), @melissabarnes_adorn (right)

Winner: Melissa Barnes – @melissabarnes_1

Blue takes the spotlight again with standout Melissa Barnes taking the South Australia sash in a combination of sky and dark blue mixed with beige- I really love this combo!!

Melissa says Roksanda Ilincic’s structural and geometric designs have been a favourite of hers for a long time. She found the skirt in stock (the last one) on The Outnet and the best part – it was on sale.

Her ‘boater with a twist’ was a piece she wore previously to the local Balaklava Cup last year. She remodeled it by covering the blue straw with leather to make it suitable for Autumn and made up a folded ribbon cockade to tie in with the skirt colours.

racewear flat lay pinterest racing fashion

Melissa uses pic Collage to put together inspiration boards, where she explored the nude/light blue/blue combination.

“I sewed a few mock ups tops myself (very roughly) but I didn’t like any of them. After taking lots of pictures of myself with different colours on top I decided a block blue was the way to go. I think taking pics of yourself gives you a good idea of what it looks like to someone else or what the effect will be up on stage. You can also put them side by side to compare.”

adelaide cup state finalist winners 2017

“The twist top I wore was made by a local SA designer label Couture + Love + Madness. Off the shoulder can be risky so I got her to make the straps wide and wore them on an angle.”

Melissa’s Olga Berg bag and Windsor Smith shoes were both on sale and the tassel earrings were from Lovisa.

“I absolutely love wearing gloves but I held them because I wanted to look crisp and modern. I really didn’t think I’d win, I felt confident in my outfit and super comfortable but my friend Bec was the front runner for me. It was so special to share the stage with her as she won 2nd place, a day I will never forget.”

New South Wales State Finalist

The NSW state final took place at Coogee Pavilion on Saturday the 14th of October. The NSW state final hasn’t been held at a race track for the last two years (held at Pitt St mall in 2016).

Crystal Kimber was sashed as best dressed in a dress she and her very talented mum Gail made from her grandmother’s skirt.

crystal kimber milano imai

Image credit: @crystalkimber (left), @peoplestyleplace (right)

The fabric was divine up close, it was embroidered with beautiful bright colours into 3D flowers. She wore a hat her friend had made her earlier in the week and added her own flower embellishments. Crystal had pastel pink shoes and a pink ring bag.

myer fashions on the field state finals

Image credit: @wendellt

Western Australia State Finalist

The beautiful Annabel Davy stood out at the WA state finals in a custom red lace dress by Steph Audino Couture. She accessorised with powder blue accessories which really made the outfit stand out, a stunning combination.

Annabel Davy Myer Fashions on the Field

Image credit: @itsannabeldavy

Reny Kestel Millinery made her wide brim boater hat with a tie dyed ribbon to complement her Christie Nicolaides jewelled earrings. She finished off her look with an Olga Berg Clutch and Louboutins.

Reny Kestel Millinery

Image credit: @itsannabeldavy

Victoria State Finalist

TBA

 

I look forward to seeing who else will join our state finalists and what trends emerge in 2017!

Do you like reading about the outfit details of our past winners?

  • You can check out our previous 13 national winners in this blog post.
  • See outfit details of our 2016 State Finalists in the Spring Trends Report.

Who is your favourite so far? And what do you like about their outfit? Let us know in the comments below.

 

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