Go big or go home was the overriding theme of the fashion at Saturday’s Caulfield Cup, the first properly run iteration of the event since the start of the pandemic.
Hot pink – AKA Barbiecore or Valentino pink – was the dominant colour in the members’ and public areas, as well as among the top entrants in the Style Stakes competition.
Actress Olympia Valance, wearing custom Sonia Cappellazzo and Ezra J millinery, said she loved Caulfield for its relative lack of dress code compared with other racecourses.
“Whenever I’m here I feel more myself and comfortable,” said Valance, who was in the new marquee enclosure The Avenue with her husband, former AFL player Tom Bellchambers, her mother and friends.
Sharon Johal, who is currently appearing on The Block, found her Viceta Wang maxi-dress at last Monday’s Melbourne Fashion Week opening runway.
“I thought it was a bit much for today, but I thought, ‘Go hard or go home’,” said the former Neighbours star.
“Everyone [at Caulfield] experiments so much more and they don’t care [about what people think]. There’s so much pressure to wear the ‘it’ thing, but I want to see more experimentation with fashion.”
Other trends included co-ordinated printed suits, with Angela Nicholls of Brighton sporting a 1970s-inspired pyjama set from Zara that she bought three weeks ago.
“I’m a colour girl; everyone is bringing out the cobalt blue and tangerine,” she said.
The colour memo wasn’t received unanimously. Fashion identity Nadia Bartel stuck to white, in a ribbed dress by Solace London with a Nerida Winter headband and woven Bottega Veneta bag.
“I’m not a hot pink girl,” she said. “But I see other people in it; it’s fresh and pretty.”
Model Bec Harding also stuck to a neutral palette in an Alexis minidress and Helen Kaminski beret that gave off strong ’60s vibes.
The Style Stakes winners were drawn from photos taken by roving photographers on-course rather than an in-person competition, a feature that has stuck around post-COVID. Finalists included men in shorts, in a nod to designer Thom Browne, as well as women in soft suiting.
Winning the main category $10,000 cash prize was David Galea, who wore a hot pink cropped double-breasted jacket by Orttu and black flared trousers.
“I’m always inspired by the ’60s and the bold colours … and wear something [to] stand out,” he said.
The reporter was a judge of the Melbourne Racing Club Style Stakes.
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