Fashion’s big day

By Kelly Yates
SMALL decorated headbands and flighty cocktail hats are set to be the pick for fashionistas at this weekend’s Devine Communities Pakenham Cup Day.
This season for women at the races is all about the bright pinks and electric blues and elegant neutral tones.
The less-is-more look is predicted for Sunday’s Fashions on the Field events at the Pakenham Racing Club, with lace, sequins and embellishments jazzing up the simplistic yet stylish trends.
The entrants in the fashion events will battle it out on the catwalk for the chance to be crowned Most Elegant Mature Lady, Most Elegant Lady, Best Dressed Couple and Best Dressed Local Lady or Gent, and share in a total prize pool of $11, 969.
Sales and events manager at the Pakenham Racing Club Anthony Millican is expecting between 300 and 400 contestants at this year’s fashion event.
“Fashions on the Field is really popular here in Pakenham,” he said. “There seems to be two sides to every race day. There are those that turn up for the sport of racing and then the women who come for the fashion.”
The celebrity judge for this year’s Fashion on the Field in Pakenham is Sallyanne Marshall, a track rider turned catwalk model who was named the first fashion ambassador for Country Racing Victoria back in 2008.
The other fashion judges include Michelle Tones, the former sales and events co-ordinator for the Pakenham Racing Club, and John Wallin from Bonny and Clydes Urban Wear.
Fashions on the Field registration will run from 11am to 12.30pm at the fashion stage.
Entrants in the Most Elegant Mature Lady will parade along the catwalk from 1pm to 1.30pm, with the Best Dressed Couple event running from 1.45pm to 2.15pm.
The Most Elegant Lady fashionistas are set to strike a pose from 2.30pm to 3.15pm and the final fashion event, Best Dressed Local Lady or Gent, will be announced from 3.15pm.