Race-day favourites
Fashion was the winner at Christchurch’s Cup Week, with the runways an explosion of colour, writes Laura Baker.
Racegoers pulled out all the stops in eye-catching ensembles during New Zealand Cup and Show Week. Fashionistas from Canterbury and further afield donned their finest frocks for the track.
Fashion in the Field MC Angela Stone advised competitors to ‘‘think couture not cocktail’’, and they didn’t disappoint.
The week’s two fashion-focused competitions, Style Stakes and Fashion in the Field, saw competitors bring their A game. Judge and stylist Luke Bettesworth said he had never seen a higher standard of dress.
The runways were an explosion of loud colour, dominated by red, pink and purple hues.
Competitors weren’t afraid of clashing colour combinations either which, worn well, created an eye-catching aesthetic.
While bright colours were all the rage track-side, the real standouts were the headpieces, which ranged from amazing and elegant hats to fabulous, over-thetop fascinators.
And it wasn’t just the women putting in the effort.
Angela Stone said Fashion in the Field received the largest number of male contestants it had seen for a number of years.
The majority of contestants who vied for the top honours designed their own outfits and in some cases even handcrafted them.
First-time Fashion in the Field entrant Emma Brown made her headpiece and her mother helped sew her dress.
‘‘I’ve always had a love for design, but this is the first time I’ve worn one of my creations to an event like this,’’ Brown said.
The Style Stakes Best Dressed Lady was won by 39-year-old Christchurch mother Katie Parish, while Fashion in the Field was taken out by Wellington mortgage broker, Stephanie Murray.
Both women wowed the judges in looks they had poured months of planning and preparation into, designing their own outfits and having their dresses made by local seamstresses.
While bright colours were all the rage trackside, the real standouts were the headpieces.