EVENT - 2015 Chadstone Fashion Stakes, Melbourne

The Melbourne Racing Club have finally released all the important details regarding this year's highly anticipated Chadstone Fashion Stakes, including the introduction of a new category for professional and amateur milliners. Registration for all categories are open now at mrc.racing.com, and although registrations will be open on the day of competition, we strongly urge you to register before as entry places are limited.Please also note all categories - even men's and children's - require entrants to wear headwear. You're never too young for millinery!Stylish Ladies: 18-40 yearsDates: Heats and daily finals on October 10 (BECK Caulfield Guineas Day) and October 17 (BMW Caulfield Cup Day); grand final on October 17.Judging Format: A maximum of three heats will be held on October 10, where judges will select a maximum of 10 winners across all heats to progress to the daily final. Five winners from the daily final will be selected to progress directly to the grand final on October 17, where finalists must wear the same outfit they wore on October 10.On October 17, there will be a maximum of five heats, but still only 10 winners will be selected across all heats to progress to the daily final. In the daily final, five finalists will be selected to compete in the grand final and join the other five finalists from October 10. One winner, first runner-up and second-runner up will be selected from the 10 grand finalists.Prizes:

• Grand final winner: Two tickets to the Pegasus Marquee at the BMW Caulfield Cup in 2016, $800 voucher for David Jones, Antler Luggage to the value of $1,000, $400 voucher for Nine West, Endota Day Spa package voucher valued at $550, MRC Annual Guest Card for 15/16 racing season, a bottle of Pommery champagne, Say It With Flowers bouquet and hamper and one year's supply of flowers. Further prizes to be confirmed.
• First runner-up: Two nights at The Olsen valued at $2,000, $200 David Jones voucher, Antler Luggage to the value of $500, $250 Nine West voucher, a bottle of Pommery champagne, Say It With Flowers bouquet and hamper. Further prizes to be confirmed.
• Second runner-up: One night at The Olsen valued at $1,000, $150 David Jones voucher, Antler Luggage to the value of $300, $100 Nine West voucher, a bottle of Pommery champagne, Say It With Flowers bouquet and hamper. Further prizes to be confirmed.
• Remaining grand finalists: $50 David Jones voucher, Say It With Flowers bouquet. Further prizes to be confirmed.
• Daily final winners on October 10: Two general admission tickets to BMW Caulfield Cup Day.
• Heat winners: $50 voucher to spend at Chadstone - the Fashion Capital.

Stylish Ladies: 40+ yearsDates: Heats and daily finals on October 10 (BECK Caulfield Guineas Day) and October 17 (BMW Caulfield Cup Day); grand final on October 17.Judging Format: Ladies must be aged at least 41 years at the time of judging. A maximum of three heats will be held on October 10, where judges will select a maximum of 10 winners across all heats to progress to the daily final. Five winners from the daily final will be selected to progress directly to the grand final on October 17, where finalists must wear the same outfit they wore on October 10.On October 17, there will be a maximum of five heats, but still only 10 winners will be selected across all heats to progress to the daily final. In the daily final, five finalists will be selected to compete in the grand final and join the other five finalists from October 10. One winner, first runner-up and second-runner up will be selected from the 10 grand finalists.Prizes:

• Grand final winner: Cable Beach Club Resort and Spa accommodation package valued at $7,000, flights from Melbourne to the value of $2,000, two tickets to the Pegasus Marquee at the BMW Caulfield Cup in 2016, $500 voucher for David Jones, Antler Luggage to the value of $1,000, $300 voucher for Nine West, Endota Day Spa package voucher valued at $240, MRC Annual Guest Card for 15/16 racing season, a bottle of Pommery champagne, Say It With Flowers bouquet and hamper and one year's supply of flowers. Further prizes to be confirmed.
• First runner-up: Two nights at The Olsen valued at $2,000, $200 David Jones voucher, Antler Luggage to the value of $500, $200 Nine West voucher, a bottle of Pommery champagne, Say It With Flowers bouquet and hamper. Further prizes to be confirmed.
• Second runner-up: One night at The Olsen valued at $1,000, $150 David Jones voucher, Antler Luggage to the value of $300, $100 Nine West voucher, a bottle of Pommery champagne, Say It With Flowers bouquet and hamper. Further prizes to be confirmed. 
• Daily final winners on October 10: Two general admission tickets to BMW Caulfield Cup Day.
• Heat winners: $50 voucher to spend at Chadstone - the Fashion Capital.

Stylish GentlemenDate: Heats and grand final on October 10 (BECK Caulfield Guineas Day).Judging Format: Gentlemen must be aged at least 18 years at the time of judging. A maximum of three heats will be held on October 10, where judges will select a maximum of 10 winners across all heats to progress to the grand final. One winner, first runner-up and second-runner up will be selected from the 10 grand finalists.Prizes:

• Grand final winner: Two nights at The Olsen valued at $2,000, BMW luggage prize valued at $1,500, Antler product to the value of $1,200, $500 David Jones voucher, two tickets to the Pegasus Marquee at the 2016 BECK Caulfield Guineas meeting, MRC Annual Guest Card for 15/16 racing season, Bushnell prize valued at $1,000, a bottle of Pommery champagne, Say It With Flowers hamper. Further prizes to be confirmed.
• First runner-up: One night at The Olsen valued at $1,000, BMW luggage prize valued at $800, Antler product to the value of $600, $250 David Jones voucher, Bushnell prize valued at $750, a bottle of Pommery champagne, Say It With Flowers hamper. Further prizes to be confirmed.
• Second runner-up: BMW lifestyle prize valued at $550, Antler product to the value of $300, $150 David Jones voucher, Bushnell prize valued at $500, a bottle of Pommery champagne, Say It With Flowers hamper. Further prizes to be confirmed.
• Heat winners: $50 voucher to spend at Chadstone - the Fashion Capital.

Professional and Amateur MillinersDate: Heats and grand final will take place on September 26 (Hyland Race Colours Underwood Stakes Day).Judging format: Entrants must have designed and produced their own millinery entry and are only allowed one entry per milliner. Entries can be worn in the competition by either the millinery entrant or a model, but models must be aged 18 years and over to compete. Heat winners will progress straight to the grand final, but the number of heats and grand finalists will be determined by the number of overall entrants. The promoter reserves the right to offer "wild card" entries at any stage throughout the day, in which the entrant will immediately progress to a heat or the grand final. On winner and runner-up will be chosen from the grand finalists.Prizes:

• Grand final winner: Spotlight voucher to the value of $4,000, Say It With Flowers bouquet.
• Runner-up: Spotlight voucher to the value of $1,000, Say It With Flowers bouquet.

Classic KidsDate: Heats for the 4-7 years category will be held on September 24 at Chadstone - the Fashion Capital (lower level, outside David Jones), and September 26 (Hyland Race Colours Underwood Stakes Day), with the grand final on September 26 also. Heats and grand finals for the 8-12 years and 13-17 years categories will also take place on September 26.Judging format: 4-7  years category - on September 24, there will be a maximum of three heats and one daily final, beginning after 10am. One male and one female daily finalist will be chosen to progress through to the grand final on September 26. On September 26, there will be a maximum of two heats where eight grand finalists will be chosen across all heats. 8-12 years and 13-17 years categories - the number of heats and grand finalists will be determined by the overall number of entrants on September 26. Heat winners will progress to their respective grand finals. In the 4-7 years and 8-12 years categories there will be one female winner and one male winner in each grand final, while there will be one grand final winner and one runner-up in the 13-17 years category.Prizes:

• 4-7 years grand final winners: Penguin Random House Australia Prize Pack valued at $119.95, Clip Clop Club Membership and Welcome Pack for the 2015/2016 Season, Say It With Flowers bouquet (female) or hamper (male), Santa’s Magical Kingdom – Family Pass to opening night Friday 20th November 2015 (2 adults, 2 kids), David Jones $100 gift voucher. Further prizes to be confirmed.
• 4-7 years Chadstone heat winners: $50 voucher to spend at Chadstone - the Fashion Capital.
• 8-12 years grand final winners: Penguin Random House Australia Prize Pack valued at $57.00, Clip Clop Club Membership and Welcome Pack for the 2015/2016 Season, Say It With Flowers bouquet (female) or hamper (male), Santa’s Magical Kingdom – Family Pass to opening night Friday 20 November 2015 (2 adults, 2 kids), David Jones $100 gift voucher. Further prizes to be confirmed.
• 13-17 years grand final winner: Penguin Random House Australia Prize Pack valued at $92.95, David Jones $150 gift voucher, Antler product to the value of $200, MRC Junior Membership for the 2015/2016 Season, Say It With Flowers bouquet, Nine West gift voucher valued at $100, Chadstone Fashion Capital Magazine. Further prizes to be confirmed.
• 13-17 years runner-up: Penguin Random House Australia Prize Pack valued at $92.95, David Jones $50 gift voucher, Antler product to the value of $100, MRC Junior Membership for the 2015/2016 Season, Say It With Flowers bouquet, Nine West gift voucher valued at $50, Chadstone Fashion Capital Magazine. Further prizes to be confirmed.

 Photos all from Caulfield Racing Facebook page.

How to win Fashions on the Field, by Lisa (part 3)

Myth #3: If I wear the sponsors' products, the judges will like me moreWith confirmations retail giant and excellent supporter of Fashions on the Field Myer has signed new deals with both the Victoria Racing Club and Australian Turf Club to sponsor their future Fashions on the Field competitions, I decided to investigate the truth behind wearing sponsors' products and receiving an advantage from certain judges on the panel.Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on where you've sourced your outfit from), the answer to the title myth seems to be "no". Yes, there are sure to be some judges on the panel who represent the major sponsors of the competition, but what about the rest of the judges? How would they know who's wearing an outfit from X store, and who's wearing an outfit from that store's competitor? Let's look at some hard evidence, starting with 2008 Myer Fashions on the Field national winner Kirsty MacGillivray.Case Study 1: Kirsty MacGillivrayKirsty was an employee of main sponsor Myer's department store rival, David Jones. Dressed head-to-toe in products she had bought from the store using her employee discount, she won the judges' votes in the Melbourne Cup Day final, Victorian final and national final, even though there were judges on each panel from Myer. The details of her outfit were broadcast during each final (as happens with all finalists), so it would have been clear to the Myer reps that her outfit was DJs-centric. They didn't care, and voted her best dressed.Case Study 2: the amateur designersWe've all heard of the design students who have somehow found time during their studies to whip up an outfit and walk away with the major prize. Sarah Schofield is perhaps the best known of the bunch, with the RMIT graduate proving her 2006 national win was no fluke by also winning on Derby Day 2008 and Melbourne Cup Day 2011. While it's true that she'd gained experience from mentor, master milliner and regular Fashions on the Field judge Richard Nylon, no one could deny her true and unique talent for racewear design, which later took her to Paris to work for some of the world's most prestigious fashion houses, such as Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton.Our very own Angela Menz is of course another member of the winning amateur designer brigade. Although she's very adept at styling, I think Angela's super unique sense of personal style is best channelled by her own designs, and I'm not sure her outfits would have the same impact if they were sourced from other designers or clothing stores.For most of these designers, they create their own outfits because they simply can't find what they want in-store and, luckily for them, the judges have sought to reward their innovation, rather than to discourage it.Case Study 3: the international raidersMuch like the Melbourne Cup itself, in recent years there has been the occasional international entry which has caught the judges' eyes, and slipped through to pass the finishing post first ahead of the local pack.New Zealander Lorraine Cookson was the first (and, so far, only) international contestant to win the national Myer Fashions on the Field competition at Flemington. The 45-year-old horse breeder won the Melbourne Cup Day final (and, in doing so, squeezed me down into second place), then went on to claim the Victorian final, and finally the national prize. Her outfit was perhaps more international than herself, with the tweed jacket and silk-satin skirt being designed by Lorraine but tailored in Hong Kong, and the velvet trilby coming from Auckland milliner Dollie Vardin. Lorraine had previously won the prestigious Mercedes Prix de Fashion award at Ellerslie Racecourse in New Zealand in the same outfit, taking home a brand new Mercedes that day, and a swanky new Lexus at the Melbourne Cup Carnival.Irish milliner Martha Lynn claimed the Derby Day main prize in 2010, which shouldn't really be a surprise if you've ever seen the standard of contestants in Irish best dressed competitions (they would given Australian ladies a definite run for their money, any day!). An accomplished best dressed competition entrant back in Ireland, Martha adhered to Derby Day colour rules in a 60s-style white shift with embellished shoulders and one of her own millinery creations to shine on stage while the torrential rain poured down.While I am in no way trying to discourage anyone from buying their raceday looks from a competition sponsor or judge (I've made many a late dash into Myer over the years, looking for last minute finishing touches or, if completely desperate, entire outfits), just be aware that purchasing your looks from a sponsor or judge will not provide you with any advantage in the competitions. And, really, it shouldn't. While the main sponsors of course hope that you will choose to wear pieces from their store, what we all really want is a fairly-judged competition, and one where anyone can win - provided they truly look the best on the day.Photo credits: Victoria Racing Club, fashionfile.com.au, stylemelbourne.com and The Age.By Lisa Tan