South Australian Myer Fashions on the Field Final 2014

The South Australia Myer Fashions on the Field State final was a very exciting one for OTOT! Both Lisa and I headed down to Morphetville racecourse in Adelaide. We were thrilled to take part in the competition by sitting at the judges table. Other judges on the day included last years winner Jen Marsh and Myer Ambassador Kate Peck.The standard was incredibly high and a number of contestants had taken advantage of the long weekend and flown in from interstate to enjoy the day and try their luck in the competition. The timing for the South Australia Final is a little tricky as the calendar dictates that it is actually autumn- therefore Autumn millinery should be worn. However the scorcher of a day (mid 30s and very humid) and the need for the finalist to compete in spring meant that most contestants had sensibly worn their best spring/summer racewear. There were some tough decisions to be made with over 100 contestants taking part, and finally we got down to the top 10.The ultimate victor on the day was Cairns girl Michelle Boyes. She was unable to make it to the QLD final earlier in the year and made a last minute decision to compete in Adelaide. She made the trip with her best friend Donita Piccolo who just so happens to be a makeup artist for Napoleon and got Michelle ready for the day. Michelle stood out in her bright and bold Prabal Gurung dress, topped off with an unusual perspex flower headpiece by Cairns milliner Amanda Macor.Second place went to Emily Knowles from Adelaide. She almost missed the finals as in the confusion of the preliminary judging her number was missed. Fortunately her tall hat stood out and she was quickly grabbed by Kate Peck to line up for her place in the finals. Kate joked that Emily was crying her eyes out in the bathroom, but she informed Lisa she was actually downing a daiquiri! Emily wore a Zara dress she had purchased in Paris and her millinery was by Joanna Roberts.Third place went to Shandelle Moore, also from Adelaide. She wore a top and skirt from Cue with millinery by Moore Millinery Designs. She attended the day with her three sisters who also competed.  Lisa and I had a great day and were treated to hospitality in the Myer Marquee. We had a beautiful lunch and each guest was given gift to take home. As Myer sponsored race 6, each guest was given a number to take part in the Myer Fashion Sweep. Unfortunately neither Lisa or I had the winning horse but Lisa did get to take part in the presentations for the race in the mounting yard. After a very fun Adelaide Cup filled with fashion and racing it was time for the OTOT reunion to come to an end. I headed back to Melbourne and Lisa went home on a flight to London.By Angela Menz