Derby Day at Flemington 2011

When I was thinking about writing this post it occurred to me how Melbourne-centric the spring racing carnival is: outside of this city it makes the social pages or celebrities turn up on gofugyourself.com for wearing ugly hats but otherwise it could come off as quite a strange phenomenon.

It’s actually considered a huge social faux-pax not to wear a hat, and in the members area or if you would like to enter the fashions on the field competition its actually compulsory. So you can imagine how much attention is paid here in Melbourne to millinery and what you might wear to the races, particularly if you go to all four major race days. I will have attended 5 race meets by the time the season is over which is considered only a small attendance when I could have gone to well over ten.

I digress, it paints a picture of the kind of expectation placed on race goers(real or imagined) to have the perfect outfit. I always like to be a bit humorous with my fashion(think garbage bag dress or Marge Simpson beads) and so when I was in Spotlight last week and saw this plastic that’s used to make table cloths I was inspired. Part Jeff Koons, part Tavi it was either going to be a success or a hilarious failure, the joke being well and truly on me.

What ever you think of my tablecloth hat I love it and it was photographed all day. Melbourne milliner Richard Nylon approached me and told me it was ‘extremely intelligent’ so I’m going with success.

I was kindly dressed by Madam Virtue & Co who I contacted at the very last minute and they generously invited me in store and opened up the archives. Dean and I settled on this BCBG Max Azria number and I felt like a million dollars wearing it. If you haven’t already visited their store then make sure you pop in and say hello from Lady Melbourne.

Overall it was a lovely day out and if you followed my tweets you will know that trying to get photographed with Dita Von Teese was like trying to feed Victoria Beckam a hotdog- it wasn’t going to happen.  After waiting and waiting and waiting, being warned to follow a whole heap of rules about what I may and may not say (in fact I wasn’t allowed to talk to her, just have a picture) stand on stage one mt away from her only to be told to continue to wait off the stage I gave up. It became more about getting the actual picture in the end- it wouldn’t have mattered who it was with- and I was starting to feel like an idiot hanging around(we even made eye contact a few times when I got ushered on stage for a photo only to be tapped on the arm at the last second) so I gave up and carried on drinking the free champagne.

Soaking up the sun at the Fruche marquee

J Alexander who’s a Fruche ambassador wearing a Chanel hat.

Designer Dhini and I sharing a drink on the Fruche balcony

Alyx Gorman, fashion editor at Thevine.com.au

Stepping out from the Fruche marquee with Dhini wearing one of her own creations and me in BCBG Max Azria from Madam Virtue & Co

With Clea one half of the Limedrop label.

Taken on my phone, absolutely no unofficial cameras allowed!

With Lauren Brain from Nova 100