Fashion: The season for race-day style

Herald on Sunday

18 Oct, 2014 08:00 PM3 mins to read

Trelise Cooper 'James Blonde' Dress $599.

A day at the races is the perfect excuse to dress up.

Auckland Racing Club's Summer Season is here and the golden event of the Australasian season, the Melbourne Cup, is first out of the gates on Tuesday, November 4.

To make life easier, I have broken down your fashion requirements into three capsules - bold colour for the spring/summer carnival race days, traditional black-and-white for Derby Day, and feminine pastels for Ladies' Day.

Trelise Cooper Bows & Cons Dress $899
Ketz-ke Remedy Dress $145
Carlson Heat Wave Maxi Dress $589

I love this hot-pink dress from Trelise Cooper with its beautiful scalloped hem, the Ketz-ke Remedy Dress with its pleated treatment and asymmetric hem will work on anyone and the bold print maxi dress from Carlson is absolutely fabulous.

Working within the pastel palette are these options from Vaughan Geeson and Charmaine Reveley. And I loved this look from Harman Grubisa when I saw it in their showroom, from the metallic fringing on the top to the thick mesh fabric of the skirt, it all adds up to one hell of a fashion statement.

My monochrome selects feature a Nikau print dress with fringing detail from Kate Sylvester, a timeless cherry print Silk Crepe de Chine halter dress from Helen Cherry and an exquisite linen floral dress-come-coat finished with a contrasting black satin belt-tie from WORLD.

Nina Dress $395, Drover Hat $220, All from Kate Sylvester
Helen Cherry Jagger Dress $449
Via Veneto Dress/Coat $579, Spinning Top Hat $129, All from WORLD

As far as accessories go, sunglasses are a must, aren't these Dolce & Gabbana amazing? Deadly Ponies Mr Siamese bag comes in a variety of colours and a removable chain, making it one of the best options around this season. Remember when planning your shoes, you'll probably walk on grass so try a wedge or something with a wider heel like these funky Mi Piaci heels.

Charmaine Reveley Periwinkle Dress $322
Shine Skivvy $410, Space Mesh Bell $359, Afternoon Mule $599, All from Harman Grubisa
Vaughan Geeson Victoria Dress $290

For the men, I encourage you to push the boundaries away from your everyday corporate attire, much like these fashion forward looks from Crane Brothers, WORLDman and Barkers. It's about having fun with fashion, embracing colour and prints and adding those styling flourishes that complete the look - giving you that racing day swag.

Finally, headwear is an essential part of racewear and, fortunately this season, the hat is on trend and there are options galore. Kate Sylvester and WORLD have added hats to their collections, as pictured with my dress selections. For fascinators, check out Sunday Best on page 3 which features a variety of options from Claire Hahn, Modes, Ooby Ryn, Marmalade Hats and Natalie Chan.