From catwalk to trackside: The evolution of race day fashion

“Horse racing is the only sport that has its own fashion category,” says Victoria Racing Club Chairman Neil Wilson. “It’s absolutely integral to the event.”

Certainly, fashion and Flemington have gone hand in hand since the Lexus Melbourne Cup was first run in 1861, but these days it’s also big business. The economic impact and engagement study conducted by market research company IER found that $50 million was spent on fashion and grooming for Cup Week last year, Wilson says. “It is an environment where you can just go that little bit extra – it is what is welcomed and accepted.”

Just as race day styles have changed over the years, so too has the official Melbourne Cup Carnival Fashions on the Field competition evolved since its introduction in 1962. In 2022, the traditional Women’s and Men’s Racewear Awards became the gender-neutral Best Dressed and Best Suited, while the Lillian Frank AM MBE Millinery Award and the Emerging Designer Award now recognise talented creators.

With this year’s total prize pool worth more than $370,000, and entries welcomed from around the world, there’s never been a better time to put your best foot forward.

As we reflect on six decades of Fashions on the Field at Flemington, Wilson comments: “It is been a fantastic journey where we have seen some extravagant fashion and we have seen some conservative fashion. We have seen trends change, we have seen hemlines go up and down and we have seen styles come and go as the competition has evolved.”

1960s

Flemington’s first trackside fashion competition was held in 1960 as part of a lavish celebration for the 100th running of the Lexus Melbourne Cup. It proved to be such a success that by 1962, the official Fashions on the Field competition was established as an annual event. In the early years, the competition had three categories – best outfit under £30, best outfit over £50 and most elegant hat – and dress codes were typically demure. Tailored dresses and coats were favoured and gloves and stockings were considered de rigeur.

So, when British model Jean Shrimpton arrived at Penfolds Victoria Derby Day in 1965 wearing a sleeveless white minidress and no hat, gloves or stockings, it was a sartorial scandal. Her swinging-sixties-style outfit made front pages around the world – and remains one of the Carnival’s most iconic images.

1970s

1980s

Fashions on the Field was back, baby – officially reinstated in 1981. In true 80s style, it quickly became a more-is-more affair, with shoulder pads, ruffles and oversized hats all jostling for attention (sometimes in a single outfit). His Majesty King Charles (then the Prince of Wales) and Diana, Princess of Wales, were the guests of honour at the 1985 event, with the princess bringing her signature timeless style to Flemington in a navy and white suit by one of her favourite designers, Bruce Oldfield, paired with a hat by Australian-born milliner Freddy Fox.

2020

Prices for a General Admission ticket to the Melbourne Cup Carnival start at $65, and include entry to The Park, where the Melbourne Cup Carnival Fashions on the Field events are held. For more details and to book your ticket, visit here.