The winner of the Best Dressed category at this year’s Melbourne Cup was Waikato woman, Eleanor Campbell. NZ milliner, Monika Neuhauser, crafted her hat. Eleanor won substantial prize money and gifts. She will be judging the upcoming 2023 Spring Fashion in the Field at Riccarton Park Racecourse in Christchurch.
Blue skies and fashion for days at the 2023 Lexus Melbourne Cup.
©Hong Nguyen/Unsplash
Derby Day Fashions
Eleanor was one of only three daily finalists of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. She entered the Best Dressed Competition on Derby Day, where traditionally only black and white is worn. Each day’s finalist went through to the Grand Finals on Kennedy Oaks Day. It is rare for the “least colourful” finalist to take the Grand Prize, but Eleanor’s ensemble came through. “Less is more I guess”, said Eleanor to the truism.
The Penfolds Victoria Derby marks the start of the annual week-long Melbourne Cup races and celebrations. The day is frequented by celebrities and fashion professionals. A strict dress code allows patrons entrance to the VIP areas – no denim is allowed! The day sees Group 1 thoroughbreds racing, with prizes for the races totalling over AU$7 million.
Haute Couture
For the competition, Eleanor wore a modified Solace London dress, adjusted by a local Te Awamutu woman. Her mother found it for her on sale. Originally floor length, the dress was taken up. The extra material was then added to the neck, creating a bias cut high neckline. Eleanor wore black high heels and carried a geometric black clutch. Her hat was made by local milliner, Monika Neuhauser.
Along with the Best Dressed Competition, other categories were Best Suited, the Lillian Frank AM MBE Millinery Award, and the Emerging Designer Award. The Best Suited category is now open to all genders. Prior to 2022, the Melbourne Cup fashion competitions were divided by gender. Changing the categories to Best Suited and Best Dressed, allowed women and non-binary people access to the previously male-only competition. No male or trans person has yet entered the Best Dressed competition, previously reserved for only cis-females.
Best Suited this year was won by a Sydney accountant, Domingo Martinez. Domingo altered and added touches to his suit himself and even made his own hat. Of the AU$45,000 prize money Domingo said he was going to “help out a friend in dire financial straits”. This reply melted the hearts of those interviewing him.
In 2022, the Cup’s Millinery Award was renamed after the late Lillian Frank AM MBE. Lillian was a local icon, a philanthropist and a friend of Flemington (Racecourse). The 2023 award went to a Canberra-based milliner, Cythia Jones Bryson. Cynthia has won the prestigious award twice prior, again attracting the attention of judge and world-renowned milliner Stephen Jones OBE.
The Emerging Designer Award was taken by local Melbourne student Jessica Virk. Jessica is in her final year, studying a Bachelor of Fashion Design at Whitehouse Institute of Design. The Institute has campuses in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Jessica will be sponsored to attend Paris Fashion Week by Vogue Australia as part of her prize, a networking coup for the up and coming designer. On top of this, she also will be taking home around $50,000 in cash and other prizes. The entire fashion competition had over 1100 entrants this year.
Returning a Champion
The week-long 2023 Lexus Melbourne Cup celebrations tired out Eleanor, the Best Dressed fashion champion, “My feet are killing me after a week in heels. I can’t wait to put some old clothes on.” The doggy daycare owner is more used to wearing practical shoes and clothing. Like her mother, high fashion is a hobby for Eleanor who has been competing casually for over a decade. Eleanor was a finalist for Best Dressed at the 2022 Melbourne Cup.
Due to her Melbourne Cup win, Eleanor has been newly introduced as a judge at the Riccarton Racecourse Spring Fashion in the Field. The annual New Zealand Cup for thoroughbreds, held at Riccarton, became part of the Cup and Show Week celebrations half a century ago. Addington Raceway holds the traditional Trotting Cup. The Cup and Show Week allow the province’s businesses and bank’s a much-welcomed Public Holiday. Around 100,000 people visit the New Zealand Agricultural Show each year.
