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FULL COVERAGE: Bendigo Cup 2016
Once the playground of society’s elite, the race day fashion stakes are now anybody's game and it was no different at the Bendigo Cup on Wednesday when contestants young and old, male and female, vied for the Fashions on the Field title.
Bendigo-based milliner Angie Jackman attended her second consecutive Cup Day on Wednesday after a ten-year break.
Not only was the designer a finalist for the Cup’s millinery award, she also created the headpiece worn by Lady of the Day winner and her niece Ella Hurley.
It took 18 hours for Ms Jackman to create the lauded, red hat.
She described the lead-up to the Bendigo Cup as her business' peak season.
Asked what was trending among racegoers in 2016, Ms Jackson said small, easy-to-wear crowns had proven popular among those who had sought her advice.
"I think a lot of the hat being impressive is the woman standing underneath it," she said.
Fashion judge Penny Holloway said there was several design features trending in the birdcage this year, none more so that metallic fabrics. She was pleased to see plenty of punters dressed in classic race-day style, but with "a bit of a bang an contemporary touch".
"I like something different, a little out of the ordinary," Ms Holloway said.
One of 15 to progress through to the men's fashion final, Melbourne fashion icon Hal Salter said he went with a red blazer to match the event's carnival-like atmosphere.
"Normally, I'd wear a traditional pin-striped suit," Mr Salter said, saying he loved seeing the community come together at the racecourse.
Also hoping to catch the eye of the competition's judges was figure-in-blue Jason Bert.
This year marked the man's second shot at Fashions on the Field and he hoped his cobalt suit - and matching hair - would see him improve on last year's performance. Unfortunately, he did not manage to snare a coveted position in the final.
A drive up the Calder for the Bendigo Cup was a popular option for Melbourne residents ahead of their race-that-stops-a-nation on Tuesday.
Visiting teen Bethany Ha joined family members for the day.
Her resplendent floral jumpsuit saw her feature in the afternoon-long fashion parade.
But the top prize was not the reason she attended the Cup.
“To have some fun,” she said when asked why she wanted to make the trip.
Darren Jones, the Bendigo man whose had three suits – one red, one white, one blue – turned into one, an homage to his beloved Western Bulldogs, was also an omission from the finals.
Mr Jones said his disappointment was allayed by hoards of admirers who asked the football fanatic for a photograph.
Think your Cup outfit deserves a mention? Enter our Style Stakes competition. Using the hashtags #bendigoadvertiser and #neonpeach, post a photo of your race day attire on Instagram before midday Thursday.