IT'S spring, and of course that means fashion.
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And spring in Elmore means fashion made out of bullet casings, livestock feedbags and fence-marking paint, and much more besides.
In the 2013 Elmore National Ag Art Wear Competition, the frocks will be made out of things one usually never considers wearing on one's body unless by accident.
In the designer category, Lucy Denniss-Arnold used tarp, wire, emu feathers, washers and woodscrews to create Feathered Fem, a dress she says was inspired by the strength and beauty of women on the farm.
Karen Shawcross made her avant garde piece using egg trays lined with hydroponic matting and shaped with poly pipe.
Ebony Boyd's entry in the under-21 section, aptly titled Tagged, is made of a white wool bale and a rattling kaleidoscope of cattle ear tags.
At the darker end of fashion bravery, Wonthaggi student Tyler Waters' gory entry called Exported Torment makes a clear point about live cattle export with a dress made of metal sheet and chain, bloodied plastic shade cloth, rope and a cow's jawbone as a handbag.
A startling creation by Year 11 student Polly Guthrie uses coloured bullet casings for a skirt and top.
This year's Ag Art Wear Competition attracted 40 entries from Victoria and Tasmania in four categories of designer, avant garde, under-21 and hat.
Some garments take up to 12 months to make
- Sam Shotton, Elmore Field Days Committee
The rules for the annual competition, which organisers say is growing more competitive each year, are strict.
Aside from buttons and zips, the garment and its accessories are to be made from "material of an agricultural nature as produced or found on a farm." It must also be durable enough to be worn at least 10 times.
Elmore Field Days spokeswoman Sam Shotton said the time and effort entrants went to, and their creativity, was amazing.
"Some garments take up to 12 months to make," she said.
"The talent never ceases to amaze us and the quality of the competition is lifting every year."