Growing up, The Melbourne Cup carnival was the event on the social calendar. The TV coverage would be on all day and this is when I remember my first experience watching the girls walking the runway in the Fashions on the Field competition. The year I remember most, was when RMIT student, Sarah Schofield took out the prize. She was wearing an amazing unique black and white ‘pick up stick’ fascinator and had this beaming smile… she looked like an ad in Vogue.

A budding fashion student aspiring to study at RMIT, I thought I want to be that girl one day!

Sarah Schofield – 2008

It wasn’t until quite some years later, I thought I would like to enter at Caulfield Cup. One problem – the competition was the following day!

I rummaged around in my wardrobe finding a demure sort of dress, a pair of vintage gloves, whipped up some velvet shoe bows and dashed out the door to my local opportunity shop to find a headpiece. For an outfit so last-minute, I felt amazing and the next day I trotted off to Caulfield with my boyfriend at the time.

This day, opened me up to the ‘world’ that is Fashions on the Field. I ended up winning the Caulfield Cup day competition and went straight into the overall final. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face!

I didn’t win the overall final but I did walk away having made some lovely fashion obsessed friends and some pretty cool prizes.

I wanted to do it all over again.. It’s safe to say I was hooked and still am!