Recently I was having coffee with a girlfriend, chatting all things fashion and my upcoming FOTF competitions when she pointed out that most people know what to expect from my outfits. It was actually pretty true!

I love to block – whether it is colour or prints. I can’t get enough of it and I feel I have had some pretty good luck with this concept over the years. It did get me thinking though, I should try something new and push myself creatively.

With Sydney Autumn carnival coming up and my partners Dad’s horse racing at the Championships, I thought no better reason to do something new for Championship Stakes Day 1 – Derby Day. Black and white scares me as it’s my Melbourne day uniform, not my typical race look. I’ve only had one success in a Derby which no surprise here.. It was a black and white print block!

Black this Autumn has been the colour of the season, with both Myer and David Jones going hard on all black looks. In order to stand out from everyone else, I thought I would wear predominately white with accents of black. I love a wrap dress and choker at the moment so why not try to incorporate the two in one.

After doing some research, I discovered a beautiful range by Tome from 2014 that featured robe dresses with an oriental flare. This was exactly the inspiration I needed to get started! Out came an old Vogue pattern I had stored away and before I knew it Mum and I had adjusted the pattern to feature mesh inserts and it was nearly done.

Thank goodness my amazing friend Jill Humphries of Jack & Jill millinery saved the day last minute with a perforated leather floral shaped headpiece… Our version of a ‘crown’.

Image courtesy of Royal Randwick

Image courtesy of Bob Mcgahan

Image courtesy of The Championships

Sydney carnival definitely delivered incredible fashion and the ever so gorgeous Viv Parish took out the sash. My experiment saw me a Top 10 placing which was a huge thrill.

I might have to branch out more often!

Image courtesy of Royal Randwick