Thursday, November 8, 2012

THEY'RE OFF ... AND RACING

 Eek - what happened to September and October  - I blinked and they were gone! 
Actually I know what happened - here in Australia it is spring and so everyone wants dresses for spring weddings  - and for the racing.

November in Victoria (where I live) is all about the Spring Racing Carnival - the Melbourne Cup, Flemington (where the race is held), roses (because they have beautiful rose gardens there)


- and fashion.

Melbourne Cup Day is always the first Tuesday in November and is a public holiday for the state of Victoria (yes, we have a public holiday for a horse race!).  The actual race is held at 3.00pm and is called 'the race that stops a nation' because pretty much everyone in Australia stops and listens to see who wins this race.  This year, it was won by Green Moon.

But Melbourne Cup Day isn't the only special racing day.  The Saturday before Cup Day is Derby Day, the Saturday after is Emirates Stakes Day which is specially for families and today, the Thursday after Cup Day is Oaks Day or Ladies Day.

The other big thing about the Spring racing carnival is the Fashions on the Field competition which this year has been running for 50 years  There are competitions for women's fashion on each one of the special race days.  There are also special competitions - on Melbourne Cup Day there is one for designer's outfits, Oaks Day has the millinery competition and Stakes Day has special competitions for children's fashions.

And so, because today was Oaks day, my girls decided to get dressed for the races.


 

They were all very happy with  their choices:

Therese chose strapless and summer flowers:



   Audrey chose purple and a big, black hat:



 And Stephanie chose separates in blue and white:


She also carried a pink handbag but left it with her friends for the photoshoot.

They had a lovely time and the weather was perfect.   Maybe next year, I'll have enough time to make dresses for all my dolls and have my own Fashions of the Field competition.


13 comments:

  1. This is so reminiscent of the Kentucky Derby here in the states. All the outfits are lovely. The first one is my fave. I love the very soft colors. Thanks for sharing this info with us. I love hearing how things work outside the US.

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    1. Yes, it's a big day here - and celebrated in different ways all over the country. In Darwin (at the top of Australia) they have a Melbourne Cup frog race at the same time as the Cup is run. I'm glad you liked the first outfit, it is a lovely soft cotton and you're right, the colours are very soft and springlike.

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  2. Audrey is my favorite! I'm always partial to a lovely chapeau.

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    1. Glad you liked it - hat making is something new for me but the black one was easy - it was sold as a fascinator base but it was the right size to be one of those '50's inspired hats for the dolls. See you're all teaching me to look at things in 1:6 scale.

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  3. Hello from Spain: congratulations on these creations. I love the dresses for the Melbourne Cup Day. My favorite dress Stephanie wearing it. All clothing is very fashionable. I love! In my country we will soon be in winter ... We keep in touch.

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  4. Thank you, Marta - I like to use fashion trends in the doll's clothes and peplums are very big here for spring and summer. I also liked the mix of blue and white in Stephanie's dress. Yes, our seasons are the opposite of yours so while you're getting ready for winter, we are getting ready to cope with the heat.

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  5. What a beautiful way your girls celebrated the Melbourne cup day,all of them looked stunningly beautiful yet maintained their individuality,which is the best part.You are a superb stylist I can see!!:)
    I can't choose as I find them all equally attractive! ;) Keep in touch,dear!:D

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  6. Thank you, Pam, I'm glad you like the fashions, it was a lot of fun to do.

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  7. Hi! I came to your blog from Muff's, and I loved it, so you've got a new follower. Loved those pictures, your girls look so stylish!

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    1. Welcome Rossetti and thank you very much. Now I have to keep it up.

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  8. Those dresses are really nice. The detail is what makes them special.
    Thanks :-)

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    1. Welcome and thank you Grandmommy. I really enjoyed sewing them and adding the details.

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  9. I will most certainly check out your blog and thank you for following mine.

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