Crafting a carnival look

There’s no better time or place to be experimental with fashion than a race day at Flemington. Whether entering Fashions on the Field or attending as a racegoer, the races give permission to dress in a style that’s unique, flamboyant, chic, or all of the above. Some of that creativity comes off a rack, styled together with flair. But increasingly, it’s made, either by the wearer themselves – who is finally given an excuse to put their skills to use – or by a specialty artisan whose work gets the spotlight it deserves.

Worth the wait

Persistence is its own kind of craft, and two of the Carnival’s best-known winners prove it. Holly Keenan’s 2025 Best Dressed win – a hand-built design of 517 laser-cut Perspex pieces arranged over a mesh base, drawing on art deco tiling – wasn’t a first attempt. It was her ninth entry, her skills as an engineer being transferred to create this wearable sculpture, and paying off. “Fashions on the Field is such a great creative outlet outside my work,” she said. “I love researching fashion and building sustainable pieces I can wear again.” Jenny Beard’s story runs longer still, spanning more than three decades. A familiar finalist many times over, and well-known for sewing her own outfits from scratch, she wore a handmade three-piece suit in floral fabric from Spotlight that took out Best Suited last year. “What I love about this competition is that nothing’s off limits,” she said.

Patience in every pleat

Cass Pisarskis, another longtime Fashions on the Field entrant, won the autumn 2025 competition in a custom tartan kilt, sourcing the fabric from Scotland and working with Lainie Brookman Couture to bring the skirt to life. Specialty Pleaters in Melbourne completed the intricate pleating. She paired it with a Karen Millen double-breasted black blazer with gold button details and a crisp white shirt. Thoughtful gold accents – a leaf brooch, a draped chain, a traditional kilt pin – tied the look together, finished with a Moore Millinery Designs button-style headpiece and a matching round clutch. “Sourcing and styling outfits is a process I love,” said Cass. “Sometimes it takes years to develop a look, but that’s what makes it special – working with artisans and specialists who are masters of their craft.”

From a digital entry to the podium

Foster Mwaba entered the 2025 Best Dressed Digital Competition from New Zealand, combining three different vintage dresses into one, adding her own pearl detailing to the back and making a matching hat by hand to finish it. “Fashion is my happy place,” the self taught dressmaker said of the process.

Global influences

Sherlon Garbo’s multiple wins have featured raffia-fringed bags and sculptural hats, drawing on weaving traditions from Africa, the Pacific and Australia. He is also adept at turning his own hand to creating, winning the inaugural Best Suited in 2022 with his tailored jacket, shirt and tie paired with a skirt that he made himself. Super Saturday Best Suited winner Arif Scholachudin brought a different kind of craft to the field. His suit – a cropped jacket and wide-leg trouser in warm stone linen with a bold tonal print – was made to his own design in his home country of Indonesia, finished with a batik tie in a nod to his roots, weaving his background directly into the winning look.

The future is in good hands

The Emerging Designer Award held on Derby Day is a platform for young designers to show their talents, with outfits that are usually much wilder than the traditional. Take last year’s winner, Caroline Caroline, whose dress, She Lives in a Dollhouse, stood out for its unexpected mix of materials and larger-than-life wooden bow. Combining wood, organdie and chiffon, Caroline actually worked with a boatbuilder to bring the piece to life. “It was challenging at first to translate my design perspective into something he could work with,” she said. “I’d bring cardboard and paper prototypes to his studio, and over time, we found a rhythm.” The stories may all be different, but they all point to the same thing: craftsmanship still has a place at Flemington. The slow craft never left – it simply keeps finding new hands to work it.