Yellow wins the gold in the fashion stakes at Werribee Cup

Fillies and fashion dominated at Werribee racecourse on Sunday for the annual Werribee Cup.
               

More than 4000 people frocked and suited up to see the Darren Weir-trained High Church storm to Werribee Cup victory during the eight-race meeting.

Meanwhile, there were fascinators, gloves and heels galore for the annual Fashions on the Field competition.

Geelong’s Peta Bell took out the ladies’ open division with a yellow Thurley slip dress with lace overlay, matching fascinator by Admelda and contrasting pink accessories and lipstick.

Ms Bell, 26, said she had taken part in a number of Fashions on the Field competitions in the past year and taken out top spot in fashions at Dunkeld, Colac and Yarra Valley meets.

“I wasn’t expecting to win at all,” she said.

“I’m a little bit overwhelmed. [My dress] is a nice, bright colour, especially in summer and spring.”

Luke Perkins impressed the judges with his navy suit and fedora to take out the menswear section; Joy Erkine won for ‘most elegant hat’; and young Werribee resident Xavier Pedulla was ‘best dressed child’.

Fashions on the Field organiser Heather Marcus said she was impressed by the calibre of entrants.

“We had some extremely high-quality entrants,” she said.

“What the judges were looking for is the complete outfit: the dress, the hat, the shoes, the gloves and the fit.”

Werribee Racing Club manager Glenn Scott said following two successful years, the Werribee Cup would be held each year on the second Sunday of December.

The next Werribee Racing Club meeting is on January 27.

Vogue says cleavage is now out of fashion and women are having none of it

Vogue is taking the term "fashion bible" far too literally. The British version of the magazine has featured an article in its December issue on the "debate" (was there one?) about the end of cleavage.
               

"Whatever happened to the cleavage?" they asked under the story by Kathleen Baird-Murray with the headline, "Desperately Seeking Cleavage". They also went to the public with a Twitter poll asking, "is cleavage over?"

Their research notes "the distinct lack of pertinently pushed-up breasts everywhere from runway to red carpet," sales for padded bras slipping, and singled out those wearing high-necks on the red carpet, like Alicia Vikander at in Louis Vuitton and Jennifer Lopez in Giambattista Valli at this year's Golden Globes.

The writer says: "The cleavage — those magnificent mounds pushed together to display sexual empowerment, to seduce, to inspire lust or even just to show off — is over, or at least, taking a well-earned break," adding, "The tits will not be out for the lads. Or for anyone else, for that matter."

Amidst the controversy, Baird-Murray responded to suggest her Vogue article headline, online blurb and Twitter poll were all misleading as her story is not about "breast size, large or small, being 'in' or 'out'."

"It's saying that fashion designers are creating more natural, comfortable clothes that focus on other erogenous zones than just the cleavage," she wrote on Twitter.

Marie Claire launches fashion influencer network The Style Set

Pacific Magazines’ Marie Claire is looking to leverage the booming influencer marketing space with the launch of The Style Set, a network of fashion and style influencers who will create content for the magazine’s website.
               

The Style Set will create create content for marieclaire.com.au as well as regular looks and shopping stories for Styledbymarieclaire.com.au, the brand’s curated, interactive personal shopping platform.

Style Set influencers will also collaborate on selected Marie Claire advertising briefs.

Jackie Frank, general manager – fashion, beauty and health said: “The Style Set pairs the authority of the Marie Claire brand with the individuality and reach of some of Australia’s best-known influencers. This allows us to deliver our clients and brand partners authentic content that can be amplified across multiple platforms.”

The Style Set’s founding members include Sara Donaldson of Harper and Harley, Jessie Bush of We The People, Brooke Testoni and Kaitlyn Ham of Modern Legacy.

Nicky Briger, editor at Marie Claire, said: “We’re delighted to launch the Marie Claire Style Set. These style powerhouses, together with the Marie Claire brand, will deliver the very best in fashion and style trends and I’m confident our readers will relish the regular contributions which will further transform the way consumers interact with brands.”

The launch of The Style Set follows on from rival publisher Bauer Media launching an influencer network connected with its Beauty Directory brand.

Additional influencers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Miranda Ward is the publishing and PR editor at Mumbrella. She edits the weekly PR newsletter CommsCon and the weekly publishing newsletter Publish. Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.

Global success Australian Fashion Labels nurtures talent

BY choosing SA as its base, global success story Australian Fashion Labels is helping to nurture and keep local talent in the state.
       

Founded in 2007, the Adelaide-based multimillion-dollar company, which boasts brands including C/MEO Collective, Finders Keepers and Keepsake, recruits TAFE SA fashion graduates.

At present, about 25 graduates are employed there, including designers Cyd Beard, Emma Cherry and Helena Bava.

Since it began recruiting graduates, the business has given 60 their start in a competitive industry.

Some have also gone on to have their own successful labels, including Acler co-founder Julia Ritorto.

TAFE SA creative arts educational manager Sean Parsonage said Australian Fashion Labels had strong ties with fashion education.

“All of our Bachelor students do a vocational placement with Australian Fashion Labels,” he said. “It provides an excellent foundation for our students to get real, hands-on experience with an international fashion house.”

Mr Parsonage said the iChooseSA campaign, which encourages people to spend their money with local businesses to help create more jobs for South Australians, was a great initiative.

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week 2016

If the eye shadow palette was the must-have make-up item for 2015, then the lip palette is the go-to multiple for this season, according to leading make-up artists.
               

Backstage at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, lead artist for Mecca, Sally Axford, said the look created for the opening gala – a sharp, overdrawn lip with a nude, almost translucent eye – was a trend that's easily recreated at home, with a bit of practice.

Ditch your mascara – even just for a night

Yes, it's always been the thing that makes you look awake when nothing else will but Axford says leaving your lashes bare will transform your whole look.

Ditto heavy shadows and liners. With this look, a sweep of contouring powder in a dusty pink – or any shade that isn't ashy on your skin – and some highlight through the brow and in the inner corners is all that's needed.

Find your glow

With summer around the corner (no, really, it is), it's time to start thinking about alternatives to heavy foundations for the warmer months.

On the models, Axford and her team used Nars tinted moisturiser, mixed with a little extra moisturiser for added sheen.

Many ways to contour a cat

Harsh contouring lines are fine for editorial to get that chiselled look but clever use of concealer and highlighter can achieve an equally dramatic, yet softer, effect.

On the T-zone, Axford used less of the foundation and more concealer to give a subtle contour between the surfaces of the nose.