Cooktown residents don’t always get a lot of opportunities to dress to the nines in the laidback lifestyle of Cape York, but when they do, they do it well. Photo: Lyndon Keane.
From a true vintage dress, handmade millinery and conquering the grassy field in a pair of stiletto heels, Cooktown fashionistas did not disappoint at the town’s 150th annual race day on 9 November.
“I would hate to be a judge”, was the buzz phrase of Fashions on the Field (FOTF) onlookers as contestants dressed to the nines lined up on stage.
Kate Fraser, one of the judges tasked with making the difficult choice, said this year welcomed the highest calibre of entries she had seen since she joined the panel.
“I’ve been involved for a couple of years, and my family has been involved for maybe 30 years, and I thought it was the best quality of outfits we’ve seen,” she said.
“I think there was depth across each of the categories; everyone had co-ordinated outfits and I think they wouldn’t have felt out of place at any of the big city race meetings.
“The little je ne sais quoi, if you like, was deportment – how people carried themselves, posture and everything; some people just stood out because they just owned it – they might’ve been standing on the back of a tray truck, but they stood and carried themselves as if they were at Flemington.”
Cooktown Amateur Turf Club president and Cook Shire Council Mayor Robyn Holmes congratulates Shani Miller on her Heritage category win. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.
In celebration of its century-and-a-half history, there was a special Heritage category that delivered Cooktown local Shani Miller her first FOTF win.
Ms Miller, who received the golden winner’s sash in a dress worn by her grandmother about 60 years ago, said it was an emotional way to celebrate the event’s milestone anniversary.
“This is my nana’s dress, I’m not sure exactly how old she is now, but she’s probably nearly 80 and she wore this dress when she was 17,” she said.
“I just love it – it stands out as heritage and it’s pretty authentically vintage.
“Nana did Fashions on the Field a lot, and my mum has also entered heaps, and she’s won it a few times but I never had, so it’s pretty special.”
Jasmine and Ben Broad wowed the judges with their unique moss green look. Photo: Lyndon Keane.
Co-ordinated colour schemes and unique pieces looked to be the winning elements, with moss green duo Ben and Jasmine Broad taking home the prize for Style Duo of the day.
“We kind of had to throw everything together a little bit at the last minute, because, you know, shopping is a bit limited in Cooktown, so we’re feeling pretty chuffed,” Ms Broad said.
The creative Ms Broad handcrafted her fascinator with plants from local gardens, telling Cape York Weekly the art of a good outfit in a remote town was a combination of craftiness, second-hand shopping and online shopping.
“I think it was probably a lot of going to Vinnies and our local stores and seeing what we can find, and then filling the gaps with a little bit of online shopping, and then frantically picking stuff out of people’s gardens,” she said.
“I honestly just wanted to create something that was a little bit fun, and probably haven’t let go of Halloween yet – we raided some gardens and came up with this after lots of hot glue and swearing last night.”
The duo did think they had a chance of securing the win, but said they believed having one brain behind the two-outfit operation helped them get over the line.
“[It was] probably because one person styles both outfits,” Ms Broad laughed, with her husband adding that he had no say in the look.
“Usually, we dress a little bit different compared to other people – I have moss in my hair – so, we didn’t really think we would win, but feel very flattered that other people thought we look as cute as we do.”
The Fashions on the Field judges struggled to pick the winning looks from a high calibre of entries. Photo: Chisa Hasegawa.
