The first Tuesday of November may be most famous for ‘the race that stops a nation’ – but this year the who’s who of Australia’s social scene ensured passers-by were stopping for an entirely different reason.
Some of the biggest names in sport and television turned up to the Birdcage on Tuesday, dressed to the nines for the most famous event in the Melbourne spring racing calendar.
And while many put on a daring display that pleased the eye, others didn’t quite nail their ‘fit for the big day.
Crystal Kimber made an early lead in the race for ‘worst dressed’, later joined by Demi Brereton and Jessie Murphy in equally questionable garb.
Crystal Kimber and Demi Brereton have plenty in common, with both of the stunning women judging fashions on the field in the past. Demi’s latest stint was at Derby Day on Saturday.
Despite this they both misjudged their own outfits on the day.
Crystal’s dress, shoes and headpiece were gorgeous as stand alone pieces, but there were so many elements it made it hard for any one part to shine on its own.
Demi wore a gorgeous off-shoulder red dress but her decision to add a sheer scarf to the outfit tainted the otherwise perfect look.
The outfit was finished off with a pleasant red hat and some simple black heels which were appropriate for the day.
Jessie Murphy arrived later in a futuristic red mini dress which had so many sharp features it took away from the finished look.
The red dress had an overly structured skirt, heavy duty shoulder pads and a sharp oversized collar. The dress featured a heap of round buttons which made it look too tight and uncomfortable.
Jessie wore clashing dark red shoes and finished the look off with a cute bow and stylish multi-coloured purse.
DJ Perri Lee also misjudged the mood trackside with an odd gold number which seemed to pool at her feet.
The dress featured mermaid-style cups for the DJ’s bust this was connected to a sheer corset. The look was finished off with a matching yellow choker yellow chain bag and a large hat which closely resembled a satin cushion.
Rebecca Maddern’s look certainly fitted in with the splash of colour and fun Melbourne Cup is known for but didn’t quite fit the bill.
Delta Goodrem’s hair, makeup and accessories were all on point for the big race – but her dress was slightly off key.
The Innocent Eyes hitmaker wore a long, highly sculpted yellow gown with a plunging neckline, shoulder detail and long sleeves.
The dress continued to flow down below the knees, swamping Delta’s trim figure is a sea of yellow. It may have complemented the singer better had it been cut off at the knee – but as it were, proved that there’s such thing as ‘a little too much of a good thing’.
AFL WAG Brit Selwood also left something to be desired with her outfit choice for the day.
The short grey-blue dress featured a large diamante-encrusted cutout which almost bared the young woman’s entire chest.
The And.Bear dress was handmade by the Australian designers for the event – and even featured a tag inside which said ‘For Brit’.
Celebrity stylist Lana Wilkinson also found herself raising eyebrows with a blush designer gown which left her looking slightly too bronzed and awkward.
The peplum-esque strapless gown was paired with plain black heels, a black bag and stylish bow.
Cortnee Vine may be a hero on the soccer field but when it came to dressing up for the races the 25-year-old Matilda’s star failed to do herself justice.
She chose a pink oversized suit which made her look washed out and clashed with her gorgeous auburn locks. She paired the over-sized suit with a hot pink hat which appeared to be sitting on top of a head wrap.
Before she headed trackside Cortnee excitedly posted a picture of the outfit laid out with the caption ‘a different changeroom to what I am used to’.
Science fiction writer Damien Broderick took advantage of the new rules allowing men to wear shorts but the outfit didn’t quite hit the mark.
The shorts were paired with a jacket which was an awkward hybrid of formal and hiking apparel. He finished his look off with brown shoes without socks and a cream hat.
Aaron Mitchell took a gamble with his outfit on race day – landing the stylist on the worst dressed list.
His black suit was adorned with red string detailing which matched the red detail on his feathered fascinator.
Best dressed
Others looked perfect trackside in their well planned ensembles.
Kate Waterhouse and Emma Freedman showed they truly know how to stand out in a crowd for all the right reasons.
Kate made an early appearance wearing a stunning cream blazer dress by designer Mariam Seddiq, she coupled it with a cream Burlgari purse and topped it off with a broad hat by award winning milliner ‘Somewhere Here’.
Emma Freedman took a risk by dressing head-to-toe in red on the day and it paid off.
The media personality looked incredible in her tea-length dress and simple floral hat. Se finished the look with a pair of red and black sandals.
Princess Diana’s nieces Lady Eliza Spencer and Lady Amelia Spencer looked stunning in their matching red race day gowns.
Lady Eliza chose the less is more approach with fine black veil and nude shoes while Amelia made the most of her mini dress by pairing it with sky-high stilettos.
She added a simple red headband to finish the look.
Georgina Burke, who has been dubbed Australia’s next Jennifer Hawkins, looked incredible in her purple body-con dress which featured an intriguing high neckline.
She paired the dress with a full orange floral head piece and long gloves taking a risk with the colour clashing outfit.
The model played it safe on Derby Day – both looks landed her on the best dressed lists.
Amy Pejkovic recovered from her Derby Day disaster by channeling Barbie for Melbourne Cup Day.
She wore a tasteful pink tea-length strapless dress which featured an eye catching bust detail.
She paired that with a pink head band and pale gold shoes and a matching metallic clutch.
Real Housewives star Terry Biviano stunned in her lady in red outfit – with her shoes, lips and bag all carefully matched to her stunning gown.
The Melbourne Cup is the second event in the city’s Spring Racing calendar.
The first, Derby Day, was held on Saturday but despite being famous for being ‘easy’ to dress for some celebrities were still out of style.
Pip Edwards, Christian Wilkins and Nadia Bartel all stood out for the wrong reason in their black and white outfits on the day.
