After entering more than 45 Fashions on the Field competitions across Australia, Crystal Kimber has finally taken the top prize.
The seasoned competitor was crowned the winner of Myer Fashions on the Field national final during Kennedy Oaks Day on Thursday.
Crystal, who was representing New South Wales, stole the spotlight with a blue floral dress that she and her mum had created out of a skirt belonging to her late grandmother.
After entering more than 45 Fashion on the Field competitions across Australia, Crystal Kimber has finally taken the top prize
Crystal, who was representing New South Wales, stole the spotlight with a blue floral dress that she and her mum created out of a skirt belonging to her late grandmother
Crystal paired the outfit with a gorgeous pink headpiece, which matched the sash on her sleeveless dress, and was embroidered with flowers and coordinated with her floral hoop earrings
She paired the outfit with a gorgeous pink headpiece, which matched the sash on her sleeveless dress and was embroidered with flowers that coordinated with her floral hoop earrings.
The blue dress, made out of raffia, was discovered at a vintage store decades ago. Even as a child, Crystal was completely taken with its floral pattern.
When her grandmother, a seamstress, passed away a couple of years ago, the skirt was left to Crystal.
And now it has won the Fashions on the Field devotee a slew of prizes valued over $100,000, including a brand new Lexus and a $22,000 Girard-Perregaux Laureato watch.
‘It is a very special dress, her nana would just be shining down on her tonight,’ Crystal’s mum, Gail Taylor, told Channel 7 after the competition.
And Gail, who has helped create most of Crystal’s dresses through the years, was with her every step of the way as she took on the national finals.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 09: Myer Fashions on the Field Millinery Award winner model Sahara Deng, wearing a design by Sarah Hope Schofield poses on Kennedy Oaks Day at Flemington Racecourse on November 9, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images for the VRC)
She was joined by models Sarah Karklins (left), whose design took third, and runner up Anthea Crebbin (right) at the Flemington Racecourse on Thursday
Anthea sported a unique metallic headpiece that covered half her face, while Sarah donned a pink swirl headpiece that perfectly mashed her collar and blush dress
First-time entrant Holly Stearnes (pictured center) took third place in the national finals. She is pictured here with Victorian Fashion on the Field finalists Montelle Mondello and Brittney Tamou
‘Sharing this experience with my incredible mum has been so special, not only wearing her mum’s skirt as a dress but the fun we’ve had over the years with Fashions On The Field,’ Crystal wrote on Instagram just hours before her win.
Crystal, an aspiring designer who now lives in Melbourne, is a seasoned veteran at Fashions on the Field and has already won prizes valued around $100,000 through the years.
But she was joined in the top three by newbie Holly Stearnes, who took third place in the finals.
Holly, who represented Tasmania, took top prize in the Victorian competition – which is selected from a pool of finalists chosen on Derby Day, Melbourne Cup Day, and Kennedy Oaks Day.
While white may have been the colour of choice among a number of celebrities, the Fashion on the Field contestants were not afraid to explore colour and fringe
Bows were a common theme of the day, while other women opted for a more traditional look with veils, gloves, and lace
Floral was another big theme of the day, from the patterns on dresses to the focal point of headpieces, as seen here
The racegoer on the left sported a gorgeous pink and black chantilly lace dress Australian designer Yeojin Bae, while another opted for a gorgeous periwinkle blue and a loud dash of red
A first time entrant, Holly wowed the judging panel in her $560 pastel pink and yellow Nicola Finetti dress, matching blush pink fascinator by blogger Fabulous Femme and on-trend rose gold accessories.
The Kookai employee wore her hair scraped back into an elegant bun and completed her look with a simple pair of rose gold strappy heels.
Taking the Field Millinery Award was Melbourne fashion designer Sarah Hope Schofield, who created a gorgeous white and leopard print bow creation worn by model Sahara Deng.
Schofield revealed that the piece was inspired by ‘dressing up when you go out’ and said it was a ‘rush at the last minute’ to finish, she told The Age.
One woman wore a gorgeous spiral fascinator where butterfliers flew over her head on wires, one created with the same rose-printed fabric as her dress
Some women chose to match their headpieces perfectly to their outfits, including this woman who was a vision in blue
Some racegoers truly thought outside of the box for their headpieces, including a woman who wore piano keys
Crowns and metallic headpieces were also represented in the competition, from one woman’s sky high Cleopatra-esque design to another woman’s spiral headpiece
And while crowns may have been the trend du jour at the Spring Racing Carnival this year, the motto seemed to be the bigger the better when it came to Fashions on the Field.
One woman wore a gorgeous spiral fascinator where butterflies flew over her head on wires, while another sported a sky high blue and pink crown fit for Cleopatra.
Racegoer Brittney Tamou sported a feathered hat that spanned the width of an eagle’s wings, which she paired with a blue dress that appeared to be inspired by an ocean’s waves.
Sarah Karklins, who modelled the third place Millinery award winner, sported a gorgeous pink spiral headpiece – created by Rose Hudson Millinery – that perfectly matched her blush dress.
Some women were still influenced by the metallic trends inspired by crowns and headbands, including second place millinery model Anthea Crebbin – who sported a futuristic gold headpiece that covered half of her face.
Others channelled decades long past, donning chic hats decorated with florals or lace, while other women opted for quirkier designs – like a piano keyboard or a bee sniffing a flower.
A pop of red was common on Thursday, especially when it came to florals. And one woman took it to the next level by adding a giant bee on her head
And one woman came in a white and pink affair, complete with tassels and and a gorgeous hat that perfectly matched