Fifty days of horses later, Sydney’s Autumn Racing Carnival reached the finish line last weekend. Metropolitan and regional racetracks across New South Wales hosted 120 race meetings….

Stop. Enough about the horses. Not enough about race fashions.

Every year, as race enthusiasts queue to place their bets, countless fashionable types adjust their hats and lapel flowers to take part in the great fashion race.  Style and glamour take over lawns trackside and members’ areas as everyone dresses up to celebrate the sport of royalty.

Some take style up a notch and enter Fashions on the Field competitions, where classic racewear, sculpted headpieces and immaculate grooming are on show to impress judges. Fabulous prizes, including international flights, make these competitions worth entering, even if the experience is the only reward.

Doncaster Day is the most prestigious event of Sydney’s autumn racing calendar, featuring million dollar races that bring horse racing families, celebrities and fashionable punters together.

This year, after weeks of chill and heavy rain, Sydney skies cleared to deliver a glorious race day. Wintry coats and boots were put aside in favour of freshness in colour and spirit.

The traditional black and white were worn by many, but the colour of the day was purple – all shades of purple. Satin dresses, edgy hats and feathery fascinators in a palette of fuchsia, violet and lilac made black and white a safe and predictable option.

Even at the generally conservative Fashions on the Field competition, a few entrants in the classic racewear category dipped into these lively colours. One wore a violet square-necked sleeveless dress, paired with a branch-like fascinator made out of silver foil. There was also a unique combination of a velvet dress in mocha, accessorised with a lavender bowler hat and heels.

Whilst many found inspiration in colour, others reached for the history books. A few male entrants radiated old-world charm with antique pocket-watches and leatherbound race books. One female entrant was a vision of Anna Karenina, in a high-necked blouse and tight black velvet jacket over a billowing red skirt with black whorls. A narrow black felt hat in the form of a rose covered her strenuously coiffured hair – it was a nostalgic look straight out of Tolstoy’s masterpiece.  

After a few rounds of elimination, the pool of ladieswear entrants shrunk to just five ensembles. These were all in the traditional black and white scheme, with a touch of grey and small statements of red.

The mens racewear finalists were a line-up of true Savile Row gentlemen in three piece suits and crisp cotton shirts. The winner here was Lloyd Menz in sharp grey pants, and a black jacket featuring two white roses on the lapel. He was accessorised with a black bowler hat, umbrella and binoculars.

Style seems to run in the Menz family, with Lloyd’s daughter, Angela, taking out the winner’s prize in the ladieswear category. Angela wore a grey Sherlock Holmes cape, decorated with a large black asymmetrical bow, and a black velvet skirt.

The outfit showed that tradition and classical touches are still the key to winning the fashion race. The winner’s hat - a self-made blooming flower design, with teardrop cutouts - was a sign that individual touches can make all the difference.