The fashions on the field were mostly bright and tight at Kembla Grange racecourse on Tuesday.
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The look worked well for the winners of the millinery, ladies 40-plus and ladies 18-39 categories who sported colourful creations which caught the judges’ eyes.
Shell Cove interior designer Kirsty Murphy showed she knew a thing or two about fashion design too, with her pretty orange and pink ensemble taking out the hotly contested younger ladies section.
‘‘I really just started from the shoes up - buying a dress to match them from Sway in Shellharbour and then making my headpiece myself,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s very exciting to win.’’
The 40-plus category was new this year, giving the more mature women the chance to strut their stuff.
Narelle Torpy of Mount Ousley entered just for fun, but the 53-year-old’s purple, orange and pink outfit certainly made her stand out.
‘‘I’m wearing a Basler dress and jacket and a Terence Gregory headpiece,’’ she said. ‘‘I liked the fun of this outfit, the colour.’’
Tarrawanna milliner Pamela O’Brien sported one of her own creations, a lime and teal number that topped the millinery category.
‘‘I’ve been a milliner for about four years and I made this yesterday afternoon to match my shoes and dress,’’ she said. ‘‘I didn’t expect to win.’’
The men’s section sported some colour - with an animal-print and a floral suit - but Cronulla’s Warwick Free took top prize with his understated but elegant charcoal suit.
‘‘My boss forced me to enter - there was some tough competition, all the guys looked pretty sharp,’’ he said.
Judges from Terence Gregory millinery, Envy Boutique and Niche Hair and Beauty had the difficult task of choosing the winners. Lyndal Kennedy, of Terence Gregory, said the standard was pretty high.
‘‘It’s great to see so much colour and everyone has gone to a lot of effort to tie in their headwear with their dresses, and with their accessories,’’ she said.
‘‘The races are all about giving people the opportunity to dress up in a stylish and sophisticated manner that’s appropriate for race day.’’
