Fashions on the Field, your right to compete.

As fashions on the field is evolving there is more and more speculation on what Racing Fashion is and where it is leading. Recently I had a conversation with the wonderful Kim Fletcher who makes beautiful millinery as well as being a lovely person and giving me great sound advice.

When chatting about Fashions on the Field, we both personally came down to the decision that it is a right of all Australian women at the track that they should always have the right to get up on stage and feel fantastic. As long as they are wearing some form of millinery, they are welcome. Yes you do have your die hard fashion on the field competitors but this cannot and should not stop anyone from getting up and having a go. The thing is as time goes by and if ladies who have just started doing this for fun, they will be able to see why some people are final ling and then see where they can compensate to bring their personal style to a competitive level.

With one of my dear friends heading off to Dubai to try her luck in the International Fashions on the Field, I said, “Why not! This is a fantastic opportunity.” Nothing should be holding anyone back from getting up there and having a go.

In my friends case, she tells me of the judgement she has every day and trials of how hard she works for her family and her outlet is to dress up like a lady on the weekends and showcase herself. What a fantastic excuse! She is now learning the art of purchasing vintage and learning about couture, and this is what we have to embrace in fashions on the field that we can open up the industry to showcase Australian couturiers and not have our $$$$s heading overseas just a showcase of beautiful women in stunning millinery and clothes made in Australia.

Many people have different reasons for entering fashions on the field. Some may be models wanting to get rid of stage fright or models just wanting practice on a catwalk. Some girls want to get their face noticed so they may become promotional models, others just love what they do and having the opportunity to get dressed up with friends and have a go.

Kim Fletcher and I were even speaking of a girl that was unable to make eye contact with a huge amount of shyness and since she has been doing fashions on the field she has a new air of confidence. No matter what your story is, you have the right to hop up on stage and give it a go, I mean what do you have to loose? Absolutely nothing, you will almost get some sort of voucher or goody bag, and you may just have what the judges are looking for that day.

Remember Racing Fashion is never just one look and of course ladies it is about embracing being a lady so skirt lengths are a good tip to keep in mind. There will always be winners and losers, but in my eyes if you are getting up and having a go with a great attitude you are a winner.

Every person in the above photos has as much right to be there as anybody else, this is one of the best things about Australian Fashions on the Field, everyone has the right to get up and have a go.
I think next year, Australia Day Racing I will be wearing a lamb chop hat! 

  

I pose the question, Is there freedom of Speech or are we just all too precious!

Is there really freedom of speech or is everyone just a little too precious these days. Living in the year of 2012 where we should be over racial hatred, religious warfare and downright discrimination. We are now presented in a world where I feel some people have become way too precious.

When sparking up conversation with people at times you have to assess if the people you are talking to can have constructive criticism and learn from yourself while you learn from them, or do you have to tread carefully.

When growing up, every adult was a Mr or a Mrs and the rules were very strict. I had no choice, there were no teachers asking about my home life of child services. (not saying I needed them) But there was a code of ethics that I had to stand by. I had to keep my mouth shut to adults and speak when spoken to. Now I do not criticise that this has changed polarity, but is there a time now when you realise that the generations behind you cannot stand to hear fact.

Often now, when speaking, I am direct and I do not want to listen to fodder but how do they take it when they may be caught out in a blatant lie. In order to lie, you must A. Have a brilliant memory to remember the lies and if it is not fact it is very hard to remember and B. Begin to believe your lies and then have to elaborate on them.

There are also some very distinctive points that go along with lying, touching your face, twitching, the way the eyes point when telling a story and even the rapid breaths and swallowing. No this is not from a 'Lie to Me' Show, this comes from one of the best lie detectors I have ever met that works for the AFP. After a while no matter how small the lie you cannot get away with it and I think that what makes me so darn black and white.

My point is, you are told stories by people that you may take on face value but they end up tripping up in lies. Do you save someone from tripping up on their own lies??? No, you just have to let them go and think, did this not happen in those high school motion pictures.

In the fact of talking about freedom of speech, it has become so pathetic that someone is always putting up there hand saying, “I'll sue you!”.

So where do we say, no that is not appropriate to say. I have made the decision that freedom of speech in most first world countries is possibly dead as there is allot of political correctness gone absolutely mad, but if some one says horrible derogatory things about you, do you not just accept that they are the ones without a soul and just to give them a wide berth.

The thing is when ever a comment is made, people are thinking I am talking about them. I am probably not talking about you at all. Just going through my day thinking about my thoughts of people who come into my head and I express it onto cyber world.

When reading allot of my posts, unless it is fact of winner and colours of what someone is wearing, it may be opinion, of which I believe we are all entitled to. I must admit I love to see sparks of people who do want constructive conversation and can articulate their points correctly, but please have valid points and I love a good debate only to walk away feeling exactly like I did about the person before I had the conversation.

These days if conversations are based on individual opinions why should we have to agree?? Cannot we just think this is so wonderful that someone else has an individual point of view with justification of what they say.

I like to meet people that have the same point of view and values but the only person that has the same opinion and values to me I married. I am happy for others to have points of view and not like what I like, but if I say I don't like something, I will tell you if you want to know but please don't be a precious child that needs a sugar coating. We have so much to be grateful for in out country, that we don't have famine, war and the need to fight for our existence or do some people believe we do??  

In all honesty, when writing this post, nothing could prepare me to go onto the site of poverty stricken children and see this image.  To me this just reiterates how ridiculous the world has become, thinking about being precious.  This is what precious is, the life of a child!

Killing us Softly.

This is a great way to see the advertising world and what women are expected to be.  If we were to look like some of these images it is just plain creepy and makes me think that we will all have to be morphed into these strange objects that sell the so called, 'Dream'.
I don't want my daughter growing up in a world like this and I try to keep her as free as I can from Pop culture through print media.  Even as a six month old, infants are now considered consumers.  Not a dream, a nightmare.

Dita Von Teese, we love her!

Blowing Doors Wide Open, Fashionably Speaking!

I have posed a new question to people entering fashions on the field. We often hear of corruption and people within groups with knowing, but last year when I was a judge during Spring Racing Carnival I did have someone approaching me on Facebook (of which you will see that Racing Fashion Australia does not endorse) when they in fact knew I was a judge and asking me who the judges were when they had full knowledge of me being the judge. When answers were not given that were liked, I have now decided not to associate with these competitors as I have nothing to gain.

Recently you may have all read that my Facebook account had been hacked and I can read all sorts of emails and private messages that is not good and personally attacking. I have disabled facebook, but today I had revelations that maybe unfair advantages maybe taking place. This is why I love fashions on the field so much with MINK who run Myer. Everything is totally above board. I know allot of people on Fashions on the Field circuit and those who I judge with know I judge on who I believe has the best outfit on the day.

There has been something posted to my private email about a conversation between contestants, judges and compares. I am not saying anything is untoward, but so close to an event of fashions on the field, should there be conversations where people can talk in private on facebook the same way I was approached with sob stories and their deserving to win??? Does this take the edge off for other contestants???

I am no way insinuating anything has happened, but people must stay vigilant to the fact that this is a competition for all locals of racing to showcase. I honestly think that since I started Racing Fashion TV, some of the competitors may have the competition a little infiltrating of their life. It is only fashion of which we all love, not world peace.

Please feel free to email with your thoughts on this subject, please note that your words may be printed.

Please note, this does not happen when you win fashions on the field, nor when you win a sash showing animals! Some such as ? & ? M&**^$@#^ may call me poison pen, but I think allot of people would rather know what is happening behind facebook doors.  You don't worry me!

 

Not only clothes are fashionable, but POP icons also tell us what beauty is!

One of the best things I find about travelling around the world is what people deem as beautiful and what others think is atrocious.  About 10 years ago I lived in Rarotonga on and off in the Cook Islands.  The locals felt so sorry for me with long blonde hair and looking like I was starving.  I was invited to numerous hungi's to try and put some meat on me and as for my hair, they thought it looked like dead straw.  (It actually did)
We have our classic beauties such as Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor, but allot of the people in POP Culture make us believe they are beautiful through the media.  If you look at the transformation from beauty through the generations and of course trawling through numerous galleries around Europe you will see that during the renaissance, beauty was about voluptuous porcelain skinned full figured women, ready for childbirth.  Today it is the complete opposite.  I have been looking at not only beauty through the past 100 years, but also the trends.  I love that is was Veronika Lake, then the 50s had Marilyn Monroe, 60s had Twiggy, and 70s with the fabulous Farrah Fawcett.  The 80s introduced us to the gorgeous glamerzons of women called Supermodels, and they were, then with Kate Moss, the baby Bardot, she took a step of facial fashion to a new level.  Most men I know actually say Kate Moss does nothing for them and women see her of something of a god!  It is strange too that women are actually trying to impress each other more than their men.  Now we have a new world leader of really Pop Culture of Kim Kardashian that has pushed Paris Hilton off her podium.  Yet now we are looking to people like Rachael Zoe and Nicole Richie, I find this strange that media is dictating to us, what we should find attractive.  If they were not in magazines and public eye, the attraction would be left up to us.  I honestly think there is something beautiful inside every person, if you cannot find it, you aught to look in the mirror as if you cannot see others you will never be able to see your true self.

All these women do have something in common, great facial symmetry and genetically blessed with beautiful bone structure.  Over the next few weeks I am going to look at each era in more detail as I did with the 20s a couple of posts ago.  How we have transformed over the past 100 years!

The Facts of Copyright in Fashion and Millinery

Copyright in Fashion and of course millinery coming under the same banner is a huge issue. It is amazing that there are no copyright just integrity, but where do you draw the line as saying an inspiration, or something you may have learnt as either being a copy or inspired. This is a really interesting argument. There are many outfits I do see recycled on the fashions on the field scene, but when someone wins, there is allot of 'inspiration'. This is something even the larger houses with Trademarks such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Prada etc, find hard to police. I really feel it does come down to the integrity of the individual.

When shopping for my wedding gown, there is now way you can take photos to copy and take it to a designer friend, but once you have had your wedding it is open for the world to see, AND copy. This is a very harsh reality and I find it a very difficult area with so many friends being in the fashion world. It is hard!

When it comes to Millinery, you know if someone is trying to be Philip Treacy or any other milliner as looking at so many hats after a while you can definitely see someone’s design aesthetic. Of course to copy someone of what a master makes it purely embarrassing to wear, and when undertaking my first millinery course with Louise Macdonald last year in the gorgeous Nicolas Building, Louise was very quick to bring out magazines only to tell us, “You must not Copy”.

The fact is we actually could copy legally, but one, we would look ridiculous as we would no where have the skills to pull of anything as wonderful as anything pictured and two, why would we compromise our creativity???

These are questions I often ponder upon???

The more notoriety Fashions on the Field has, the more we have people taking pictures and I will let you know I have noticed allot of offshore visitors coming in and photographing to reproduce off shore. This is the very harsh reality of the fashion industry.

Please note I am in no way mentioning anyone is copying anyone, it is just about a few conversations finding out the legalities of copyright in the millinery world. Basically it would be millinery death to copy!

Remember you can always choose to Trademark, but if Louis Vuitton and other luxury products and brands are having trouble, it is really no use taking it to court as if Louis Vuitton cannot win, you wont, just a headache of legal bills.

This is one of my favourite clips in the fashion world and can make sense of your questions really quickly, well worth watching.