Last Saturday the lovely Kelly Bannister and I trotted off to Caulfield for the Caulfield Cup, but without poor Bonnie. She was going to come but she was busy toiling away in the Hat Making Lair getting your orders ready. They’re all looking great by the way!

Melbourne yet again, couldn’t decide if it wanted to be cold, cloudy, sunny, hot or rainy so were treated to a bit of everything, including sunburn. (Red sunburn with an orange dress – colour blocking anyone?)

Luckily I had the best thing to protect me against the elements… a Bonnie Evelyn hat! I wore a Bonnie Evelyn vintage straw hat with silk ‘Marian’ flowers (named after our late aunt Marian who gave Bonnie the fabric). And after a few last-minute adjustments – Bonnie sewed some black beads in the centres of the flowers to tie in with my black shoes – I was set and ready. Kelly wore a vintage latte-coloured dress accompanied by a custom-made Bonnie Evelyn original hat. Bonnie used Paris Cloth (funnily enough, from Paris) and fabric from the hem of the dress to make the lace embellishments.

Kelly and I had fun strutting our stuff in the Chadstone Fashion Stakes and it was wonderful to see all the women go to so much effort with their outfits. However, I’m not going to lie, I think there were a few skirts that showed a little too much (if you can see undies, it’s clearly too short) and a few necklines that were too low (really, if you can see body piercings, it’s too much skin darling). But apart from a few exceptions, everyone looked divine. There was lots of bright colours, chunky heals, and of course black and beige and a few florals.

We chatted to some lovely Navy boys on their big day out at the races and had some hot racing tips thanks to Mum – we won $17 whole dollars between us! (We’re big spenders – good on ya Green Moon) Thanks for the tips Mum!

Photo of Kelly and Lucy from The Fashion Capital Facebook page, photo of the Chadstone Fashion Stakes from Caulfield Racing Facebook page. (The other pics are from Kelly’s shiny new iPhone).

Kelly looking gorgeous as always

On the lawn trying to find a horse

To see the beautiful photos of our new Model of the Month Miss October Jemma Thomas, click here.

The winning Yellowglen Vintage Hat by Bonnie Evelyn Millinery with the lovely Bonnie Evelyn herself. Photo from: http://www.facebook.com/yellowglen

What an exciting event Hatstravagance was for Bonnie Evelyn Millinery! The glamour of two catwalk parades, being photographed for Melbourne newspaper The Age, and winning the Yellowglen Vintage Hat competition! That’s right, Bonnie Evelyn Millinery walked away with the prize – all that research has certainly paid off!!

The hat (entitled ‘Lady Yellowglen’) wowed the judges with its scrumptious display of two-toned yellow stripe abaca, natural coloured sinimay, hand-made cream silk satin flowers and a frothing array of Swarovski crystals, fire polished beads and fresh water pearls. The hat embodied the five sparkling wines in the Yellowglen Vintage Range and conjured thoughts of bubbles that never stop flowing, the taste of fresh Spring flavours and encompassed a new take on vintage glamour.

Lucy, Bonnie Evelyn and Kelly

Held at The Atrium at Flemmington Racecourse and sponsored by Yellowglen, Hatstravagance showcased the Spring collections from members of the Millinery Association of Australia through a morning and evening catwalk parade and a table for each milliner to sell their creations. We met many stylish women with a passion for millinery (the best fashion passion to have) and had lots of fun trying on hats at our spectacular stall. The venue looked beautiful, the bubbles were bubbly, the goodie bags were great (‘greatie’ bags?), the models looked divine, the staff were lovely, and all the hats were knock-your-socks-off FANTASTIC!

Thank you to Hoss from Boxwars for helping with our fantastic cardboard display, Kelly Bannister for again, snapping up some great shots for us, and of course, Meg Farmer, our darling mother whos unwavering support gets us through everything. Well done team!

Bonnie Evelyn and Lucy with the fantastic cardboard display ladies

Working hard at the Bonnie Evelyn stall