The Myer Millinery Award was founded in 2006 and is a centre point for racewear millinery around the world. Hosted as part of the VRC Melbourne Cup Carnival, milliners are invited to showcase their skills through an open brief.
The competition was judged by a panel of experts that included milliner Stephen Jones OBE, The Australia’s Fashion Editor Glynis Traill-Nash, Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar Australia Eugenie Kelly and 2020 Millinery Award Winner Stephanie Spencer.
Racewear has not been a main focus for me this year, the industry has been hit quite hard as a result of the pandemic with fewer opportunities to dress up and many events cancelled so it is with great thanks to Myer and the Victorian Racing Club for hosting the competition again this year and supporting the Australian millinery industry.
My side project Lala + Pippi – kids sun hats, has taken up most of my attention this year, and as a result I have spent countless hours drafting and sewing flat pattern sun hats. As such, I have continued with this theme and created “Match Point” a flat pattern hat for my entry into the Myer Millinery Award for the 2021 Melbourne Cup Carnival.
I wanted to recreate a casual style hat and put a modern spring racing spin on it. I took inspiration from the classic sports visor and reworked it into an elegant timeless design styled in a versatile monochrome palette. Black and white is never out of style, it is chic, seasonless, timeless, ageless… making this a classic piece that can be worn again and again.
One aspect that enjoyed most was styling the outfit to complement the hat. Being in lockdown made things challenging… my model was a friend of the family who generously volunteered her time. She had never modelled before and did the most amazing job, she was such a natural and just a wonderfully beautiful person. Together we pulled together my vision of what the outfit should be. We were limited in our location and settled on the front porch of my mother-in-laws house. My husband took the photos while I helped direct. Such a team effort and I am so grateful to everyone that played a part.
Check out the Top 10 entries and winners of the Myer Millinery Award 2021 here and all the Millinery Association of Australia members entries in the the Myer Millinery Award here.
Model: Victoria Bateman
Millinery: Abigail Fergusson Millinery
Photography: Rai Fergusson