EVENT- Brothers Cairns Cup Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th August

Spend this weekend wisely as it’s your last chance to get your outfits sorted for the Brothers Cairns Cup. Held next Saturday and Sunday (the 9^th and 10^th of August), Cannon Park with come alive with two great days of racing and fashion. Each day of racing has its own Fashions on the Field competition with some fantastic prizes up for grabs. The golden rule for anyone entering Fashions on the Field at either day of the Brothers Cairns Cup is to remember it is a trans-seasonal winter carnival. What this means if you’re feeling a bit confused is to avoid wearing obvious summer fashion or headwear. I (Angela) am very excited to be representing OTOT on the Fashions on the Field judging panel on Cairns Cup Sunday and I can’t wait to jump on a plane and head up to FNQ! Make sure you keep reading and click on the links to get all the full details for the judging criteria and to register online. In a nutshell here are the details for Fashions on the Field.Saturday 9^th August. Brothers Cairns Cup Myer Ladies DayThere are two categories with the major prize $3000 in Myer Vouchers and a trip for two along the East Coast from Sassi Shoe Boutique. There are also addition prizes from other fashion sponsors for the finalists. The registration desk opens at 11am and closes at 12.15. The competition with be completed by 2pm.Myer Lady of the Day 12.30pmMyer Millinery of the Day 1.00pmFurther details and to pre-register CLICK HERESunday 10^th August. Brothers Cairns Cup SundayThere are three categories with the major prize $4200 from Babinda Electrics, Property Law Solutions, Bragg Real Estate and $1000 in vouchers from Tea Lily on Grafton Street. There are also addition prizes from other fashions sponsors for finalists. The registration desks opens at 12 noon and closes at 1.15pm. The competition will be completed by 2.30pmClassic Ladies Racewear Award 1.30pmUnder 35’s Contemporary Ladies Racewear Award 2.00pmMost Stylish Couple Award- Immediately following the U35’s Contemporary Ladies category.For further details and to pre-register CLICK HEREI am so looking forward to being able to see some great trans-seasonal racewear and leave freezing Melbourne to see the fabulous fashions up north. Having attended the races in Cairns on a number of occasions I know how high the fashion standard is and am excited to experience a winter Carnival in Far North Queensland.If you aren't familiar with the Fashion on the Field in Cairns, I would recommend booking a ticket in the fashion marquee for the best view of all the catwalk action.Myer Fashionable Fillies LunchCairns Cup High TeaI am so looking forward to being able to see some great trans-seasonal racewear and leave freezing Melbourne to see the fabulous fashions up north. Having attended the races in Cairns on a number of occasions I know how high the fashion standard is and am super excited to experience a winter Carnival in Far North Queensland.By Angela Menz

Sandown Park Ladies' Day

England's glorious summer continued at Sandown Park's Ladies' Day, heating the racecourse to a balmy 27-degrees and providing the perfect opportunity to don pretty sundresses once again.There was also an extra reason to sport your best summer frock, with the popular Best Dressed competition attracting many a well-heeled lady, vying for a host of spectacular prizes. Although this particular competition came with a suggested dress code: outfits featuring the colours of the American flag (that's red, white and blue) to celebrate US Independence Day, which just happened to fall on the same day.As Angela had already departed London for the Melbourne winter (unlucky), I called in two of my other race-loving friends, Fiona and Gail, for a true ladies' afternoon at the track. And because we love a good dress code, we all did our best to represent our friends across the Atlantic. This called for some trawling through the archives to dig up an outfit I haven't worn in many years: my 2007 Melbourne Cup Fashions on the Field runner-up jockey-inspired polkadots outfit (or just "Polkadots" for short).The Best Dressed competition was to be judged by a Lady(ies) of London, but an American by birth: the beautiful Noelle Reno, star of the Bravo TV series, fashion entrepreneur, blogger and socialite (that's one lengthy email signature!).Six lucky ladies were chosen as finalists, and we were so excited when Fiona and Gail received the "magic calls" to say their Americana outfits had been nominated as two of the six. They were joined by some pretty pastel retro frocks and elegant, streamlined neutral and black ensembles, creating an eclectic mix of racing looks and making Noelle's job even more difficult.Wearing a breezy white Jonathan Saunders for Debenhams top and skirt, and a sun-smart wide-brimmed hat trimmed with veiling by Stephen Jones for Debenhams, Noelle was assisted in her judging task by milliner Ilda di Vico, who contributed a beautiful couture hat to the prize booty. Other prizes included jewellery from Hot Diamonds, Molton Brown bath products, beautiful flowers and a much-desired magnum of Moët et Chandon - and this was all for the winner!We were delighted, surprised, excited and amazed when Noelle announced Gail as the Best Dressed Lady. Gail, who had never entered a Best Dressed competition before, scooped the winner's prize in an outfit that was pulled together just the night before - proving you don't have to spend weeks of effort and large amounts of money to create a winning look. The outfit featured a bargain print dress from the Peter Pilotto for Target collection, a hat (made by me) which she originally commissioned for Royal Ascot, coral red suede pumps from The Kooples and a black belt and clutch bag.Noelle later said in her blog for Optical Express Magazine that she wanted to choose someone who would "really truly appreciate the prize, another sort of underdog". She was thrilled to discover Gail was a mother who had never won anything in her life before, with the exception of some swimming titles.Later that night, as Fiona and I toasted the end of a glorious summer day at Sandown Park, Gail was swapping her glamorous clothes for a swimsuit to compete in her local swim meet. High on adrenaline from being named Best Dressed, she backed-up her win with another first prize that night in the half-mile race. Style and speed - Gail certainly has the perfect combination for trackside success!Photos courtesy of Sandown Park Racecourse.By Lisa Tan

Investec Ladies' Day at Epsom Downs

After a few trips to Australia earlier in the year, it was time for another OTOT reunion - though this time it was Angela's turn to make the long-haul flight, and of course she timed it impeccably to arrive the day before one of the biggest and most glamorous days of British racing: the Epsom Oaks.Along with being the start of Britain's summer of racing, Investec Oaks Day also features a competitive best dressed event, sponsored by the very fashionable Harvey Nichols, where the winner is awarded £5,000 to spend at the Knightsbridge department store.It's a raceday and a competition I know well, Epsom having been the scene of some of my biggest best dressed wins (in 2009 and 2012), so I suggested we aim for a more polished, elegant look, especially as Mariella Tandy, from UK magazine Tatler, had been given the task of choosing the winner. Angela created a ladylike peach dress embellished with jewels especially for the occasion, accessorised with a glossy black headpiece. Meanwhile I let down the hem of my bargain Singapore buy (a vivid cobalt blue frock from Southaven) to a more acceptable length, and paired it with "Shelley" from my SS14 collection and matching orange suede sandals.Friend of OTOT and sometime Instagram contributor, Kelli Odell, was also in town and joined us for a day at the track, donning her gorgeous Flemington Fashions on the Field first runner-up outfit to enter the competition.In previous years' competitions, the finalist line-up was an obvious choice, however this year's judging seemed to go against the grain. On a spectacularly sunny summer's day, monochrome ensembles unexpectedly featured heavily among the finalists, and it was left to Kelli - in the most colourful and eye-catching outfit of the chosen few - to represent Australia in the best dressed competition.Unfortunately it was not to be, and Kelli missed out on making the final six. Reflecting Mariella Tandy's own black-and-white outfit, four of the six finalists were dressed in monochromatic looks (and a fifth in grey and white), with Rosie Divito standing out in a calf-grazing, fire-engine-red frock and cream disc hat.Being the only finalist sporting colour, it was not a surprise when she was announced as the winner, and we applaud the budget-friendly nature of her outfit, with the dress originating from asos.com and her hat from John Lewis.With no wins in the fashion stakes, it was time to try and find one on the track as the main race of the day, the Investec Oaks, approached. Alas, the punting gods were not on our side and out of the seven horses we backed (yes, SEVEN), we couldn't even manage a place return!We left Epsom a little poorer and (most of us) quite jet-lagged, but it was a great introduction to British racing for Angela, and an enjoyable return for Kelli. Just don't count on such great weather if you return next year, ladies!Photos: dailymail.co.uk, investec.co.uk and Epsom Downs Racecourse Facebook page.By Lisa Tan