Cherished clients,

Happy New Year to you all. I hope you had a wonderful festive season and are feeling refreshed and ready for the year ahead. Part of my annual vacation was spent at the Gold Coast enjoying the numerous functions and racedays which make up the fabulous Magic Millions Carnival.

WOMEN IN RACING LUNCH SHERATON MIRAGE

The week started off on Monday 5 January with the always booked out Women in Racing Lunch in the elegant Horizons Restaurant. Directors of this organisation, Baslyn Beel and Jennifer Bartels, work very hard to raise money for recipients of racing welfare as well as making sure all of their guests have a great time.

All of the Gold Coast glamour girls were there in force as well as a few gentlemen. This function held the first heat of the Paspaley Best-Dressed of the Carnival Fashion Award which was won by the perennially stylish Judy Brine. Judy went on to win the major prize. Best-dressed gentleman was Tony Loveless in a pale grey suit and a matching fedora.

Pamela Larsen & The Bulletin’s Regina King at the WIR Lunch

Tony & Alanna Loveless with Glenda & Ross Newick

Ladies in Lavender. Dale with Alanna Loveless

The Ageless Roma Blair at Horizons

Cathryn Meredith at the Sheraton Mirage

Pretty in Pink Natalie Letford

Fleur Cowlishaw, Phyllis Tegg, Karen Valentine & Sandra Robson

Fleur Cowlishaw & Nino Goncalves Flash Their Pearlies

Paspaley Fashion Winner Judy Brine with Beryl O’Neill & Shirley Luke

Hat Box Milliners Ann Boyle & Patricia Balmer

The Elegant Kerrina King

Ross Stevenson & Di Holt

Pat Davey & Annette Wilde

LADIES OF LUXURY LUNCH ABSYNTHE RESTAURANT

Wednesday saw the Coast’s most stylish converge on the 2 Michelin star, award winning Absynthe Restaurant in the new Q1 building at Surfers Paradise. The ladies sipped champagne cocktails before a gourmet lunch which was accompanied by a parade of hats from The Hat Box with stunning jewels from Ann Middleton. The gorgeous models were supplied by Pam Tamblyn’s agency.

Best-dressed on the day was Natalie Letford, striking in blue and yellow. Natalie had already won “Best Hat” in the Fashions on the Field on Ladies Day at the Gold Coast Turf Club the previous Saturday in an Elizabeth R design from The Hat Box. The lovely Effie Cliff won “Best Hat”.

This lunch certainly lived up to its name with every lady in the room dressed to the nines in fabulous designer gear.

Kerrina King & Julie Billeau

Marilyn Rea, a Lady of Luxury

Models Elspeth Hudson, Kelly Beer & Kate Prowse

HATS & HIGH TEA MARRIOTT RESORT

The following morning saw us hardy souls slipping into our stilettos once again in yet another outfit and another new hat to force ourselves to drink Veuve Clicquot at 10:30am. The Marriott’s divine buffet of scrumptious delicacies made both breakfast and lunch redundant and post Christmas diets were temporarily postponed.

Gold Coast style queens save their best hats for this event and once again, they did not disappoint. Tourists in the Marriott lobby were agog at the sight of so much glamour at once and traffic was brought to a standstill. A magic morning to be remembered.

Nino Goncalves & Shirley Croft

Julie Billeau, Effie Cliff & Alanna Loveless

Donna Wells & Lauren Walker

Natalie Letford Blooms in Red

Jane Boyle at the Marriott

Di Holt at Hats & High Tea

Sarah Armstrong at the High Tea Buffet

Women in Racing Directors, Baslyn Beel & Jenni Bartels

Karen Valentine-Gazsik Enjoys High Tea with Margaret Valentine

MAGIC MILLIONS RACE DAY GOLD COAST TURF CLUB

Fortunately, the weather proved kind and the day was reasonably mild for January. Having attended this race day in previous years when it has been 43 degrees, that was a blessing. Marquees were in full swing all around the track, including a new 2 story one close to the entrance. Apart from the horses, the other big attraction on Magic Millions Day is the Fashions on the Field now sponsored by Myer.

Hundreds of participants, both male and female, gathered around the stage waiting for their ten seconds of fame. Spotted in the crowd were several of my friends and clients, including Brooke Spears, who was chosen as a finalist in the Paspaley Best Dressed Awards, as well as Effie Cliff, who was wearing a divine little Phillip Treacy hat, Glenda Newick, Kerrina King and Natalie Letford. Eventual winner was Yvonne Hoy in a black and white dress and a fabulous turquoise feathered hat by Sydney milliner, Neil Grigg. Lauren Walker won “Best Hat”.

Fashion Finalist Natalie Letford

Lauren Walker Wins Best Hat

Glenda Newick Fabulous in Feathers

The Fabulous Flynn Sisters at the Magic Millions

Paspaley Fashion Finalist Brooke Spears

Effie Cliff Glamorous in Green

Fashions on the Field Finalists

The week after the Magic Millions ended and I finally returned to work, several of my milliners swanned off to Wagga Wagga for the annual Millinery Forum. As well as honing their skills, it also gives them the opportunity to socialise with their southern counterparts like Peggy Stone and Neil Grigg from Sydney and Phillip Rhodes of Melbourne, all of whom sell their headwear through The Hat Box in Brisbane. As you can see from the photo of Meredith McMaster and Neil Grigg, it wasn’t all hard work.

Ciao for now.

Dale