FROM tweed skirts to neon dresses, racewear has certainly come a long way in 50 years. 

This Melbourne Cup day, Thoroughbred Park will celebrate the 50th anniversary since it opened in Lyneham.

Originally located near Lake Burley Griffin, the racecourse reopened at its current location on Randwick Road on November 6, 1962.

Thoroughbred Park sales and marketing manager Briony Young says back then racewear wasn’t quite what it is now, but the glamour of race day has never faded.

“There were shirts worn with pencil skirts, and not many hats or fascinators at races in the ‘60s, so it was a bit more casual here than it is now – but the women were immaculate, and the men very suave looking,” Briony says.

“That part of racing hasn’t really changed, though I go to the races now and many women are perfectly groomed and elegant with their make-up and hair, and it’s important to make the effort. It should be a fun thing, to get dressed up for race day.”
Some fashions from the past have managed to transcend into modern day racewear – thanks to the hugely popular TV series “Mad Men”, 1950’s-style dresses are still a popular choice.

“You still will see a lot of dresses with cinched waists and full, A-line skirts, so that style hasn’t really gone away,” she says.
One trend that hasn’t made it to this season is “colour blocking,” says Briony.

“It’s all about neon this season instead – colour that really pops,” she says.

“You’ve got to wear it with caution though, you don’t want to wear head-to-toe neon or you might look like a tradie. You’ve got to have confidence and not go too overboard. Just a splash of neon can really make an outfit right on trend.”

And this year, bigger is better.

“Large hats and oversized fascinators are really in at the moment, so you can go with either,” Briony says.

“There’s also bold make-up, like bright lipstick and false eyelashes.”

The popularity of dressing up for the races has increased, says Briony, since fashions-on-the-field competitions were established around 40 years ago as a way to get more women to the racecourse.

And since the Myer Face of Canberra Racing competition began in 2009, women have “really upped the ante” with their racewear.

“We’ve really seen an improvement in the racewear of the Canberra girls,” she says.

“We established the competition purely to be an ambassador to show people what is appropriate and it has worked so well for us – when I came six years ago there wasn’t really many rules about fashions on the field.”

While there won’t be a big party for Thoroughbred Park’s 50th anniversary, Briony says there will be plenty of fun on the day.
“We’re expecting more people for Melbourne Cup than last year, our lunches have already sold out,” she says.

“It’s just going to be another big day of great racing and great fashion.”