Eleanor Campbell, winner of Best Dressed at the Melbourne Cup Fashion on the Field contest for 2023. Photo: Screenshot
A New Zealand woman wearing a wedding gown bought on sale and restyled in Te Awamutu has won the biggest fashion prize on the Australian racing calendar.
Eleanor Campbell was named winner of the 2023 Best Dressed competition, the culmination of a week of Fashion on the Field events centred on the Melbourne Cup, at Flemington Racecourse on Thursday.
The Waikato 28-year-old said it had been a "crazy" experience, especially as she'd taken part in the contest mostly to support her mother, Anna, who was also a finalist in the Best Suited category.
"I went as Mum's plus-one and then I stole her thunder," Campbell said.
Eleanor Campbell reigned supreme in the Best Dressed category, wearing a white full-length dress by Solace London and hat by Monika Neuhauser Millinery. Domingo Martinzez from Sydney took out Best Suited wearing an upcycled suit and self-made millinery. Photo: Screenshot
She won the fashion contest on Derby Day, when contenders have to dress in black or white, which guaranteed a place in the finals. She said winning the top prize yesterday was completely unexpected, even though she'd been a finalist in 2022.
"I was a bit nervous... but I've done it! I have no words."
Campbell said her mother had found her white Solace London dress on sale several months ago.
"We thought it might have been a wedding dress, because it was floor-length, so we had it taken up, and then the bit that we took off the bottom, we put around the neck."
The re-styling was done by "a local lady in Te Awamutu", while her hat was created by Pirongia milliner Monika Neuhauser. Black heels and clutch bag completed the look.
"They say that you never win in black or white against a field of colour, but mine was so simple and classic, it stood out because I was so plain," Campbell said.
"Less is more, I guess."
Her prize pool from the Flemington win includes $48,000 cash and "lots of other lovely things".
A triumphant Eleanor Campbell surrounded by other finalists in the Best Dressed contest. Photo: Screenshot
Campbell, who runs a doggy day care business with her mother in Mystery Creek, near Cambridge, has been competing in racing fashion events for a decade. Next week she'll be judging the Fashion in the Field event at Riccarton racecourse in Christchurch.
First though, Campbell said she was looking forward to dressing down after a week of high fashion.
"My feet are killing me after a week in heels. I can't wait to put some old clothes on."