Runway to raceday
Published in The Australian Jewish News
November 2, 2018
It’s 4.30am and while most of Melbourne sleeps, Iris Wieselmann does not.
Make-up brushes are meticulously prepared and eyeshadow palettes are at the ready as the first of her clients arrives at her South Yarra salon, Mark Wieselmann.
It is the same early morning routine every year for each race day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
The carnival kicks off with the AAMI Victoria Derby Day on Saturday, followed next week by the Lexus Melbourne Cup Day, Kennedy Oaks Day and the Seppelt Wines Stakes Day.
Last year, the four-day carnival injected almost $445 million to the Victorian economy – $57 million alone was the result of fashion sales and grooming. But what does that actually look like?
59,664 pairs of shoes, 48,585 dresses, 15,474 suits, and 55,739 hats and fascinators, to be exact.
It is an exhilarating vision for any woman – or man – whose closet is bursting at the seams (ahem); and for retailers as the world of fashion continues to face its challenges.
But beyond the economic value of the Carnival, and the 157-year history etched into the hallowed turf of Flemington, is an event that is inextricably woven into the nation’s cultural identity.
It is an opportunity for creative freedom and self-expression – and fashion, millinery and make-up are the play pits of endless possibility.