Fashion, fillies & RACE DAY FUN

The style stakes are as high as ever, and now you have the opportunity to win the glam event from your own home

The country’s premier racing carnival, Auckland Cup Week®, kicked off at Auckland’s Ellerslie Racecourse on Saturday. While Covid-19 restrictions may mean significantly fewer people have been able to attend, the big titles – including the $1million Vodafone New Zealand Derby, $500,000 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup® and the national racewear final The Ned Prix de Fashion, with its $20,000-plus prize package – have been able to go ahead.

The good news is, the restrictions have meant more women can enter the fashion competitions, which have now been moved online. Entries into the first of the digital fashion and style competitions – the Adashiko Fashion Qualifiers – are now open to all women* in New Zealand, and are set to bring the glamorous spirit of Auckland Cup Week® to homes throughout the country. Entrants are able to enter from the comfort of their backyards and four winners will be chosen. Keen to have a go but not sure where to start? We chatted to Kiwi millinery export Jill Humphries for her take on all things fashion.

What sets New Zealand’s racewear, or even fashion, scene apart?