Behind The Seams: On The Winning QLD Sash
An insight of the progress of creating the winning outfit for 2020 Myer Fashions On Your Front Lawn QLD State Finalist!
My passion for sewing and creativity began in my teenage years and from very humble beginnings. With that it was crafted around problem solving and the challenge of my mum’s treadle sewing machine. Together with my older sister we would create our outfits for school dances and as they were known back then cabarets. We had the most amazing haberdashery store for the small country town of Dimbulah and a supportive mum who allowed us to freely purchase our fabrics for the next creation.
The Bond that Stitched us together
As any mother knows the birth of a child is like no other and your first is certainly a new experience of unconditional love, challenges, countless joyful moments and rewarding milestones created and are treasured forever.
The sewing journey with my daughter Kerrie began the Xmas of the year before she was born, December 1988. My husband Tony and new dad-to-be gifted me with my very first overlocker machine. Surprised and feeling quite overwhelmed with this incredible gesture as I thought ‘when would I have the time with a newborn due in the next 4 months to find the time to sew?’
I used the last few months before I was to embark on my biggest, life changing role of becoming a mother to explore the offering of my new overlocker by creating unique maternity outfits, new born baby clothes and beautiful Nursery décor.
The day my beautiful baby girl was born, I was so captivated and overwhelmed with her beauty, dark full headed hair and outstanding tiny fingers, that my love for creation was sparked to begin sewing pretty dresses and hair accessories.
Kerrie loved dressing up too! She explored her childhood with her own individual and unique outfits and experimented with creating small like outfits for her dolls and scrunchies.
Her passion for fabric shopping was certainly instilled from an early age from our weekly visits to the amazing drapery stores within our small country town in Mareeba and later expanded when bigger department stores came to FNQ region.
The passion and love of individuality, expression of style, fabric and fashion ideas grew with her as she moved through her teenage years and into the woman she is today. With some of my fondest memories as a dressmaker, designer and her mum were many of her incredible fashions on the field outfits.
Kerrie’s innovative creative ideas has certainly had their own challenges, however without these challenges it would not have allowed me to push my boundaries and grow as a designer and seamstress in my own business. Fair to say she is my inspiration, confidant and my right hand woman.
Captured together at 2019 Cairns Amateurs Races. Both wearing Milva Carucci Design dresses.
The Dress That Represented QLD
The dress that won Kerrie the title and sash of 2020 Flemington Myer Fashions on Your Front Lawn QLD Finalist, started like most of Kerrie’s previous ideas. There was a statement feature, with varying aspects of inspiration and ideas. For this dress, there was two key undeniable features; the collar and the amazing fabric. With a few variation of sketches and an extremely short time frame of only approximately 2 weeks and 2000kms between us both, we needed to work on style and we needed to work fast!
A couple of week’s prior, with her keen sourcing eye, Kerrie found the most incredible polyester stretch pique textured fabric. I loved it as it was such a unique shade and I’m very partial to blue personally, though it wasn’t a colour she had worn much of prior. The style of the dress came next. We decided on that a princess line style coming from the side and middle would create both structure and lines to create length on the body. The balance between the collar points, on trend statement sleeve was also balanced with the addition of the front split and added point of difference of the featured doubled pearl buttons.
The collar feature was a design element that she had loved for quite sometime and we had discussed the concept a few times. Kerrie knew how she wanted it to look but was unsure how the design would look, especially getting the proportions and points in the collar balanced with the depth and the entire dress style. This is where my expertise steps in. The collar was challenging to achieve the right proportions to Kerrie’s design and composition of the fabric. As with any final draft the question is it enough, do you add a double collar detail or add in another texture with lace or beading? Both the possibilities and thoughts are endless though ultimately the end decision has to feel right for the wearer.
Having the distance of 2000km between us creates it’s own visible challenges, but thankfully for today’s technology facetime, videos and imessage it aids as an incredible tool. This method of communicating is something I’ve become very accustomed to working virtually as 80% of my clients are from all over Australia and New Zealand. With just enough time to spare, all three self designed outfits of Kerrie’s were mailed off thanks to Australia Post to arrive in Brisbane for Kerrie to have enough time to finish styling the completed looks and submit her photo entries.
The Winning Outfit Details
Together with her self designed dress, Kerrie carried the on trend emphasis of pearl embellishments throughout the outfit. Complementing the dress with a gorgeous custom millinery piece from Allport Millinery which included over 30 handcut white daises made from crystoform and centred with pearl details.
Finishing the look with a statement pearl belt and bag to finish the look. Kerrie’s beautiful imagery was snapped by Grace Elizabeth Images in a gorgeous architectural backdrop, sporting a little Brisbane street style.
Announcement Day
Saturday 24th November was the official day when Kerrie could finally announce this incredibly exciting news! This was a dream come true and I was so incredibly excited and proud to have been part of this journey! She had done it!
Years of fashions on the field, creative ideas, designs, entering and expressing her style, this outfit was a ‘sash winner’ the days following this was a rollercoaster of excitement. I flew down the following weekend to support Kerrie through an amazing opportunity to film with Channel 10 for Melbourne Cup Carnival coverage and also share this beautiful moment together. You can watch the interview segment here.
Kennedy Oaks Day came around and it was time for the live broadcast announcement of the National competition. This year’s Myer Fashions On Your Front Lawn competition was to celebrate is the pinnacle of racing fashion and for the fashions on the field community held so much emphasis in the Melbourne Cup Carnival and a positive reason to get dressed up after such a tough year for so many. Whilst Kerrie unfortunately didn’t take out the National State on Kennedy Oaks Day, this is an experience of a lifetime! To be recognised together with my daughter at this level in racing fashion and achieve this prestigious accolade is truly a dream come true and makes me so proud of how far we have both come from our humble beginnings and how much further we still have left to go! I’m so excited for what’s next!
Milva x
Kerrie Carucci - 2020 Myer Fashions On Your Front Lawn QLD Finalist
image: Tara Croser for The Courier Mail
