FASHION IN THE FIELD
WORDS Kim Newth PHOTOS Sarah Rowlands
Shaking up the glamour stakes at Riccarton Park for this year’s Cup Week is 2020 fashion coordinator June Youngman, who is encouraging a more open field of contestants for the much-anticipated ‘best dressed’ events.
For the first time ever, winners will be selected using a Melbourne Cup-style points system that ties judging strictly to the outfit. Points will be awarded on style and originality, grooming, coordination, millinery, and overall look. June hopes the change will prove popular and would love to see real diversity with contestants stepping forward this November.
“That is one of the reasons I wanted this job: to make a difference, make women feel comfortable in their own skin,” she says.
“No-one will be judging you on your looks or size. It’s all about what you are wearing. We will encourage any outfit, provided it’s day time attire. I’d say give Riccarton Park a go, and you will not be disappointed.”
New contestants this year can look forward to a dedicated fashion area with its own hospitality services. There are some great prizes up for grabs, including a ten night travel package with AwayToGo, and a chance to represent the region at Ellerslie in March 2021.
June is overseeing all the Cup Week fashion events at Riccarton Park, culminating in Cup Day (14 November) – Fashion in the Field 2020 on the Tea lawn, which will provide a fantastic backdrop for the event. June has been busy in the lead-up, organising judges, designers, models, and photographers, writing rules for judges and contestants and taking registrations. On the day, it’s her job to make sure everything runs smoothly, (and she plans on looking gorgeous too, wearing something special from Katerina Boutique at The Tannery).
Cup Week is practically on a par with Christmas for June and her husband Kent, who eagerly anticipate being trackside every November; it’s an annual tradition that’s become simply unmissable. “For me, it’s all about the fashion; watching everyone all dressed up and having fun. I even pick my horses on how good they look!”
It’s all a world away from June’s farm machinery business in North Canterbury, where her usual dress code is gumboots and overalls. She and Kent share a background in construction and built houses all over the country before settling in North Canterbury to be close to Kent’s family. June discovered her taste for fashion through a friend who loved dressing up and going to the races.
“She took me to my first race event in 2011 and that’s where it all started.”
June has since won many sashes including Best Dressed at Addington and Te Rapa, Purposely Beautiful Award at Riccarton (November 2019, when Kent also won best dressed man), and Supreme Winner in Wellington (January 2020). She picks her own fabric – matching everything with that – and works with select milliners and designers (including North Canterbury designer/ dressmaker Jo Laurenson) to create her outfits.
No matter where you sit on the fashion spectrum, June says it’s worth making the effort to dress up for Cup Day and notes that an outfit need not be expensive. “You can get some really cool designer dresses or suits in an op shop. This is a day event, so make sure anything you wear is comfortable, including the shoes!”