Every year the Spring Racing season begins in style at the Flemington Spring Fashion Lunch. It is a day all about fashion and being sociable and is a showcase for the latest trends in fashion and race wear. The Flemington Spring Fashion Lunch is proof that there’s more to racing than just the horses, as well-heeled ladies from all over the country come to strut their stuff and set the mood for the coming Cup season.

History of the Flemington Spring Fashion Lunch

Flemington Spring Fashion Lunch marks the beginning of the Melbourne Cup races – which have an illustrious racing history dating back to the first Melbourne Cup in 1861. The Melbourne Cup is said to one of the hardest races to win, because of the stipulated handicaps that make the race so unique. The two mile race from its inception captured the imagination of Australians and quickly became the “race that stops a nation”.

From the earliest days an integral part of the race day was the carnival atmosphere and the garden parties that accompanied it, and each year the races were the best venue for ladies to show off their finery and dress up to the nines. It is still one of the highlights of the social year, with those who can’t make it to Melbourne to attend the actual Flemington Spring Lunch holding stylish lunches of their own to mark the date, so if you are looking for one date in the year when Australia is dressed to its best, then it is the day of the Flemington Spring Fashion Lunch!