We had the honour to be invited to attend the Cup Eve Reception at Government House this year. Lauren was invited as President of Millinery Australia and showcased a piece of millinery as she was a finalist in the 2022 Millinery Australia Design Award. This celebration called for a new outfit and we hit the fabric stash to find something special.
Erin’s Outfit
When Mum and Dad were travelling near Darwin they found Injalak Arts which is an Aboriginal-owned organisation with the community at its heart, that strives to deliver positive social, economic and cultural outcomes for all involved. They produce beautiful unique hand screen-printed designs on the fabric in their workshop in Gunbalanya.
Mum and Dad selected a piece of fabric for each of us and we were waiting for a special event to use this fabric. Erin found the stunning gold screen printed Dupion which she decided to use for this event. As the fabric has a great structure and we wanted the print to be the hero of the garment so she used Vogue 1732 with an A-line all-in-one bodice and large statement sleeves.
Erin paired the dress with a matching clutch from the same fabric also purchased at Injalak Arts, black shoes and a black headband made by Lauren.
Fabric: Injalak Arts
Pattern: Vogue 1723
Headpiece: Lauren J Ritchie Millinery
Lauren’s Outfit
Lauren wanted to create an outfit that would compliment the stunning print of Erin’s gold silk and show respect for the design. We came across this blue crepe fabric with a water-like print. When looking for a pattern for this fabric, Lauren looked back on some previous makes and loved the line of a red floral jumpsuit we had made a few years ago that combined the bodice of Butterick 6410 with a pant to create a jumpsuit. For this combo we used Vogue 1647 as it has a wide leg but flat front to make the most of the fabric.
To show off the design lines of the patterns we inserted black piping around the collar edge and horizontal bodice seam. In-seam pockets are a must and remove the need to carry anything and Erin was inspired to continue the piping theme and inserted it into the side seam as well. A tricky conquest given the pocket as well.
Lauren paired the dress with taupe and black piped shoes and a black riding-style hat she made.
Fabric: Spotlight
Pattern: Bodice Butterick 6410 and pants Vogue 1647
Headpiece: Lauren J Ritchie Millinery
The Melbourne Cup 
Lauren Ritchie Millinery on display
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