The Kempsey Cup Fashions on the Field are inspiring, stylish and for North Coast TAFE students entering the competition, a lot of hard work, but Fashion Design students Shantelle Jackson and Kathleen McInnerney consider it a good excuse to get out the pins and fabric and get creative.

This year both ladies were inspired by their love of classic vintage designs. Shantelle’s outfit featured matching accessories, pleating, 2000 hand stitched pearls, 5 metres of ivory duchess satin while Kathleen’s was made using an original Vogue pattern from 1957 with tulle petticoat. Both required over a month of hard work to be ready on time.

“There were so many layers of fabric and I had to be really careful. I kept breaking needles it was so thick! Creating a vintage design from scratch and with modern equipment made me appreciate how much skill went into garments in the beginning of the century and I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge,” Shantelle said.

The Certificate III in Applied Fashion Design and Technology students Shantelle and Kathleen wanted to take their work out of the classroom and into a competitive public arena. Race day was the perfect opportunity to gauge reactions to the outfits from a style savvy audience.

Kathleen said,” The Kempsey Cup is a fabulous opportunity to showcase the skills I learn at TAFE. I had never done millinery before this, so working it all out and then actually making my own hat gave me a great sense of achievement.”

For now Shantelle has her sights set on enrolling in the Diploma qualification and Kathleen would love to expand on her patternmaking skills and is also considering further study. You can see their work at the Creative Industries Showcase, at the Glasshouse in Port Macquarie on the 24th of November, free of charge.