Cairns milliner wins big at coveted Melbourne Cup event

A Cairns hatmaker has been awarded second place at a coveted racing fashion event for her design inspired by her daughter. See the pictures.

N.A.T. Millinery owner Natalie Taylor was selected to compete in this year's Melbourne Cup Carnival's Fashions on the Field competition at the Victoria Racing Club, Flemington. She was awarded first runner up for this bespoke headpiece, titled Leto, painstakingly created with 250 Nagori goose feathers, individually hand cut and stitched one by one into the framework. Picture: Brendan Radke

A Cairns milliner has won second place at the Victorian Spring Racing Carnival’s Fashion on the Field event for her design inspired by motherhood.

Cairns-based hatmaker Natalie Taylor was presented runner up for the Lillian Frank AM MBE Millinery award at the prestigious fashion event event for the Lexus Melbourne Cup Day out of 30 Australian and international entries.

Ms Taylor said her young daughter was the inspiration for her design which comprised of 250 hand-cut yellow nagori goose feathers, painstakingly laid in a circular pattern.

Picture: Brendan Radke

“I wanted a piece that celebrated the journey of motherhood so far,” Ms Taylor said.

“The piece is called Leto, who in Greek mythology is the goddess of motherhood,” she added.

The new mum started her millinery business N.A.T Millinery in 2012 after winning her first millinery competition at an Amateurs event as part of her fashion design course.

“One of the assessments we had to do was make a racing outfit for the Amateurs,” she said.

“That’s where I fell in love with millinery.”

Ms Taylor added it was the freedom of hatmaking that got her hooked.

“You can use any sort of material to make a hat, the sky is the limit.”

Upon hearing the judgment at Flemington, Ms Taylor said she was blown away.

“I’m still in a state of disbelief because it was up against some amazing pieces,” she said.

Ms Taylor has no plans to slow down, hoping to bring her designs to racing carnivals around the country.

“I want to be someone you come to across the whole year,” she said.

Originally published as Cairns milliner wins big at coveted Melbourne Cup event