This was published 4 years ago
Crippled by anxiety, Christine was done competing. But 2020 was her year
Christine Spielmann: 'This competition was made for me.'
On Melbourne Cup Day 2014, Christine Spielmann was on top of the world, having just won the Myer Fashions on the Field daily final. But there was a darker epilogue to her success.
Ms Spielmann has epilepsy, and medication she takes to prevent seizures means she has a constant tremor that over time has made her increasingly anxious about being on stage.
"All I could think about after that [win] was how I was shaking on stage and how nervous I looked, so [competing] went into a bit of a lull after that and I was never as confident – even if my outfit was on point – with being on stage," she says.
But with this year's Fashions on the Field rebranded to an all-digital Fashions on Your Front Lawn competition, Ms Spielmann saw a door she thought was closed to her reopen.
She thought, "This competition was made for me. It changed from, 'This is my worst nightmare' to, 'Yes!' I love being in photographs – there's something beautiful about it being one moment in time".
On Thursday, Oaks Day, the self-described fashion "eccentric" was crowned the national winner of the competition.
"I kept running the scenarios of me placing or winning and it was affecting me with my sleep, and with my epilepsy, I need to get a decent night's sleep," she said after the win.
"The last couple of years I have really been working on my confidence and realising that all of these things that are 'wrong' with me are just a part of me."
Darwin-based Ms Spielmann's win is historic for two reasons: it was the first year the Northern Territory has been part of the national contest; and her winning outfit, which she designed and made herself, included pants, a rare feat in a contest that tends to favour traditional, full-skirted looks.
"I love getting dressed up and being out there and glamorous but I also live on a five-acre block and I don't wear any shoes," she says.
Pants were a popular choice for Fashions on the Field in 1969 but they have been rare on the winner's podium.
Ms Spielmann, who taught herself to sew, divides her time between working in her parents' steel fabrication workshop and running her leather accessories label, Requiem Trend.
Her love of leatherwork traces back to her days as a young horserider, when "having the really good leather saddle and bridle, that was was the bees knees".
Struggle behind the smile ... Christine Spielmann took a break from competing after her 2014 success.Credit: Getty Images
Her outfit drew inspiration from the Yves Saint Laurent safari suits of the 1960s and '70s, and the colours came from a book of Hermes scarves she received for her birthday that had a purple and orange cover.
"My whole outfit feels so natural to me and the belt is the finishing touch. Everything just seemed to fit so well together," she says.
Ms Spielmann, who first entered Fashions on the Field in 2009 while living in Melbourne, says her style is influenced by "architectural drawings ... not quite symmetry but balanced".
"In my 20s, I was afraid of frills, I dont know why. I've calmed down a bit now, I can wear a frill," she says.
In another 2020 twist, the menswear winner, Sherlon Garbo, sourced his entire outfit online, including the clear face shield he wore in his entry photos.
His Zara suit included a peacock blue jacket, tartan waistcoat, pocket square, beige pants and brown loafers, all topped off with a black clutch.
"You don't have to spend a lot [on clothes]," he says.
"In fashion, it's how you wear it and how ... you carry yourself."
Mr Garbo, also from the Northern Territory, is a qualified nurse who was born in the Philippines.
Tropic thunder ... menswear winner Sherlon Garbo.
The 29-year-old says he "fell in love with mixing and matching clothes", a winning formula for racewear competitions.
"It's not about how expensive [the clothes are] you wear, it's how you wear it comfortably ... it's good to have originality."