Golden Slipper Archives - Kate Waterhouse

What I Wore: 2023 Golden Slipper

28th March, 2023

Hosting duties for 7Racing offer the perfect excuse to embrace a new look, and often it’s a case of the more dramatic the better. Case in point: this Fendi look from the recent Golden Slipper event in Sydney. Suiting is definitely something that features heavily in my sartorial wheelhouse, so it was fun to take it to the next level with this stunning suit by Fendi. I’ve always found a suit to be such a strong option for any event, but in this instance, this jacket was designed to be front and centre. The contrasting panels, the obi style waist, and a train really made this jacket bring the drama and more. I loved the fact however, that the pants tempered the look and gave it a bit of structure when contrasted against the theatre of the jacket.

Accessories are always key, and in this instance I wanted to incorporate something that would pop against the suit without being too over the top. The addition of height with the black Valentino platforms was perfect as it meant the suit pants sat at just the perfect length, plus it added a trend element to this look. The clean lines of the Bulgari bag (which FYI is also customisable) make an elegant addition to this ensemble, but the sunshine yellow makes it pop simultaneously. I love when an accessory works to add an element of interest, and it’s often something I take into serious consideration whenever I’m pulling a look together. I didn’t really want to add an overly fussy headpiece to this look, preferring to keep things quite understated, so a simple black headband helped me to add some headwear but not distract from the central element of this look: this suiting moment.

Credits: Jacket and pants, Fendi; Heels, Valentino; Bag, Bulgari

Photography: Ashleigh Larden

Fashion, What I Wore

What I Wore: 2021 Golden Slipper

1st November, 2021

Spring racing is very much in full swing and I couldn’t help but want to embrace a look that was inspired by the season. For 7 Racing hosting duties at the Golden Slipper, it was all about beautiful, vibrant pastel hues. I couldn’t go past this Oscar de la Renta one-shoulder dress, with its ethereal draping and shades of pink and orange. It was feminine and also had a fun energy to it which made it the perfect look for being trackside.

With such a bold colour palette to work with I didn’t want to shy away with my choice of accessories and wanted to go equally as striking. The brief was well and truly met with these Bottega Veneta mesh heels. They’re a playful pink and feature a sprinkling of sparkles which definitely ticked the statement box. Plus, how great would they be for a festive occasion? In terms of bag choice, I definitely wanted to embrace pink again so this shoulder bag by Bulgari was the perfect piece to accompany me. As always headwear is a must so I went with this gold hair accessory by Ford Millinery. I loved the fact that it was sleek and and simple and just the right piece to add a bold touch to my ensemble.

Credits: Dress, Oscar de la Renta; Shoes, Bottega Veneta; Bag, Bulgari, Headpiece, Ford Millinery

Photography: Ashleigh Larden

Fashion, What I Wore

What I Wore: Golden Slipper

27th March, 2021

Having embraced plenty of colour with my racing looks over the last few weeks, I wanted to steer things in a different direction this week and went for classic black. Wearing black is always a failsafe option as it’s virtually impossible to get it wrong, but it can sometimes look a little flat so I’ve always found it’s important to choose pieces with a little extra personality whether it be design details, textures or embellishments. So, this Dion Lee dress was the perfect option. It’s a classic strapless silhouette, but I think the cut-outs give it some edge and allow it to make a statement. The midi length is also perfect for racewear as it maintains a polished vibe.

Headwear is of course one of the key considerations of a race day look so I opted for a hat with veil — perfect for a wet weather day in Sydney, plus it helps ground the look. As the dress is quite detailed in its style, the outfit needed something structured and simple. As for the rest of my look, I opted for a burgundy Christian Dior bag to add a little colour, but also the strap is gold which I thought was a nice nod to it being Golden Slipper day. I wanted a closed toe shoe option for this look, so these dainty pumps by Fendi were the right accessory to finish off the look, and had me ready for another busy day of reporting trackside.

Credits: Dress, Dion Lee; Hat, Nerida Winter; Heels, Fendi; Bag, Christian Dior

Photography: Ashleigh Larden

Fashion, What I Wore

What I Wore: Golden Slipper

3rd April, 2018

A recent stint with reporting stint with 7 Racing called for a standout outfit with just the right amount of glamour required for the race. As such I couldn’t go past this Alexander McQueen dress in a vibrant shade of red—it’s a showstopper and a guaranteed way to make an impact. Along with the colour, the finishing accoutrements help take the dress next-level with its frilled trim and zig zag ribbon detail; whilst the jacquard fabric provides an element of texture and adds a luxe touch.

With any racing event a headpiece is a must and this gorgeous Viktoria Novak crown was the ideal complementary piece. The wreath style design with gold leaves and crimson jewelled flowers made for an elegant touch and really popped against the dress. And what better way to finish the look than my gold Gucci heels to carry the colour palette from head to toe.

Credits: Dress (same in black), Alexander McQueen; Headpiece, Viktoria Novak; Heels (similar here), Gucci

Date with Kate, Fashion

Date with Kate: Nicole Richie

22nd March, 2015

Lunch with Nicole Richie.

Nicole Richie is an American fashion designer, author and television personality and was in Sydney as the international ambassador for Saturday’s Golden Slipper race at Rosehill Gardens. The mother of two is well acquainted with Sydney, having spent extended periods of time here because her husband, Joel Madden, is a judge on The Voice Australia. I caught up with the 33-year-old to chat about her first time to the track, finding inspiration through classic rock and her no-shoes policy when hosting a dinner party.

Have you ever been to the races before?

I’ve never been. [Yesterday was] is my first time.

You must get so many requests from around the world. What made you align yourself with the Golden Slipper?

Well, I feel very close to Australia. I really do feel like it’s my second home. We’ve spent so much time there, Joel is an honorary Australian. So I’m going to ride on his coattails there and I just assume that I’m an honorary Australian also. I’ve always heard about the races for so many years and how much fun it is, so I’m extremely honoured to be a part of it.

You judged fashions on the field. What do you look for when you’re judging?

I think it’s more than just what people are wearing. It’s how they’re wearing it and what’s behind it and the energy and tone behind the fashion. With fashion, there is something that’s not tangible; it’s just something that you could feel behind when people are really expressing themselves. And I think that that’s probably what I [look] for the most: self-expression through an outfit.

Do you have any favourite Australian designers?

Scanlan & Theodore is always a must-go to for me when I’m in Australia because we don’t have it in the US.

What is a day in the life of you when you’re not in Australia?

The only thing consistent about my days is the time that I wake up, and that’s about 5.30 in the morning. My body just naturally wakes up at that time. But it’s great because I’m up about an hour before the rest of my family and I have time to be by myself and focus on what I want to do for the day and just get centred. First thing I do in the morning is get my kids ready for school and make them breakfast, then take them to school. And then, after that, I’m going straight to work – [often] in the design studio. Mostly, House of Harlow is really what I do every day. But it changes, obviously, when I’m doing Candidly Nicole, which I start shooting the second season of two days after I land back home from Australia.

Are you involved in every design process with House of Harlow 1960, or how does it work?

I am. I am the creative director. I obviously work with an amazing team of technical designers around me. But I am involved in really everything: designing, creating the vibe for the season, merchandising. I’m definitely in front of it all.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I would say the first thing is music for me. I’m hugely inspired by classic rock. It’s kind of what got my focus on the fashion at that time. The brand is named House of Harlow 1960 [and] when you actually explore the music of that time and look even deeper into fashion, everybody was really in touch with who they were, and they were all about taking different roads into expressing that. That’s something that I felt is the fun in fashion. This is why we love picking our clothes. It’s actually the opposite of shallow. It’s figuring out how you’re going to express yourself and tapping into that part of yourself, tapping into your artistry, tapping into what drives you; it’s the colour and texture. It’s so fun to me. It’s what makes me understand myself even more.

What is the best part of what you do?

The best part of what I do is just how much I laugh. I feel lucky every day that I am able to do that. The best thing about my show is that, as much as I’m laughing and making fun of myself and we’re all joking along, I actually really do learn about whatever topic we are talking about, and it has kind of given me this platform to learn and expand my knowledge more and have fun at the same time and work.

What is the worst?

There are challenges, I would say, in any field of work. Of course, leaving town is hard on me because I have two small kids.

What do you do for fun when you’re not working?

We entertain at home a lot. We do a lot of informal dinner parties. It’s a very busy household. I love having an intimate group of 10 people at my house for dinner. I also really love being alone too. So sometimes, if Joel is out of town and I’ve been working all day, I really do love to just stay home, read, meditate or just watch bad TV; do whatever I want to do, just do it alone.

What’s your favourite bad TV show?

My favourite show right now is Scandal. It’s definitely not bad, but it’s such an amazing show!

What’s your secret to a great dinner party?

Well, there’s no shoes allowed. I think that kind of sets the tone for it being very relaxed, and that’s how I want people to feel in my house. So I burn candles around the house and play good music and everybody is just very relaxed. That’s kind of the vibe when we do it.

If you could have anyone alive or dead, whom would you have at your house for a dinner party?

I don’t know, but my friend once said a certain celebrity and then “my dad so he can pay for it and then Karl Lagerfeld so he could photograph it”. I thought that that was genius. I’m not going to steal his quote but I think that’s a great idea.

BITE SIZE

WE WENT TO The Park Hyatt, The Rocks

WE ATE Chicken Caesar salads.

WE DRANK Cafe latte & sparkling water.

NICOLE WORE Toni Maticevski skirt & The Row top.

I WORE Roland Mouret dress.