Hat of The Month !

In an occasional series we bring you an example of How To Wear a Hat and stand out in the crowd with this clear winner. Whispers is sure readers will agree this gentleman carries off this example of superb male millinery with great aplomb and style.
He was a guest at this week's New York Hat Lunch hosted by the women's committee of the Central Park Conservatory held on a superb Spring day in the Big Apple.

This should send Australia's hat making fraternity scrambling back to the drawing board as you can see said gentleman had some pretty stiff competition.
We would hope they'll be inspired for this year's Melbourne Cup and produce their own glorious examples for a local event where a hat is a must.

Perhaps less of the dreaded 'fascinators' that have become popular and some more examples of colour and some larger brims which are probably far greater protection in our skin cancer inducing sun.

Below are some more of the wonderful colour and movement. And let's not forget some whimsy as seem below at Royal Ascot in a creation worn by our own fashion royalty Dame Edna Everage and a late great friend of Whispers Mrs Gertrude Shilling. That creation was designed by her son David Shilling (pictured with his mum) who Whispers imported to Melbourne to be a special guest many moons ago at The Cup as he judged the Fashions in The Field. David's final verdict was : "could try harder".

Hot stuff at Royal Randwick

If you have any sense on Saturday you should be heading out to the Royal Randwick

Racecourse  for The Championships Day 2 Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes, one of the racing calender's premier dates.
The gees gees will be competing for mega prizes :
$1 million James Boag’s Premium Australian Oaks and the Group 1 $2 million Schweppes Sydney Cup. Wow! 
And look at the weather..it's going to be a glorious day. And we have a hot tip for punters, No not a race tip but if you keep your eyes peeled you may catch a glimpse of the latest Hollywood hunk to come out of this country- JAI COURTNEY.
OK Jai will be  wearing a tad more clothing than what he has on in our snap. After all they have a dress code at Randwick, collared shirt, tie and jacket but that's just part of the fun. And you can always imagine can't you?

Also at Randwick tomorrow will be Michelle Payne who made history last year as the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup. Have they made a movie of her life yet? They should. 
The gates open at 10.45am so I'd be early. Jai is expected to arrive around mid-day and there will heaps of other celebrities to gaze at. 

And that's what the races are all about.The chance to win some cash and thrill as the horses race as the excitement and tension builds up, and sip some champagne while star spotting. 
And anyone who hasn't yet checked out Randwick's magnificent new stand is really missing something

Jessica needs some good advice

The dramas over Jessica Mauboy's aborted plan to sing the national anthem at the Melbourne Cup could be an indicator of  the professionalism of those advising her. Jessica's no show was passed off by her management with the following statement :

“There was a lot going on yesterday and there was miscommunication with her styling team, unfortunately by the time it was resolved the call time had been missed.".  The Victorian Racing Club responded : "contracts for paid appearances at the Cup are easily understood and it is paramount that paid guests understand the importance of respecting paid sponsors"
Whispers should know. Many moons ago we organised the visit of the famous British milliner David Shilling who was a star guest at the Cup. VRC reps are nothing but courteous and experts in handling visiting celebrities such as Shilling with no stone left unturned during his 3 day stay in Melbourne as they guided him through a tour of personal appearances with their various sponsors like Myer.
Mauboy is currently promoting her new perfume which has had a less than stellar impact. Perhaps it's something to do with the organisers of her launch in Kings Cross a few weeks ago. A top publication sent their photographer to the small launch (guests : the usual newsreaders etc one saw at a function the week before) only to have a snooty publicist proclaim that they would choose what photographs  that the magazine could publish.

Just to show they had no hard feelings, the magazine editor ditched the entire idea of covering Jessica's launch. It's sad as Jessica is a sweet lady and a terrific talent. But as always, you must have the right team to promote you or it can all go pie eyed.

David Shilling at Ascot

So that's another superb PR coup then

 You have to congratulate young Sydney model Essena O'Neill who has catapulted herself into worldwide fame with just a couple of smart moves. Just to show she has no hard feelings about quitting social media Essena has launched a website called Lets Be Game Changers on..errr..social media... here.
A couple of (ex?) pals are calling Essena a "fake" in the video below. Who cares? She's had publicity to die for and the sort of PR that some of this town's more snooty publicists would charge tens of thousands of dollars for and still wouldn't get the coverage Ms O'Neill did. So we look forward to spotting Essena out on the social circuit any day soon. What a shame she didn't do this a month ago- she could have starred as a guest at the Melbourne Cup.

A rainy day in Melbourne

The Melbourne Cup season is upon us again. A long planned trip South had to be cancelled at the last minute although by the looks of that unpredictable Melbourne weather perhaps Whispers is fortunate. Our Victorian racing spy disguised as a $2 poncho raincoat promises to keep his/her eyes open for fascinating snippets which usually means people you saw last week at a party in Sydney doing something else in Melbourne but probably dressed up to the nines.

As always Swisse trotted out a major celeb- Hilary Swank this year, to pose in front of the dreaded "wall". It's a long way to come to stand in front of a wall but I suppose they are suitably rewarded (financially). As for Swisse, there must be big bikkies in vitamins as their rival Blackmores just demonstrated with a share price having risen from $31 to over $200  in a year and that's without a Hilary Swank standing in front of a wall.
And here some of our favourite Sydney people who we did see last week (walking their dogs in Redfern) David Novakpiper and The Block judge Neale Whitaker with a lady pal lunching in The Birdcage 
 **********************************************************************************

The entire world is awaiting (well the paparazzi are!) Will they or won't they? As a "close family friend of the Murdochs" promised : said: "It's all very new.  They are really enjoying each other's company very much. "He is very fond of her. There is no question that they are a couple." 
Tonight is the final in the Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham and as the "close family friend" promised the star crossed lovers Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall are to appear in public for the first time together at the match as Australia plays New Zealand. We wait with baited breath.
********************************************************************************
And the wondrous MailOnline does not fail to once again impress with this caption :
" Racegoers line-up at a Melbourne station as they head to Randwick in a bid to beat the early-rush ". Melbourne to Randwick by train? About 900 kms and 12-14 hours.

Saturday : another great day of fun, fashion and racing at Royal Randwick

For more information go to the Australian Turf Club website here

Woman & the Melbourne Cup

A perfect Spring day (it isn't always so) and colour was the order of the
 day. Flemington fashions are simply gorgeous.
Myer, one of the main sponsors spends around $250,000 on the day for promotions. But they reckon they also sell around 25000 dresses during the racing season. Here are just a handful.

Men & the Melbourne Cup

Our exclusive photo from yesterday's great race : bookmaker Tom Waterhouse and his dad Robbie Waterhouse with the famous Melbourne Cup after mum & wife Gai Waterhouse's great win with Fiorente.

Training Angelina

Luke & Scott with Sarah Wilson

My Kitchen Rules' stars Luke Hines and Scott Gooding have entered a crowded market with a new book : Luke & Scott : Clean Living. They promise to transform you into a healthy specimen in 3 weeks.
The pair launched their book at the Bondi restaurant, The Bucket List on a blustery evening and still managed to pull a sizable crowd including TV's Andrew O'Keefe and the lady who has herself transformed many lives, writer Sarah Wilson
whose bestseller about killer white sugar is still flying off the shelves.
Luke has another gig lined up: he'll be
training Angelina Jolie went she settles in for a few months to film the WW2 movie Unbroken .Hines also has to transform the film's star into a malnourished air crash survivor while still keeping him healthy.
                                       ******************************
It's that season again : social writers flocking to Melbourne for the Spring Carnival and attempting to impress their readers that they are missing out on an amazing event. The Shuttle's attended more than we care to think about but in the past few years Melbourne's racing season has descended into a sort of bogan tragedy. Minor 'celebrities' are trotted out and placed in front of the dreaded photo wall that now plagues every event around the world. The days of being flown by private jet by interesting people are basically over (the Shuttle flew with Richard Branson once in a special Virgin flight and 3 times with the late Jim Fleming in his Lear jet.)
It's just very hard work and these days you cannot wander as you could in the past, from marquee to marquee. Needless to say the media will trill over this year's slebs : Hamish &Andy (spotted any day at Kings Cross), Kris Smith (male model) and the aging Naomi Campbell (yawn).                           

Fashion Teacher Slams Melbourne Style

Top fashionista Nicholas Huxley, head of the Fashion Design Studio at Tafe NSW has ripped into the fashions at this year's Melbourne Cup via his Facebook page.
 Huxley says: 

"I HAVE TO SAY..What a bloody terrible lot of fashion at the Melbourne Cup and the build up to it.All those who are saying best dressed here and best dressed there...PLEASE. Cocktail dresses at any of these racing events...and the ghastly head pieces they're calling hats.There is no sophistication / no understanding of race wear...just a lot of tits and arse to hook an arse with money! The truth will never be told...it's so much better to be part of a click then to be individual.I am so glad I'm not and have never wanted to be part of a click!"

 Ouch !.
 And the UK's Daily Mail newspaper has a few words to say as well about behaviour of cup goers in this piece titled
"And You Thought Ascot Was Going to The Dogs"!

Percy Savage, Melbourne Cup & Green Moon

And so the race that stops a nation (and it does) is over for another year. Celebs are winging their way back to Sydney to stand in front of even more promotional 'PR' boards, different to the ones they stood in front of last week.

Jennifer Hawkins

Delta Goodren

 PR boards are a new and unwelcome addition to the racing season in Melbourne, being introduced in 2008 where a (very large) extra fee is now paid for their use in your marquee. Publicists are convinced they work in promoting a product.

Rose Byrne

It was around 60 years ago that the Red Carpet was basically invented by Australian born publicist Percy Savage who convinced a perfume manufacturer in Rome to roll out a red carpet ala Hollywood and invite movie stars like Elizabeth Taylor to the launch. They did and it was a roaring success and Savage- who Yves St Laurent named eau Sauvage after, went on to become one of Britain and France's most popular and powerful publicists.

Percy Savage

 The Shuttle took afternoon tea with Savage in Chelsea in 2002, and asked him what he thought of the direction in which his undoubted brilliant invention : the celebrity launch in Haute Couture- had gone :"I launched a nightmare" he replied.
 By the weekend we will be well and truly sick of hearing about the Melbourne Cup as thousands of words will be filed by social hacks. Here are a few snaps sent to us by our Cup mole disguised as a well worn fascinator.
We ditched the one of James Packer and Shane Warne : far too obvious and no doubt the Sydney media currently in the grip of Packer's PR war and uncontested bid to build a new multi-million dollar casino at Bangaroo will slavishly do his bidding.

Camilla Arrives

The future Queen of Australia, Camilla , Duchess of Cornwall has arrived for her first tour of the country.
She and hubby Charles attended an obligatory BBQ up north and tomorrow Camilla will attend the Melbourne Cup while Charles visits Sydney.

Nicole Channel's Eliza

That's Eliza Doolittle of course and we think it's Nicole Kidman. She had rather a waxy look about her, a slight touch of the Madame Tussuad's.
Flemington's Derby Day is the smarter race meet of the Melbourne Cup racing season. It's a bit more refined. After today it all goes downhill and Melbourne Cup next Tuesday is best avoided.

The Shuttle has covered more than out fair share and even provided the "celebrity" visitors on two occasions. Now we find the races rather tiring, It's better to find a local Sydney party for the day and hang out there. That saves the trouble of booking flights and hotels in Melbourne which are choc-a-bloc.

On Tuesday Flemington is packed with humanity-hundreds of thousands of them,. Fascinators are so thick on the ground one could take your eye if you turned your head quickly. On Derby Day virtually every Sydney celebrity, news reader, weather girl and so on is in Melbourne as Sydney's gossip set flies down to file reports on the same Sydneysiders they saw last week. There is usually an obligatory mention of Eileen Bond.

Italian designer Robert Cavalli was at the Derby, cleverly shouting the word Lavazzi (who paid him to turn up) into any microphone that would listen. As well as telling us about his glamorous new range soon to be had at Target.

Getting to the Cup on Tuesday is a bit of a nightmare unless you happen to be staying with Captain Peter Jansen (right) in his magnificent 4 story city building, where once past the front door you find yourself  in an eccentric English country style manor house complete with stuffed bears and hunting trophies.

Jansen is a Racing Season regular and once raced Jaguar cars in England. One year with Jansen behind the wheel of an XJ Sports and English milliner to the Royals, Freddy Fox beside him, the Shuttle crouched in fear in the rear seat as Jansen floored the Jag and got us to Flemington in under 15 minutes, waving aside policeman who jumped out of his way. Leaving the Jag purring right at the main entrance of the racecourse the three of us belted through the course to the Myer enclave so Freddie and Peter could judge the first rounds of Fashions In The Fields.

The highlight on Tuesday is of course, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall who will present the Melbourne Cup..

Topless : Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall !

"Don't do it !" warns Barry Humphries.

Barry was dispensing advice last night at a reception held by Prince Charles and Camilla at Clarence House, their London residence.                                                                                   

And another guest Kylie Minogue had some harsh words for Camilla who has never visted Australia before :"naughty Duchess!".
There were also a group of semi naked New Zealanders dancing for the royals as our video shows (watch for the New Zealand High Commissioner who joins them at the back!)
Guests included a coterie of Australian and New Zealand ex-pats in honour of the royal pair's visit to the colonies in November. They will visit Sydney and Melbourne where Camilla will present the cup to the winner of the famous Melbourne Cup to be held on Tuesday the 6th November.

Humphries warned the Duchess to refrain from standing topless on a hotel balcony :"you never know who could be lurking in the bushes" he said.

Also at the reception :wobble board enthusiast Rolf Harris and writer Kathy Lette who presented Camilla with a jar of Vegemite.

Be Good To Your Mumm

Laura Csortan

The Bellevue Hotel in Paddington has opened a bar for the Summer racing season and it's the place to go during or after the Saturday races.

The 2012 Mumm Spring Carnival Bar is open for business and even better, there is food provided by top chef Damien Pignolet as well as a terrific choice in various Mumm NV sparkles. They even have ordinary drinks as well like beer and wine.
Wednesday night's opening bash was a fairly small affair with some of our favourite faces like gorgeous Laura Csorton (who will host the bar) Gigi Edgley, Kerri Anne Kennnerley, Sophie Faulkner and actor Roy Billing. Roy is one of those thespians who is never out of work. Following his superb performance as the infamous drug baron Robert Trimbole in Underbelly he also appears on Sunday nights in the hit ABC series Irish Jack with co-star Guy Pearce and has a TV movie Cliffy about the famous long distance runner Cliff Young to be released in 2013 along with Mystery Road which co-stars Hugo Weaving and Ryan Kwanten.

Damien Pignolet

The Mumm Bar also has a celebrity DJ in the form of actor Alex Dimitriades resting after his hit performance in The Slap. The bar is upstairs at the Bellevue and features leather sofas , a dining area with a private dining room plus a sun deck but more importantly, rows and rows of Mumm Champagne behind the bar.

The 2012 Mumm Spring Carnival Bar : Hosted By Laura Csortan / DJ - Alex Dimitriades / Canapés by Damien Pignolet
matched with NV Mumm Champagne
Caulfield Cup :Saturday 20th October. Cox Plate: Saturday 27th October
Derby Day :Saturday 3rd November, Melbourne Cup : Tuesday 6th November ($120 pp)

Hats Off To Royal Ascot

The sensational win by Black Caviar in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at the Royal Ascot races has brought local attention to the annual British racing season. Ascot was made famous by the film My Fair Lady and the outfits and hats featured in the movie set off a trend that has just gotten more and more over the top over the decades.

One who set a standard that most have struggled to top was Mrs Gertrude Shilling. She was the mother of one of the UK's most inventive and famous milliners, David Shilling whose hats are now featured in the Victoria & Albert Museum.

 He was the guest of Myer at the Melbourne Cup one year  (courtesy of the Shuttle) where he judged fashions.

Here are some of the most over the top toppers that appeared this year and some pics of Dame Edna Everage when she arrived one year in the 1980s wearing an homage to the Sydney Opera House complete with circling sharks and up-staged Mrs Shilling.

Gertrude & Ronald Shilling at Ascot

Her husband Ronald Shilling was furious as the press flocked around Dame Edna taking photographs : "at least my wife is a real woman" hissed Ronald to the throng.

"We can't all be perfect" responded Dame Edna
right : David Shilling & his mother Gertrude