Souri Sengdara is the ceative behind the label Velvet & Tonic.  In 2022 Souri won the Myer Fashions on the Field Lillian Frank AM MBE Millinery Award with the piece titled Flow.  The piece was a gender-neutral design that was modelled by Brodies wearing a lace blouse and classic masculine black pants.

First discovering millinery after attending Derby Day and spending the day at the Champagne Bar wearing a figure-hugging dress and black bucket hat Souri was hooked on the races with its sense of celebration by well-dressed attendees.  She began taking millinery classes with Melbourne milliner Sandra Buchanan to develop her skills.

She began creating headpieces for friends and family with her work winning the Blue Diamond Stakes Day FOTF title at Caulfield Racecourse in 2006.  When client and friend Holly Stearnes wore one of Souri’s designs when she won the Victorian title for Fashions on the Field at the Melbourne Cup Carnival it gave Souri the push to launch her own label.

Velvet & Tonic was born and the label is known for its free-form and sculptural pieces.  Hear more about the label in this Millinery.Info podcast with founder Souri Sengdara.

Belinda Osborne is the milliner and designer behind the award-winning brand Peacock Millinery.  Belinda is the winner of the 2022 Millinery Australia Design Award she returns to the podcast to share about this award-winning creation.  The theme of the competition is was Counter Balance.  Belinda’s piece was titled Yin Yang – Light and Darkness – a world balanced.

She describes the piece as “The Yin Yang Koi fish represent the convergence of opposite energies. They counterbalance one another. One male, one female. Day and night. Sun and moon. Fire and water, North and South and so on. They are the duality and harmony of life itself.”

Since we last spoke Belinda has moved studios and she speaks about the challenges of shifting spaces and how that changes how she works.  She shared the success of the recent Drawing Cup Carnival and creating pieces for her inspiring clientele.

Listen to the first Millinery.Info podcast about Peacock Millinery’s winning Oaks Day Millinery Award piece here.

Stephanie Spencer is the winner of the 2020 Myer Millinery Award.  The winning piece was a nod to surrealism taking the form of parisisal ballet shoes that were mounted on the head.  Stephanie had come up with the idea and then created the piece during the lockdown period in Melbourne.  In the podcast she shares about the process and the consideration of construction techniques she undertook.  

She first took a millinery class in Perth with Waltraud Reiner before moving to Melbourne to pursue her career in fashion and design were she learnt from Richard Nylon.  Upon launching her own brand you can see the influence of Stephanie’s background in fashion and textile design. Stephanie Spencer Millinery creates modern silhouettes that combine with gorgeous hand finishing techniques to form unique pieces.  She has a strong knowledge of millinery materials having spent time working at Torb and Reiner (now Millinery Hub).

Based in a Collingwood studio Stephanie explores the idea of a hat as canvas. She speaks with us about some of her favourite projects in the local fashion industry which includes working with Toni Maticevski during Fashion Week.

Cynthia Jones-Bryson won the Myer Melbourne Cup Carnival Millinery Award in 2019 with a striking red feather piece.  Hear about how Robert Palmer’s Simply Irresistible influenced the piece. Working from her studio in Jerrabomberra Cynthia has been making hats for 16 years.  She originally studied Fashion Design at Canberra Institute of Technology that included a component of Millinery. 

She lived and worked in London studying theatrical millinery courses before returning to Australia.  Cynthia makes pieces for events across the globe and her pieces can be spotted track side at Flemington Racecourse, Royal Ascot and Kentucky Derby.   

Hosted at Flemington Racecourse on Oaks Day of Melbourne Cup Week. The competition was founded in 2006 by Myer and the Victorian Racing Club looking to honour the milliners of the local industry.  In 2022 the competition was renamed to be the Lillian Frank AM MBE Millinery Award.

Winner – Kathryn Lee Millinery

Runner Up – Jill Humphries

Second Runner Up – Andrea Cainero of Somewhere Here

Winner – Cynthia Jones Bryson

Runner Up – Natalie Taylor

Second Runner Up – Jill Humphries

Winner – Velvet and Tonic

Runner Up – Natalie Bikicki

Second Runner Up – Wendy Scully

Winner – Belinda Osbourne of Peacock Millinery

Runner Up – Angie Jackman

Second Runner Up – Carole Maher of The Sydney Millinery Co

Winner – Stephanie Spencer Millinery

Runner Up – Angie Jackman Millinery

Second Runner Up – Peacock Millinery

Winner – Cynthia Jones Bryson

Runner Up – Peacock Millinery

Second Runner Up – Velvet and Tonic

Winner – Rebecca Share Millinery

Runner Up – Angie Jackman

Second Runner Up – Amelda Millinery

Winner – Sarah Hope Schofield

Runner Up – The Sydney Millinery Co (Carole Maher)

Second Runner Up – Rose Hudson Millinery

Winner – Ian Bennett

Runner Up – Justine Gillingham

Second Runner Up – Lady of Leisure

Winner – Cynthia Jones Bryson

Runner Up – Kim Wiebenga

Second Runner Up – Peacock Millinery

Winner – Jill and Jack Millinery

Runner Up – Rebecca Share

Second Runner Up - please contact us if you know this was.

Winner – Aniss Studio

Runner Up – Taboo Millinery

Second Runner Up – Rebecca Share

Winner – Love Lotus

Runner Up – Emma Yeo

Second Runner Up – Liza Steadman

Winner – Rebecca Share Millinery

Runner Up – Mandy Murphy

Second Runner Up – Louise Macdonald

Winner – Liza Steadman

Runner Up – Love Lotus

Second Runner Up - please contact us if you know who this was

Winner – Kerrie Stanley

Runner Up

Second Runner Up - Serena Lindeman

Winner – Liza Steadman

Runner Up – Peta Schafer

Second Runner Up – Louise Macdonald

Winner – Kim Fletcher

Runner Up

Second Runner Up

Winner – Serena Lindeman

Runner Up

Second Runner Up