The stakes were high and the heels were higher as the fashion focus turned to the lawns trackside at Royal Randwick for Emirates Doncaster Day and the hottest accessory on the day came in the form of a simple silver of a plastic wrist band emblazoned with either the words Emirates of David Jones allowing access into the fabulousness of the marquees.

It was a very dark day at Randwick as many stayed close to the traditional black and white Derby Day theme but left the white at home and opted for stylish and simple basic black. The new face of David Jones, Miranda Kerr (in black) showed that the best accessory was a gorgeous guy on your arm when she arrived with Hollywood star Orlando Bloom. Laura Bingle (in black) did the same with cricketer fiancé Michael Clarke as did Megan Gale (in black) with funny man Andy Lee. Tara Moss (in black) topped off her form fitting number off with an eye catching orange top hat.

Keeping in theme with the Derby Day dress code a gaggle of girls dressed in assorted combinations of cream/black and white.

The standout on the day was a honeymoon radiant Catriona Rowntree in a fabulous shift dress in cream and gold brocade. A very close runner up, Sonia Kruger turned up the heat in a gold number with feather fringing (and fantastic legs).

The first thing that you noticed away from the marquees was the shift to bright colour as the girls looked bold and beautiful in every colour imaginable - red, pink, purple, blue, green, yellow and stunning prints.

A day at the races seems to involve having your photo taken with friends on cameras and especially camera phones. So your definitely want to be looking your best as your smiling image will be captured for all time. So here is some basic advice.

When posing for a photo remember that the camera doesn’t lie but it can certainly tell your side of the story. To look thinner, take a note from the red carpets of Hollywood and put one foot slightly in front of the other, stand up straight, suck your tummy in and smile like a Cheshire cat.

When it comes to finding the right outfit remember that the dress code is lady like chic. It is not the set of Baywatch or the Logies so save the cleavage and cocktail dresses for later. You need to look like you have made an effort (without trying too hard), accessories are all important so put some time into selecting your shoes, handbag and hat.

Finding the right handbag is an essential part o race day preparation. Keep the checklist clean and simple; race book, phone, sunglasses, beauty basics and room for your winnings. Think twice about clutch bags. It is very hard to hold a glass of champagne, a race book, and a hand bag at the same time – something is bound to go wrong with this balancing act!

If there is room take some emergency supplies. Sunscreen, band-aids and lip balm never go astray. Pack some amethyst to prevent drunkenness and rose quartz to attract love.

When choosing your shoes remember that you will be prancing around for much of the day so they need to be fabulous but feasible as well. If you can’t walk in them at the start of the day you will almost certainly be lame by lunchtime. Beauty is pain but too much beauty might ruin your day.

While we are on the subject of beauty remember you will need to have with you all the basics for a midday makeover. Re-gorgeous yourself at regular intervals so you don’t finish the day looking tragic.

And we continue on our path to fashion fabulousness I will give you a top secret fashion trick on making sure your outfit is the right one.

Stand in front of the mirror with your eyes closed. When you open them if the first thing you see is your face you have hit the fashion jackpot – if the first thing you see is your outfit – get changed.