Best Suited: A winning look with a personal touch

Despite the strong looks on Oaks Day, Cup Day finalist Kalombo Ntumba claimed the 2026 Best Suited title, impressing the judging panel in a mustard double-breasted linen suit, brown fedora and tinted sunglasses.

The look began with his shoes. “I started with these beautiful maroon loafers with the complementary socks, and worked around them,” he said.

Known for favouring more fitted tailoring, Ntumba wanted something with a little more movement this year. He found the linen suit six months ago, and it has sat in his wardrobe ever since, “waiting for today”. He thrifted most of the rest, including a pin he’s worn at every competition. “It’s my lucky charm – it’s now part and parcel of every look.”

But the most personal elements of the outfit came from a collaboration with his father in South Africa.

“Every time I compete, I try to pay him homage,” Ntumba said. “He is my fashion inspiration, after all.”

His father made the shirt, and when Ntumba discovered a piece of fabric in a thrift shop that he thought would make the perfect scarf for his neck, he called home. “I told him this is our next project.”

New to sewing, Ntumba bought a sewing machine, and his father guided him through the process over Zoom, with YouTube tutorials providing a little extra help.

“The colours were the polar opposite to the suit, but I knew I could make it work,” he said. He twisted the same fabric around his hat to bring the look together.

Ntumba is no stranger to the Fashions on the Field finals, having qualified in 2019, 2021 and 2024. For the Sydney-based finance professional, fashion offers a welcome departure from his everyday wardrobe.

“I’m in finance, so I’m usually a lot more muted,” he said. “This is just my outlet for expression.”

He also competes at Australian Turf Club meetings, but Flemington holds a special place. “Every year without fail you’ll see me here, whether I’m competing or not,” he said. “As long as I’m with like-minded fashion lovers, I’m in heaven.”

Derby Day finalist Viera Macikova claimed second place in a striking all-white ensemble. Starting with a simple Zara suit, she worked with her dressmaker to give it a more sculptural silhouette. “We added hip pads to accentuate the waist and hips, plus flowers, then styled it with ivory accessories and pearls,” she said. A wide-brimmed white hat completed the look. A Fashions on the Field regular since 2019, Macikova was competing in Best Suited for the first time.

Crown Oaks Day finalist Masika Kambere rounded out the podium in third place.

Still to come: The Remix

Fashions on the Field isn't over yet. On TAB Champions Stakes Day, Saturday 7 November, the carnival concludes with the inaugural Fashions on the Field: The Remix presented by Rack It Club.

The new competition celebrates creativity, individuality and conscious fashion choices through three pillars: Rewear, showcasing vintage, archival and rental pieces; Rework, for customised, upcycled and reinvented looks; and Restyle, rewarding fresh, modern interpretations of racewear.

Entrants can compete in two categories: Best Dressed: The Remix and Best Suited: The Remix.