‘Forward thinking’ Jess now a national finalist
Agriculture PhD student Jess Coad this week won the Victoria Derby Day Fashions on the Field and will compete in the national finals on Thursday to win an $85,000 Lexus.
Media described Jess as "wearing a floaty mid-calf Scanlon and Theodore black dress high-lighted with a self-crafted copper belt". Her unusual helmet-style hat, made of knitted copper wire and electrical wire, was designed by Burnie milliner Susan McArthur.
Jess is studying at TIAR, at Mt Pleasant in Launceston. She is working on a Dairy Australia-funded project on phosphorus in soil.
Jess said judges told her she won the event because her outfit’s contemporary edge was "forward thinking".
She competed against 140 Derby day contestants; the main prize was a holiday.
Photo: Jess Coad on Derby Day. Credit: Newspix.