5 minute read
AS TIME GOES BY
A
B C
A: Jess Stones horse Mikimoto showing off his winner’s garland (Image by Lisa Gordon).
B: Detail of the garland made by Phillipa Harcourt.
C: Violet Murrell and her horse Garryowen.
D: The list of previous winners worked into the garland. E
Garryowen Equestrienne Memorial Turnout competition, with its prize of the Perpetual Turnout Trophy has been part of the Royal Melbourne Show since 1934 and is considered the Melbourne Cup of show riding. In recent years, the stunning floral garland made for the event has become just as famous.
This year the Garryowen turned 85 at the recent Melbourne Royal. For Phillipa Harcourt, the owner of HM Garlands and Floral Work, the making of the Garryowen winner’s garland is one of the highlights of her designing year – and a highlight at the Melbourne Royal for anybody lucky enough to lay their eyes on this extraordinary bespoke floral garland.
Phillipa left her position as director of an IT company in 2013 to pursue her passion for horses full-time. Little did she know at the time that her business skills and designer skills and her love of the horse industry would create such a unique and extraordinary career, all starting from garland donations to pony club events and local shows.
“I started to take orders,” Phillipa says, “which gradually gained momentum, and HM Garlands was born. I’m a perfectionist by nature, and I really strive to make each piece as if it was a luxurious one-off designer garment or handbag.”
This year, there’s no doubt that Phillipa has excelled herself. The beauty of the 2019 winner’s garland – awarded to Jessica Stones and her horse Mikimoto – was truly a work of art.
“I really wanted to capture that feeling of awe the Garryowen inspires amongst its competitors, current and aspiring,” she says. “This year I really allowed the garland to be the largest feature it could be.
The Garryowen is often likened to the Brownlow Medal or to the Melbourne Cup, and the standard of turnout required to win for both horse and rider is exceptional. The event is unlike any other showing competition in that there are five judges. One of the judges assesses the rider’s clothing, based on what was worn in the 1930s; another gives marks on the saddlery – also of the sort used in the ‘30s. The event is prestigious in itself, but also expensive to enter, with almost everything handmade. The fabric is brought from England, and is a heavy-weight 22-ounce cavalry twill; the jacket is heavy and designed for hunting – not something used for general riding! The breeches are made from 18 once cavalry woollen twill; the top boots are handmade, and the shirts are made to measure from imported Swiss dinner shirt fabric. To top off the top-drawer effect, the riders wear tartan vests, gold cuff links and stocks. Over the past four years, Phillipa has included elements that reflect a specific period of history, or reflect the costumes that the riders wear, and how those pieces themselves are aging, and have often been worn by more than one winner.
For this anniversary garland, she decided to include a few elements from the past few years pieces. “It was then that the idea of time passing suddenly stood out to me,” she says. “I thought of the people who run the event, the family members who attend each year to represent the Murrell family, and the young riders who progress through the
ranks to becoming the young ladies who put so much effort into competing
E F
E: Jess Stones on Mikimoto, sporting the beautiful winner’s garland.
F: The timepiece resting in its nest.
in the Garryowen. The garland theming, for me, became quite simply – as time goes by.”
What Phillipa is acutely aware of is the gravitas attached to the Garryowen. “When I look at the printing that I attach to the back of the garland, I remember the precious nature of this particular event. Each name on the list contributes to its history – you wonder about every horse and rider combination and the stories that go with them regarding their experiences on the path to the event, and of course, that final day. The day of the competition itself.”
Philippa, who is based near Brisbane, decided that for this anniversary year she wanted to do something a little different with the colour, so with the blessing of the Melbourne Royal Committee, she used a mixture of lavender tones, and broke that colour up with masses of white gardenias.
“I sourced dried violets and placed them on some of the leaves near the front peak of the garland,” she explains. “I used many different types of lavender flowers, and the gardenia fitted in so perfectly because it’s a feature of the event, worn by each competitor and by the officials on the day.”
To bring extra texture, she also found coral plants, cut them up and placed them throughout the garland. As each week passed, she added more, or changed an element here and there, finding special flowers, and adding a 1934 penny she uses every year. “I wanted something even more special this year,” she says “so I created a small round nest, the type a finch would nest in, and placed the nest at the front of the garland to the right, as if it was a real nest within thick greenery. I fixed a small silver pocket watch inside the nest, which was held in there by a silver chain. Once it was found, the pocket watch could be lifted and opened – revealing the time, and the message of time passing, ticking its own clock within the garland.” Finally, the garland was finished with a satin lace trim, pearlised flowers, lavender rose buds, vines and greenery.
“The final piece was a tribute to Violet Murrell, her family, the event named in her honour – and of, course to the competitors, and ultimately Jessica, the very deserving winner.”
Even when she is not actively making a garland, Phillipa is busy sourcing ideas and pieces for the next one. “I really want the garlands to be something someone can cherish,” she says. “I source my ingredients for them from my travels, online and in my daily life as I find some interesting ingredient. I’ll just think to myself, ‘now that would look amazing,’ and the beginning of an idea is born.”
