If you just bought one of these to wear to the races, we hope you kept the receipt.

By NICKY CHAMP

I hope you haven’t already bought your race day outfit this year, because the racing authorities have spoken, and they do not want to see your stomach at Flemington this year.

The Victoria Racing Club has banned crop tops from the Members’ sections of the racetrack. So if your races outfit is hanging in your closet, and will reveal a section of your midriff, I hope you kept the receipt.

Anyone trying to enter the VIP Birdcage, Grandstands or The Nursery wearing a crop top – or even a dress with a midriff-baring cutout, like Jesinta Campbell and Lara Bingle wore last year – will not be allowed to enter.

The no bare flesh rule is problematic because one of the main fashion trends this year along with body-con, figure-hugging dresses is midriff cutouts.

Take a look at the Spring Racing edits on Australian retailers, The Iconic, David Jones and Myer, websites, and a huge majority of the dresses feature stomach baring panels:

I’m betting that Australian fashion designers wish they’d known that the midriff rule was going to be strictly enforced this year BEFORE all these dresses went into production.

Along with crop tops: shorts, denim, jumpsuits, and leggings worn as pants won’t gain you entry to the member’s areas. But the good news if you intend to attend the general admission areas at the races, the strict dress rules won’t apply to you. So go ahead and rock that crop top or jumpsuit or leggings as pants if you so wish…

Don’t worry, the menfolk aren’t escaping the dress standards either. Men won’t gain admission to the member’s area if they are wearing thongs, denim, brightly coloured suits, safari suits or cravats. Wait, no cravats? What is Matt Preston going to wear?

We like to add a few additions to the banned list, namely men’s white dress shoes, stilettos (c’mon this should be obvious) and fancy dress costumes.

What would you like to see banned? 

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