It was no secret that I was geared up for the Paspaley Polo in the Park: after interviewing some of the key players for an article in The Age, I couldn’t wait to see if this was the hot ticket I expected it to be. Not disappointed. What a glorious, relaxed, fun day: Albert Park is a great location, and once there, the marquees are easy to negotiate. (Those who weren’t invited to a marquee didn't fret, since the Kirin Polo Lounge offered deejay tunes, massage treatments and a cool table and chair set up right on track.) I love the way that the polo players wander in and out of the marquees before and after their games, and there’s no shortage of celebrity spotting, either – hello Jennifer Hawkins and Rebecca Judd (in Land Rover), as well as Alice Burdeu, Francesca Cumani and Lauren Philips (in Veuve Clicquot).
The Paspaley marquee was awash in yellow-and-white, while souvenir-collectors ran amok at Veuve Clicquot’s take on a 50s diner, picking up yellow trilby hats, sun shades, fans and sunglasses. The safari theme at Land Rover meant a zebra rug on the floor, and offerings such as beef jerky on a canopy-covered table. Woodford Reserve was done up to resemble a white-shuttered house on a Southern Plantation, and the killer cocktails meant that guests had a good ole time, in the Southern tradition too. Kudos to Janek Gazecki, one of the founders of Paspaley PITC, who’s a grand spokesperson for the event – and for the sport.(He even plays!)
Lauren Phillips and Rob Archibald
Natalie Decorte and husband Janek Gazecki
Jennifer Hawkins
Rebecca Judd
David Briskin and fiancee Elizabeth
Alice Burdeu and Christian Blanchard
Dasha Gold
Shiva Singam
Alan Nelson
Candice Goss and Saasha Burns
Courtney Tuzee and Scherri Lee Biggs
Megan Hess
Michael Coade and Cindy Sargon
Tatiana Farley and Francesca Cumani (who's engaged to polo player Rob Archibald)
Natalie Darkess and Georgia Ballieu
Nick Giannopoulos
Above photos by Josh Ellis (for Land Rover), Lucas Dawson (for Paspaley) and Sabrina Rubini (for Veuve Clicquot)
Woodford Reserve
Jono Francisco, Gary Edmund, Nigel Johnston