Field frocks give Coco Rocha a surprise Canadian model Coco Rocha before the Victoria Racing Club Oaks Club luncheon yesterday. THE horses may have been given a rest day yesterday, but Melbourne ladies need no such respite during the Melbourne Cup carnival. The annual Victoria Racing Club Oaks Club luncheon attracted about 1500 ladies who lunch, with a flood of fascinators descending upon the Crown pavilion to be entertained by veteran pop star Belinda Carlisle. Guest of honour, Canadian model Coco Rocha, who was invited to the carnival by the VRC, said the racing fashions on offer had taken her by surprise. "When I came out I was told that it's going to be beautiful, it's going to be amazing, and I thought, 'OK, a lot of people like to toot their own horns'," Rocha said. But I was pleasantly surprised - and I'd let you know what I really thought. I was really happy to see women try to get the best accessories, the best dresses, and that's what it's all about, really dressing up for the races. Today's Oaks Day at Flemington hosts the national final of the Myer Fashions on the Field competition, and Rocha will again be on the judging panel. "I've heard that these girls have been pretty much working on this for a year, designing their looks," Rocha said. I know that a lot of people put so much effort into their looks, from where they find their material to the story behind their whole look. That's why I love vintage (fashion), when it has a story behind it, so I love to hear about where they got their inspiration and how they made these looks. Rocha has capitalised on social media to further her career. She has more than 652,000 followers on Twitter and more than 572,000 on Instagram. "It has most definitely changed my career," Rocha said. When I started there was no such thing as social media, we were still using film for photography. Over time I saw the difference in how companies would use me because of the amount of people I have following me, or if something was reported that I didn't think was fair or was unjust in our industry or for just myself, I could actually write about it, I could have a platform.