LIKE mother, like daughter so the saying goes, and the Parish ladies certainly proved that yesterday.

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While Debbie Parish won the millinery award for her unmissable hand-made creation, her daughter Viviana was named Lady of the Day runner-up for the second year in a row.

Not only that, both did it in vintage-inspired outfits made by Mrs Parish herself.

Though her daughter has been a regular fashions on the field entrant for some time, it was the first time Mrs Parish, 55, had entered such a large competition.

“I’ve been in a few of the little ones around our local area (in Bywong, near Canberra) but nothing like this before, so I’m actually shaking,” she said of her win.

The large floral headpiece immediately caught the judges’ attention.

Mrs Parish hand-painted the “petals” to perfectly match the forest green and gold hues of the dress, which was based on an original 1950s pattern and made in a heavy, luxurious satin.

And don’t let the size fool you — made of foam, the hat was in fact surprisingly light to wear.

“I loved her hat the second I saw it,” Miss Parish, 23, declared.

“I’m so happy for her — as a milliner, to win a millinary award is an honour.”

Despite her obvious hat-making skills, it is but a hobby for Mrs Parish; at the moment, she makes about one a week “just for fun”, and ends up donating them to charities, giving them away or adding to her daughter’s growing collection.

That collection includes the royal blue and mustard suit she wore yesterday, an outfit that had actually been sitting in the wardrobe for a year before being dusted off for the gold cup.