The Melbourne Cup might have the race day glory, and Oaks Day may technically have the style crown thanks to hosting the Fashions on the Field final.
However, speak to most people, and they’ll tell you the same thing: Derby Day is the “real” fashion moment of the spring carnival, and you don’t get much more fashion than having a ’90s supermodel in your midst.
Here are the attendees who were a masterclass in trackside style.
Helena Christensen and Rebecca Vallance in Rebecca Vallance
If you can trust anyone to serve, it’s a supermodel, and they don’t come much more super than Helena Christensen. When the Danish model stepped into the Lexus pavilion today, the air seemed to still, and then the bulbs began to flash.
Christensen was accompanied by Australian designer Rebecca Vallance, who also designed both of their chic Derby Day looks.
“I love how Rebecca celebrates femininity while keeping everything modern and sophisticated,” Christensen says. “There’s such beautiful attention to detail in her designs, and I really appreciate the craftsmanship.”
Christensen’s black and white tweed two-piece top and skirt featured pearl detailing and was elegance epitomised. She completed the look with a Nerida Winter hat and Jimmy Choo heels.
“I started with Helena,” Vallance says of the design process. “Her beautiful body, her beautiful curves and the silhouette that I knew that she was after. Then I put an RV spin on it.”
Christensen says that the creative collaboration felt true to her personal style. “I’ve always been inspired by vintage fashion, particularly the elegance and individuality of different eras,” she says. “I love pieces that have a timeless quality but still feel fresh and modern. That balance was definitely part of the inspiration.”
Vallance herself opted for a sleek cream dress with a delicate black lace trim which added a nice point of contrast. Her black leather opera gloves and coordinating pillbox hat kept things firmly on trend.
“I wanted to be more minimal today,” Vallance says. “To keep everyone focused on Helena.”
Brahman Perera in Comme des Garcon
Derby Day is famously black and white, but that doesn’t stop some attendees from exploring the grey area in between. Just look at Brahman Perera.
The Melbourne interior designer was a total style standout in a grey Commes des Garcon dress he purchased on a recent trip to Paris.
“This was a one-off, which always makes it a bit special,” Perera explains of the dress, made from repurposed men’s suiting material.
He accessorised with a bedazzled green grape clutch reminiscent of the Judith Lieber bags favoured by another fashion icon, Carrie Bradshaw. “It’s very obviously out of the theme, but it’s nice to mix it up.”
Rozalia Russian in Steven Khalil
The skirt suite was a recurring theme on the recent spring/summer 2027 runways, and Rozalia Russian nailed the trend. “I always like to feel very ladylike at the races,” Russian says inside the Lexus pavilion.
Russian worked with Sydney-based Steven Khalil on the custom lace look, which was tailored exquisitely and featured a plunging neckline with coordinating hat.
Russian completed the look with elaborate Saint Laurent crimson earrings and a sleek Bulgari bag. “I feel like it’s almost John Galliano-era Dior,” she says.
Indeed, it brings just the right amount of drama, without any of the controversy.
Isaac Quaynor in Oscar Hunt
“I’ve always loved a pinstripe suit, but honestly, it was all Simon,” says Isaac Quaynor of his custom Oscar Hunt suit, giving all credit to his stylist, Simon Finnegan.
His sleek Gentle Monster sunglasses, however, were all Quaynor. “These glasses are my babies,” he says.
Either way, the Collingwood football player encapsulates perfectly sprezzatura; the Italian word for style that is simultaneously sharp without ever feeling forced.
Camilla Freeman-Topper in Camilla and Marc
Leave it to Camilla Freeman-Topper to show us how raceday fashion can look cool.
Freeman-Topper wore a full look from her eponymous label, Camilla and Marc, for the occasion, pairing a cream tailored double-breasted jacket with a fringe-tiered skirt. Opting for contrasting black accessorised, the designer was every inch sartorial insouciance.
“Elegant, sculptural tailoring always wins,” she says of what sparked her inspiration for Derby Day.
Spoken like a pro.
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