Inside Victoria Racing Club’s strict members dress code

The singer attended a Melbourne Cup event in Sydney wearing an outfit officials have deemed “not acceptable” in VIP areas of the racecourse.

VIP attendees of the prestigious Melbourne Cup have always been subjected to strict dress codes.

Rules for permitted attire inside the highly regarded members areas such as the Birdcage include “no garments which show midriff” as well as a ban on short jumpsuits and playsuits.

This year, the dress code for the Melbourne Cup Carnival – which begins Saturday October 30 and ends on November 6 – is no different.

Documents published on the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) website stress the same strict guidelines from previous years apply to its members, despite the limited crowd numbers in 2021.

The ladies dress regulations have been in place since 1864 and are “strictly enforced” in members areas. These restrictions are not applied to those in general admission.

Other garments deemed “not acceptable” at the members areas inside Flemington include jeans, shorts and leggings as well as “ripped” clothing and bulky jackets like parkas and duffel coats.

Flashing the flesh at the Melbourne Cup has always been a no, no. Picture: Media Mode

Delta Goodrem attended the Lexus Melbourne Cup Media Event in Sydney on Wednesday wearing a dress with cut-outs. Picture: Media Mode

At the Lexus Melbourne Cup event held in Sydney today, the historic rules did not apply at the private venue – but one outfit spotted on the blue carpet would not have been permitted inside the VIP areas at Flemington.

Delta Goodrem arrived in a gorgeous green floral dress that finished at her shins and featured sheer puff sleeves. The floaty number also had cut-outs on her hips that showed off her midriff.

The 36-year-old finished her look with pale pink accessories, including a pink clutch, fascinator and strappy heels while her blonde hair was tied back with curled strands framing her face.

Her daring look comes just two weeks after the Australian Turf Club (ATC) stated trendy “cut out” dresses were now “unacceptable” race day attire in its members areas.

Australian Turf Club recently ruled cut-out dresses were ‘not acceptable’ in members areas. Picture: Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images

The embattled former WAG wore the controversial outfit at Derby Day in 2019. Picture: James Gourley/Getty Images

No skin rules have failed to stop other attendees, including embattled former WAG Nadia Bartel, from wearing the controversial cut out design.

The 36-year-old – who was recently embroiled in a snorting scandal – wore a white Dion Lee dress with cut outs on her hip to Derby Day in 2019.

The cut-out trend has become a celebrity favourite in the last few years, regularly worn by influencers and A-listers.

Kim Kardashian was one of the first to go full throttle with the risque design, wearing a vintage Thierry Mugler gown in 2019 that sparked the trend.

Since then it has been seen on countless red carpets for movie premieres as well as altering fashion and swimwear trends.

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Originally published as Inside Victoria Racing Club’s strict members dress code