Melbourne Cup Carnival came alive as stars flocked to Derby Day: See all the pictures
Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi has revealed he regularly couch surfs at the home of a popular radio host while in Australia.
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Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi, in Australia for a two day catch up with mates, charmed guests in the Lexus marquee at Derby Day.
Elsa Pataky was also a guest of the car maker.
Waititi revealed he had suffered a confronting wardrobe malfunction on the way to the races which saw him seek refuge in the Lexus loo. He also let slip he regularly couch surfs at KIIS FM breakfast host Lauren Phillip’s Byron Bay home.
“I go and stay at their place and I sleep on the couch,” Waititi said.
Of his fashion crisis he said: “Either I lost 100 pounds overnight or there was some miscommunication and the pants that I got were too big. Fantastic suit by Armani, it is no one’s fault, maybe I got the size wrong.”
“I had to do a little emergency stitch down in the toilets and I stitched these (an extra button on his pants) myself.”
A racing novice, Waititi said he was blown away by the Lexus experience in the Birdcage which saw him and his crew including Phillips, Billy and Nicole Slater and Paul O’Brien along with Pataky and her group of girlfriends, settle into the third storey of the three level luxury enclosure.
“I have never been to horse races in my life so this is all I have got to go on,” he said, adding he had no trouble navigating the traffic into the course.
“I came in on a chopper.
“It is like when you experience business class you never want to turn right ever again in your life when you get on the plane.
“I am ruined now, I am ruined for life, I can’t drive to this place ever, it is only choppers from now on.”
The blockbuster director said he would be back in Australia in April when his wife, singer Rita Ora, filmed The Voice.
Waititi was among scores of celebrities, sporting identities, fashionistas and racing aficionados who flocked to Flemington for Penfolds Victoria Derby Day on Saturday.
The equine stars were cheered on by the stars of sport, theatre, TV and business as the Melbourne Cup Carnival came alive again after the pandemic left the track without crowds in 2020 and a mere smattering of fans in attendance last year.
The famed Birdcage corporate enclosure has been reimagined this year, making it bigger, brighter and more than ever the place to be seen on-track.
Former footy great Ben Cousins also re-emerged among the celebrities at the Birdcage on Melbourne’s most fashionable and social day.
Cousins, who has endured years of being off the rails with drug and behavioural issues, seems to have his life back on track.
After visiting Melbourne in September for a series of speaking engagements he arrived in Melbourne this week for more speaking opportunities and wasted no time getting to the track.
Looking sharp in a fitted suit, Cousins arrived with friends intent on enjoying the corporate enclosure.
“I’m here with friends, we’re going to just have a bit of a look around,” he said.
“The Grand Final was the first time I had been back her (Melbourne) in a long time.
“It was great to be back and now I am taking every opportunity I can to get back here.”
If the manner in which fellow racegoers turned their heads to have a look at the former footy star is anything to go by - with many approaching him for a selfie - he has lost none of his appeal to the punters and footy fans.
Cousins has been part of a footy tipping panel with Channel 7 news in Perth this year. He was also a guest at the recent Perth Telethon with his young children.
It is understood he is high on Seven’s wish list of celebrities they would like to entice to take part in the new season of SAS: Australia.
The new season of SAS: Australia looks anything but easy, with plans for it to be set in a desert location in the Middle East.
Also spotted among the Birdcage crowd was 2021 Grand Final border breacher Hayden Burbank.
Derby Day famous faces
Shane Warne’s daughter Brooke Warne was among the racegoers with her brother, Jackson.
“It is good to be here. Dad loved coming to the Birdcage,” she said.
Warne was wearing a cute Bianca and Bridgett mini dress.
Eleni Taylor, who arrived with Sydney accountant Anthony Bell, looked stunning in an Alexandre Vauthier black dress with a heavily feathered hem.
Myer ambassador Kris Smith made a bold statement for men’s dressing, turning up in a white suit. The former professional athlete was cheered by blokes in one marquee as he and his wife, Sarah, made their way through the Birdcage. His new fans were giving him a shout-out for his brave choice encouraging him to avoid sauce on pies and red wine in case it marked his suit.
Fashions on the Field
In a sign of the times, Myer’s Fashions on the Field is celebrating its 60th anniversary by ditching gender norms as hundreds of racegoers strut their stuff at Flemington.
There is no longer a distinct line drawn between the best dressed and best suited competitions with all genders allowed to apply for either of the awards based on what they are wearing.
Stylish racegoers attending Derby Day kicked off the four-day event by braving the runway in their best black and white attire, with broad-brimmed fascinators, patterns and a dash of bling a common sight.
Some female entrants, who were only considered for the best-dressed category in previous years, were seen on Saturday in a stunning array of suits, walking alongside their male counterparts in the best-suited competition.
Meanwhile, some men were spotted walking the runway in outfits with ties to their cultural roots, particularly one entrant who enlightened the fashionable crowd in a kilt.
Among preliminary best-dressed contenders, no one dress was the same, with a mix of bold solid designs and dresses with layers and monochrome patterns.
Everyday admirers of fashion weren’t the only onlookers beside the runway, with some famous faces mixing in with the crowd.
Wowing racegoers with a feathery statement headpiece, Victoria Racing Club’s newest ambassador Christian Wilkins watched as Derby Day’s best-dressed preliminary finalists walked the catwalk.
Wilkins was among the panel of judges for the event.
“This is my first time judging and it’s been an absolute joy,” he said.
When asked to explain his decision behind his Derby Day fit, Wilkins joked, “my theme for today was subtle and I think that I nailed it”.
While many best-dressed contenders chose patterns for their outfit, it was three plain bold designs that took out the top spots.
Self-described “fashion devotee”, Emma Scodellaro was one of the three best-dressed winners for her Signor Mont dress and millinery by Jill.
Bows tailored to the top and mid of her dress as well as a mesh pattern evenly sewn along its lower half were the outfit’s standout features.
The winner’s millinery also featured bows and feathers over a medium-brimmed base.
Meanwhile, her winning counterparts both shone in ankle-length, black dresses and stiletto heels, accessorising with mostly black fascinators.
All three women won a Myer voucher and will get the opportunity to compete in the best-dressed final on Oaks Day.
Inside the Birdcage
A standout among the elaborate structures in the Birdcage is the Lexus marquee, known as Landmark by Lexus.
The three-storey marquee is influenced by the Japanese Omotenashi values of warmth and hospitality this year, all couched within an environment of refined luxury.
Landmark’s exterior was designed by Koichi Takada Architects with interiors created by Fiona Lynch.
A restaurant on the ground floor features a menu by East Brunswick institution, Etta.
The marquee has even had three fragrances created especially for Lexus for the Cup Carnival by artisanal luxury fragrance brand Raconteur.
Guests include Elsa Pataky, Taika Waititi, Emma Freedman, Kate Waterhouse, Danny and Nina O’Brien, Melissa Leong, and former NRL player Anthony Minichiello.
Champagne house Mumm is shaping up as the most playful marquee in the Birdcage.
Titled Le Jardin de la Maison Mumm, the brand confirmed on Saturday it was renewing its partnership with VRC for a further two years.
Guests enjoying the Mumms bubbles include model Duckie Thot, dressed in a white suit by fashion designer Michael Lo Sordo, Montana Cox, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Rachel Griffiths, Cameron Robbie, Stephanie Gilmore, Tegan Martin, Ellidy Pullin, and Josh Daicos and Annalise Dallins.
Penfolds leads the way in the Birdcage as the marquee with the best story to tell. The classy corporate enclosure is themed around the brand’s ‘Venture Beyond’ signature which has been interpreted as a space theme for Cup Week.
The Penfolds astronaut is a brilliant marketing move — he is going to be in demand for selfies as the carnival progresses.
Guest attending the Penfolds enclosure include model Bambi Northwood Blyth, Joel and Britt Selwood, Erin Holland, Dan McPherson, Kris Smith, Laura Henshaw, Max Gawn and Moana Hope.
The Channel 10/Paramount marquee’s guests include Jock Zonfrillo, Tristan MacManus, Sarah Harris, Jennifer Keyte, Stephen Quartermain, Sandra Sully, Madeline Cowe and Elliot Isles, Hugh Sheridan and Sheldon Riley enjoying a day at the track.
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