Rebecca Vallance reveals wild effect of star’s Derby Day pic

An amazing snap of Matt Damon and his wife at Flemington sparked a frenzy last year – and led to a “sell out” product for a beloved Aussie.

An amazing photo of Matt Damon and his wife taken at Penfold’s Victoria Derby Day sparked a frenzy last year – and led to a “sell out” product for a top Australian fashion designer.

Luciana Damon, whose surname was Barroso before she married her famous husband, attended the LANDMARK by Lexus marquee inside the Birdcage wearing a custom Rebecca Vallance gown.

The black dress stayed true to the Victorian Racing Club’s strict dress code and featured an off-the-shoulder design with intricate beading.

But after an image of Luciana in the “stunning” design was obtained by news.com.au and featured in an annual fashion round-up, shoppers were determined to get their hands on it, prompting Vallance to release the dress in stores a few months ago.

Rebecca Vallance designed this dress for Luciana Damon (R), but after she wore it to Derby Day in 2023, Aussie shoppers were desperate to own it. Picture: Supplied

“It sold out very quickly, it was definitely a favourite of the season with our customers,” Vallance told news.com.au ahead of her Cup Day appearance trackside with international star Nicky Hilton Rothschild.

“The opportunity to create the dress came about through a close friend Suzy Eskander who was styling Luciana, and we were so excited to create something bespoke for her that spoke to her style.

“We loved the drama of the traditional 7/8 length and after Luciana wore it to Derby Day, our customers were desperate to get their hands on it, so it was later released it as the Anelise Midi and fast became a best-seller.”

The dress created for Luciana, pictured here with her famous husband Matt Damon inside the LANDMARK by Lexus marquee, instantly ‘sold out’. Picture: news.com.au/RebekahScanlan

Luciana, who was seen dancing alongside her famous husband in the striking $1100 dress inside the LANDMARK by Lexus marquee, completed her look with a pair of white heels, a black hat and dark sunnies.

“It’s such an honour to dress Hollywood royalty like Luciana and have her wearing one of our designs,” Vallance told news.com.au at Flemington Racecourse last year.

“Her custom Derby Day look was embellished with hand-beaded pearls and featured boned corsetry.”

Vallance, who launched the high-end label of the same name at Paris Fashion Week back in 2011, is back on home soil after visiting LA, London, Dubai and Morocco, to celebrate the launch of her new collection with Nicky Hilton.

During the world tour, Kris Jenner, Princess Beatrice and of course, Nicky’s sister Paris Hilton have all been photographed wearing designs from the 31 piece collection.

“We had such fun designing this collection because we have a very similar sense of style – we were constantly bouncing ideas off each other,” Vallance shared.

“The original idea for our collection was to create just half the number of pieces we ended up with.

“However when Nicky and I started designing we had so many ideas we couldn’t narrow it down.”

Vallance has been on a world tour after recently launching a collection with Nicky Hilton. Picture: Supplied

Kris Jenner, Princess Beatrice and of course, Nicky’s sister Paris Hilton have all been photographed wearing designs from the 31 piece collection. Picture: Supplied

The pair, who have become fast-friends since Nicky first approach Vallance to help her track down a dress made by the Aussie designer, are now set to attend Melbourne Cup Day on November 7.

“It has been incredible; we launched at the beginning of October and have been activating globally since then,” Vallance explained.

“Every moment has truly been a highlight from our celebration in LA with MyTheresa, to our London launch at Gaia. We were also in Marrakesh last week for Fashion Trust Arabia.

“We’re so excited for Nicky to be in Australia now for Melbourne Cup and our Sydney events before we wrap up in true holiday style in her hometown of New York.”