Melbourne Cup Carnival 2023: Aussie porn star erupts at Cup Day drama
A woman who rose to prominence selling explicit content was spotted in the Melbourne Cup Birdcage amid claims she “begged” to get in.
It’s the race that stops the nation, but let’s be honest, for a lot of us the joy of Melbourne Cup lies in the fabulous fashion.
Best known for its bright colour code, Cup Day this year saw Victoria Racing Club (VRC) members enjoy a raft of relaxed rules after introducing a more modern view on once controversial fashion trends, such as cut-outs, exposed midriffs and low backs.
There were plenty of iconic fashion moments on the day, including a bright outfit from singer Delta Goodrem, as well as a stunning appearance from Brooke Warne, the daughter of late cricketer Shane Warne, and the Flemington debut of Lady Eliza Spencer and Lady Amelia Spencer, the nieces of late Princess Diana.
But there was an unexpected guest spotted trackside, Annie Knight, the Aussie porn star who has dubbed herself Australia’s “most sexually active woman”. However her surprise attendance wasn’t without drama.
The 26-year-old has risen to social media prominence in recent weeks after revealing she quit her career in marketing to work fulltime on OnlyFans, and is now raking in about $150,000 a month selling explicit content.
But the Gold Coast woman took time out of her busy filming schedule to head trackside, where she was reported to have “begged” to be allowed inside the Birdcage, a claim she later denied on Instagram.
“Begged to get in here guys,” she sarcastically captioned a screenshot of a report which alleged she “spent days begging industry guests and brands for an invite”.
Knight opted for a pink dress while enjoying the perks of the exclusive members area, which she paired with chunky gold jewellery and gold heels.
Earlier in the day, Brooke Warne, 26, was seen trackside in a $290 bright orange strapless jumpsuit from Bianca and Bridgett, which she paired with black accessories.
Meanwhile Delta Goodrem, who performed at the Melbourne Cup, opted for a structured yellow dress with a plunging neckline and ruffled skirt that she paired with a matching fascinator.
Mia Fevola embraced her inner Barbie, in a bright pink strapless baby-doll dress.
The influencer paired the frock with a white headband and strappy heels.
She was pictured in the Penflold’s marquee.
Among the most highly-anticipated arrivals were the late Princess Diana’s nieces, and VRC ambassadors, Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer.
The sisters, aged 31, are visiting Australia for the first time – and following in the footsteps of their aunt Princess Diana, who was guest of honour at the Melbourne Cup in 1985.
“We love Australian fashion,” Lady Amelia said in an interview for Vogue Australia’s November issue.
“There are a lot of relaxed, natural, laid-back designs, very similar to our style. It’s like South African style, too. Beachy, relaxed, feminine.”
The two looked stunning in red – Lady Eliza in an off-the-shoulder gown with an Ezara J metal veil, while Lady Amelia wore a shorter dress with a floral Stephanie Browne crown.
Celebrity stylist and popular shoe designer, Lana Wilkinson, told news.com.au the colour of the season was red.
“This year is all about red, but if you don’t feel comfortable wearing a bright hue, you can play with bold colours in your accessories to follow the trend.
“Ultimately, fashion should be fun so don’t put too much pressure on it and enjoy the day.”
Other early arrivals, including 7 Sport presenter Emma Freedman and Melbourne Cup Carnival Ambassador Demi Brereton, also got the red memo.
Brereton repped Australian racewear favourite Rebecca Vallance, wearing the brand’s Chiara Midi dress.
South Sudanese-Australian supermodel Adut Akech stunned in a pale pink mini-dress with corseting and tulle skirt.
Akech, who is an exclusive guest of Lexus again this year, said ahead of the event she was looking forward to joining them again on Melbourne Cup Day.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the authentic hospitality of LANDMARK by Lexus last year, so I am naturally delighted to be invited once again,” Akech said.
“I was really impressed by the level of thoughtfulness Lexus displayed and how everyone was welcomed like a guest into a friend’s home. I can’t wait to see what sort of amazing experience awaits this year.”
Tayla Broad was a breath of fresh air in a blue satin mini dress with a floral pin at the neckline.
Broad, who recently welcomed her first child with AFL star husband, Nathan Broad, matched it with a blue veiled fascinator and cream stiletto heels.
She and her footy player husband attended as a guest of Crown, who had their Melbourne Cup debut in the Birdcage this year.
Olivia Molly Rogers offered her Instagram followers a sneak peek at her bright orange look – with fans jumping into the comments to declare she looked like a “citrus queen”.
The former Miss Universe Australia’s strapless mini dress, by Eliya the Label, featured statement floral applique.
She paired the outfit with bright blue heels, and a headpiece by Felicity Northeast Millinery.
Kate Waterhouse, the daughter of legendary Australian horse trainer Gai Waterhouse, looked like “absolute perfection”, according to one Instagram follower, in a pale yellow mini-dress by Mariam Seddiq with a scalloped hem.
She accessorised with bright yellow, strappy heels by Edie Collective, a widebrimmed Somewhere Here hat and a white Bulgari clutch with gold hardware.
VRC ambassador Georgina Burke will no doubt stand out from the crowd, in a custom made statement headpiece by Nerida Winter.
The curve model described the hat, which features a hanging garden of fabric flowers, as “art” in an interview with Nine Newspapers.
She paired the accessory with elbow-length crimson gloves, and a strapless bodycon purple dress.
Fellow VRC ambassador, Crystal Kimber, embraced the recent resurgence of bows in fashion in a pink dress literally festooned with them.
The Fashions on the Field veteran paired the unique gown with silver Zara heels and an oversized pink bow in her hair.
DJ Perri Lee, meanwhile, took advantage of the new VRC regulations in a corsetted yellow strapless gown with a sheer midriff.
Wilkinson – who donned a strapless, pale pink peplum dress – said she hoped the new dresscodes would “see racegoers experimenting with the rules”.
But, she stressed she would be sticking with “chic and traditional” for her star clients.
“As a stylist, I’m mindful that these outfits need to be worn during the day so I’m not looking to put any of my clients in pieces that they could wear to a nightclub,” she said.
One of Wilkinson’s most high-profile clients – and close friends – Rebecca Judd was at the receiving end on Cup Day last year after some claimed her red ensemble showed too much flesh.
The 40-year-old wore a mini-dress from Australian designer Effie Kats while attending the G.H. Mumm marquee inside the Birdcage that many fans described as “stunning” and “perfection”.
But there were some who questioned whether the all red ensemble, which she’d paired with an oversized hat from Melbourne milliner Stephanie Spencer and a matching structured clutch, was too revealing.
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“Nice dress but no cleavage at the races,” one of Judd’s followers scoffed.
“Great dress wear it somewhere else. Nup,” another added.
As one lamented: “Something longer would have been more appropriate.”
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