American royalty returns to the Melbourne Cup after 21 years

With King Charles and Queen Camilla giving the Melbourne Cup, and Melbourne, a miss on their upcoming visit to Australia, filling the aristocratic void has been left to American royalty.

Fashion designer, model and Beverly Hills princess Nicky Hilton Rothschild will attend the celebrated horse race more than 20 years after unwittingly transforming the Birdcage at Flemington Racecourse from a stuffy corporate precinct to a celebrity playground with her sister, Paris Hilton.

Hilton Rothschild will be accompanied by Australian fashion designer Rebecca Vallance-Gasan, who wears far less pink than Paris but could easily pass for a Hilton with her sleek blonde hair, California tan and natural affinity for sequins.

Nicky Hilton Rothschild and Rebecca Vallance-Gasan in pieces from their holiday collection collaboration for the Rebecca Vallance label.

“She’s the third Hilton sister,” says Hilton Rothschild, who has collaborated with the Rebecca Vallance label on a 31-piece holiday collection, aimed at those embracing the spring carnival’s champagne-fuelled party spirit.

Extravagantly embellished minidresses starting at $799 in deep wine, lipstick red and Derby Day black, along with pearl-encrusted halterneck gowns, are a more regal take on event dressing than the Hilton sisters’ skimpy racewear wardrobe in 2003.

“It’s so funny because those looks that we wore back then are on the runway now,” says Hilton Rothschild. “The low-slung pieces, the lingerie-inspired dresses are all back as part of the Y2K revival. But this time will be different. You can expect something a lot more buttoned-up, elegant and refined. Basically, a lot more Rebecca Vallance.”

Hilton Rothschild’s memories of the media circus surrounding her first Australian visit are understandably blurry.

“I do remember that it was pretty incredible as a teenager, dressing up and wearing fascinators. It was a fun time.”

This time Hilton Rothschild will watch the race from the Lexus marquee, which last year hosted Oscar-winner Matt Damon and Victoria’s Secret supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio.

“The Birdcage will be brimming with excitement at Nicky’s attendance on Melbourne Cup Day and the prospect of her and Rebecca’s newly announced collection adorning fashionistas,” says Lexus Australia chief executive John Pappas.

Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton Rothschild at the Melbourne Cup in 2003.Credit: Getty Images

The Melbourne Cup visit is part of an international tour promoting the collaboration, which started on Saturday night at Hilton Rothschild’s birthday party in Los Angeles. Guests including Paris Hilton, Jessie J and Kris Jenner gathered at the home of Hilton Rothschild’s mother, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kathy Hilton.

Putting your name on a collection is one thing, but letting people into your family home shows the extent of Hilton Rothschild’s commitment to the collection.

“There are enough people who slap their names on things for a royalty check,” Hilton Rothschild says. “I’m not interested in that. At this point in my life, if it’s going to take me away from my three children I have to be passionate about it.”

In 2015 at Kensington Palace, Hilton Rothschild married financier James Rothschild, a member of the European banking dynasty. The family has grown to include two daughters and a son.

The Rothschild family name carries significant weight in rarefied circles, but the collection has been marketed as Rebecca Vallance x Nicky Hilton.

With the Hilton name, Vallance-Gasan was able to sell advance orders to US department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue, Harrods in London and German online luxury e-tailer Mytheresa, using sketches rather than samples to accelerate the production process.

“They are such a well-respected and iconic American family so it absolutely amplifies my brand and I don’t take that for granted,” says Vallance-Gasan.

The pair met over social media in 2022, with Hilton Rothschild trying to track down a signature bow-strewn Rebecca Vallance dress. A friendship blossomed, which now sees Vallance-Gasan comfortably at home conducting our interview in the Hiltons’ palatial living room between event preparations.

That friendship saw the pair take to the red carpet together at the Cannes Film Festival in May, with Hilton Rothschild wearing an ice-blue gown that hinted at the collaboration.

“Ice blue is not a colour I normally use,” says Vallance-Gasan, who launched her label in 2011. “It’s already one of the top sellers.”

Before the party Vallance-Gasan and Hilton Rothschild trade figures for the collection, which went on sale days earlier. Reflective of the core Rebecca Vallance business, 60 per cent of sales have been in international markets and 40 per cent in Australia, where there are nine stores.

“These are all pinch-me moments,” says Vallance-Gasan. “For me, it’s exciting that people respect what we are doing together, from the buyers to the customers.”

Hilton Rothschild will have to wait slightly longer for complete satisfaction.

“For me, one of the big signs of success is bumping into strangers wearing the pieces,” she says. “That never gets old.”

Judging by the number of Rebecca Vallance dresses, seen among the Zimmermann and Alemais outfits at race days, Hilton Rothschild will be completely satisfied on Melbourne Cup Day.

The writer travelled to the US as a guest of Rebecca Vallance.

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