By Stephen Brook and Cara Waters
Influencers, models, execs and media types who had spent the day fearing their outfits would not manage Melbourne’s soaring temperatures at the grand prix’s Glamour on the Grid party pivoted to a more pressing concern: does the new luxury brand sponsor, Louis Vuitton, have a line of rainwear?
As Melbourne’s glitterati gathered trackside, the first lightning flash, followed seconds later by a crash of thunder, hit at 7.16pm, causing a flock of birds to hastily evacuate Albert Park and head north. If only Melbourne’s red carpet crowd could be so lucky.
Operatives from the AMPR agency were soon heard muttering a new mantra, “It will clear in 10 minutes, it will clear in 10 minutes”, as large golf umbrellas from Crown became the hottest accessory on the night.
The Glamour on the Grid party, held trackside at the Albert Park raceway on Wednesday night, proved a couple of local truisms: never bet on Melbourne’s weather and no major event can get by without members of the Collingwood Football Club.
The team may have had an ordinary 2024 and a shocking 52-point loss to start 2025, but Glamour red carpet planners still couldn’t get enough of the Pies, who had more attendees at the Australian Grand Prix Corporation bash than any other team.
The headliners, you might say, were the grand prix ambassadors, Collingwood captain Darcy Moore and partner Triple J presenter Dee Salmin. Moore was joined by teammates Mason Cox, Scott Pendlebury, Jordan De Goey and Pat Lipinski.
Maria Thattil takes a selfie with photographer Sam Tabone, right, while sheltering in the rain before the Glamour on the Grid media wall on pit lane of the Albert Park Grand Prix track.Credit: Penny Stephens
The Pies eclipsed the Hawthorn attendees of Jack Ginnivan, Jack Gunston, Jarman Impey, Conor Nash and Josh Battle.
Other notables included North Melbourne captain Jy Simpkin, fresh from walking the runway at the Melbourne Fashion Festival, and Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli. At least, that was according to organiser guest lists, although CBD did not spot them all.
The desperation of event planners to secure Collingwood players was detailed by The Age last year, but at least they were premiers then.
Salmin wore Melbourne designer Alin Le’ Kal, who created a jewel-blue dress which she described as “mermaid tulle”.
Rain at the Glamour on the Grid media wall. Credit: Penny Stephens
Moore did not have quite the same options – he’s 203 centimetres tall.
“I’m just wearing a custom P Johnson tuxedo,” he said. “Unfortunately, at my size, often my evening wear needs to be custom-made, so it’s a bit tough to shop around. Hopefully, I can be a nice backdrop to Dee’s blue, extravagant flowing dress.”
Moore said being the backdrop was an important role. “Someone has to do it,” he said.
Moore said he would head home early to be in good form for Saturday’s match against Port Adelaide.
“And we’ll be eating lots of oysters, [from the roving oyster butlers] they’re a good source of iron,” Salmin said.
Guests at the black tie event were served champagne from Moet & Chandon, along with “skinny” pink margaritas from Crown and its signature new restaurant Marmont.
They wolfed down tempura chicken nuggets with caviar, hiramasa kingfish crudo and sourdough with chilled Spanish soup ajo blanco.
Roaming “oyster butlers” shucked bivalves to order, and there was a burrata bar from Ugo and cheeses from the Prahran market’s Maker & Monger.
Other attendees included: Travis Auld, chief executive of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation; corporation chair Martin Pakula; deputy chair and former governor Linda Dessau; Olympic champion Cathy Freeman; Lord Mayor Nick Reece; Mushroom Records boss Matt Gudinski; Sports Minister Steve Dimopoulos; and Nicole Piastri, mother of Aussie racing driver Oscar Piastri. They were joined by Olympic boxer Harry Garside, meteorologist Jane Bunn, former racing driver Mark Skaife, Sport Australia Hall of Fame Awards boss Adrianne Sarkozy, and Moomba monarchs Sooshi Mango.
All about the Instagram moment
Glamour on the Grid attendees did not leave the perfect Instagram and TikTok moment to chance.
Instead of waiting until their arrival at the event’s pit lane entrance, savvy invitees headed to styling suites to document their social media moments with controlled lighting.
Stylist Alicia Marshall commandeered a suite of apartments next to the Albert Park track for her clients including Miss Universe Zoe Creed, Olympic swimmer Brianna Throssell and singer and musician Bonnie Anderson, who came to prominence by winning Australia’s Got Talent aged 12.
Stylist Alicia Marshall, Chantel Mila Ibbotson (wearing Alin Le’Kal), Zoe Creed (wearing Alin Le’Kal), Bonnie Anderson (wearing Jason Grech) and Alex Pike (wearing Alin Le’Kal) before the Glamour on the Grid party.Credit: Penny Stephens
In previous years Anderson has performed at the annual bash but this year, she said, was “just all about the glamour and showing off the bump”.
Anderson, four months pregnant, wore a body-hugging blue dress by designer Jason Grech. “It’s simple, but a wow moment,” she said.
Crown Resorts took over the Glamour on the Grid sponsorship from Marriott Bonvoy and took full advantage, throwing open its doors to host Melbourne’s favourite crime fighter, Bec Judd, who got her glam on in advance. A troupe of stylists including Lana Wilkinson and Paul Versace, as well as hairdresser Joey Scandizzo, set up base camp in the villa to tend to Melebrities including swimming great Ariarne Titmus, influencer Rozalia Russian and model Inka Williams, the partner of Hollywood star Channing Tatum, don’t you know? We didn’t.
“It’s been a good day,” Judd say cryptically when CBD caught up with her.
A reference to Premier Jacinta Allan’s new bail laws? We think so.
Show-stopping fashion
Designer Alin Le’ Kal got a lot of attention dressing model Paris Bishop at last year’s Brownlow Medal – that gold dress!
Similarly, his “million-dollar dress” was a showstopper last week at the Melbourne Fashion Festival.
Paris Bishop in an Alin Le’ Kal dress, with ostrich feathers, and partner Sam Durham.Credit: Penny Stephens
Now, he and Bishop are back, with a light pink frock from the fashion festival runway.
“It should get a lot of attention. It was pulled from the fashion show. It contains ostrich features,” Le’ Kal told CBD. “It is just young and playful.
“These types of events have become very serious, but we just need to remind everyone you are on a track. I feel Australian celebrities go to these events and wear gowns, and it is not necessary. Look as high-end as you like, but it doesn’t need to be a gown.”
The so-called “million-dollar gown” at the fashion festival contained 96,000 crystals and weighed 150 kilograms.
“It’s a showpiece, it’s not wearable,” said Le’ Kal. “It’s a piece of art.”
Lando Norris’ commitment to the skivvy
F1 driver Lando Norris got in some good conditioning for the warm weather expected at Albert Park over the next few days by wearing a black turtleneck top to a pre-race party for fragrance Ralph Lauren Red.
The McLaren driver was steadfastly devoted to the sponsorship deal by wearing the skivvy to showcase the brand’s “purple” range, despite the 32-degrees temperature at the party at the Stokehouse restaurant in St Kilda, where it was so hot that one attendee fainted.
Taking the heat: Lando Norris kept toasty warm in a skivvy at the Ralph Lauren event.
Norris told the crowd driving an F1 car was “pretty warm”.
“It’s probably like wearing another one of these turtlenecks,” he quipped. “It is very tough.”
Norris’ teammate at McLaren is home-town hero Oscar Piastri, but Norris was quick to reject host Lauren Phillips’ suggestion this made him an honorary Australian.
“I don’t feel the support because they are all supporting for Oscar normally,” he said.
Norris couldn’t resist a quick competitive dig at his teammate.
“Because I’ve beaten him, so it doesn’t help these kind of things,” he said.
Hot off the runway
The Melebrity who can demonstrate the biggest major events stamina is always keenly contested, and an early contender is Caroline “Ralph” Ralphsmith, chief executive of Melbourne Fashion Festival. She spent every night last week attending twice-nightly runways at the festival centrepiece at the Royal Exhibition Building.
And after a few days respite, Ralphsmith, accompanied by her husband, Dion Werbeloff, chief executive of the Gandel Group, was ready for the grand prix.
“I am wearing a fantastic and amazing outfit from local designer Fool in Greville Street,” she told CBD before Glamour on the Grid.
Caroline Ralphsmith.Credit: Penny Stephens
“It is hot off the runway – one of the things we showed last week.”
Ralphsmith was in good spirits after the end of the festival. “We did leave it on such a high; we felt so good at it,” she said.
“There’s something wonderful about going to a gorgeous Melbourne event that you are not responsible for. If something goes wrong, that’s someone else’s problem.”
Model Rebecca Harding, grand prix ambassador and partner of comedian Andy Lee, also looked to be thoroughly enjoying the party. Of course she was. The grand prix is the only event in Melbourne more noisy than the couple’s infamous Hawthorn home renovations, previously covered in CBD.
Harding said the renovations were proceeding well and while it had been “a bit frustrating” for the couple’s neighbours, they were on board now.
“They’ve all been very understanding about the renovations,” she said.
On reviewing their plans Harding was in for a shock from fiancé comedian Andy Lee.
“I never thought I’d hear the words come out of Andy’s mouth, but he said that he was worried that our wardrobe was too small,” she said.
Also in attendance at the F1 party was Melbourne Fashion Festival board member Kallie Blauhorn and her husband, Andy Penn, chair of Visit Victoria and former head of Telstra.