Melbourne Cup 2019: Big, bold and bright – colour rules in Melbourne Cup fashion stakes

Bold, bright and plenty of it: understatement is not a winner when it comes to fashion at Flemington.

Melbourne Cup fashions from Birdcage: Nikki Bartel in head-to-toe yellow, left, and gravity-defying Fashions in the Field headwear, right.

Colour is ruling at the Cup with bold looks trotted out across Flemington’s famous Birdcage and onto the public lawn

Bright, bold pinks, vibrant magenta and look-at-me blues, reds and greens have proven showstoppers.

And if the colours aren’t startling enough, then there are the gravity-defying hats and impossible intricate fascinators.

And then there is Jesinta Franklin, decked out in the sunniest of yellows, her most beautiful accessory in the form of a baby bump.

READ MORE: Live Melbourne Cup blog |

Jesinta Franklin and her husband, AFL player Lance “Buddy” Franklin, celebrated their three- year wedding anniversary on Monday and are expecting their first child.

In the Birdcage, celebrities swept in wearing a kaleidoscope of bright colours.

Stylist Lana Wilkinson was among the first to arrive in a one- shouldered silver lame midi by The Attico.

She said the look was inspired by Joan Collins in the 1980s TV soap opera Dynasty.

“If I’m not going to have my Joan Collins moment on a day like Cup Day when will I?” she told AAP on Tuesday.

Others rocking 80s inspired looks were former Bachelorette Georgia Love in a hot pink lame dress complete with shoulder pads and ruffles, and Neighbours star Sharon Johal in a hot pink oversized suit.

Tonal looks in pinks and yellow were also popular, with WAG Jessie Murphy and social media influencer Nadia Bartel both in head-to-toe yellow. “Cup is the day to have fun with your fashion so I thought why not go bright,” Bartel told AAP.

Lady Kitty Spencer in the Birdcage. Picture: Julian Smith/AAP

Gemma Ward, Michelle Battersby and Jesinta Franklin, cradling her baby bump. Picture: Matrix

Racegoers had a brief brush with royalty, with Lady Kitty Spencer, niece of Diana, Princess of Wales, returning as a special guest.

The daughter of Diana’s brother Earl Charles Spencer, Lady Kitty first attended the event in 2015 and returned on Tuesday as a special guest of the Victoria Racing Club and sponsor Lexus.

She said Australians had more fun with their fashion than racegoers at Royal Ascot.

“I love the English traditions with their hats and millinery but I love looking around and seeing all these bursts of colours and everyone having such a great time, it’s a great energy,” Lady Kitty told reporters.

Lady Kitty, who was wearing millinery from Phillip Treacy and a Roland Mouret dress, posed for photos with the Cup before being whisked into the Lexus marquee.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart appears on the guest list for both Lexus and Mumm after she was a late scratching on Derby Day. It will be the billionaire’s first visit to Flemington since she was photographed taking a tumble down the stairs of a marquee in 2016.

Did someone say colour? @Joe_Hildebrand @AngelaBishop, Kerri-Anne Kennerley, @SarahHarris @Studio10au #MelbourneCup pic.twitter.com/P0eKHuN3pk

— Glynis Traill-Nash (@GlynisTN) November 4, 2019

Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt made an appearance as part of role as Mumm’s “CEO” – or chief entertainment officer. He hasn’t missed the Melbourne Cup carnival since taking on the role in 2016.

Cup’s best-dressed in the Birdcage

VIEW GALLERY

While the VRC has secured a replacement for pop star Taylor Swift, who cancelled her planned appearance citing scheduling conflicts, it is yet to announce who it is.

The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses believes public backlash was to blame for Swift’s withdrawal, as well as others.

The anti-horse racing group is hosting a Nup to the Cup event outside Flemington, which has attracted dozens of protesters.

Anthony Callea, who will perform the national anthem, has pledged to donate his performance fee to an equine welfare organisation.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart in the Birdcage. Picture: Julian Smith/AAP

Fashions in the Field winner Carena West. Picture: James Ross/AAP