Dannielynn Birkhead’s Kentucky Derby Dress Honors Anna Nicole Smith

Dannielynn Birkhead, the daughter of the late model Anna Nicole Smith, and her father Larry Birkhead made it to the finish line on Saturday at the Kentucky Derby 151 red carpet at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Following some appearances at pre-parties leading up to the official day, the 18-year-old Kentucky Derby fixture made her arrival for the event’s celebration wearing an ethereal pastel blue off-the-shoulder gown by American eveningwear brand Mac Duggal.

Featuring delicate details, including a tiered, ruffled floor-length skirt, she accessorized with a gold necklace and floral-embellished headpiece. Her blonde hair was styled in loose waves that framed the face. Her father, wearing a beige blazer and matching trousers, was a well-coordinated companion in a light blue button-up top with a colorful tie in complementary yellow, blue and orange patterns, and a yellow floral brooch.

Emotions were running high for Dannielynn, whose annual journey to the Kentucky Derby came full circle on Friday at the the Barnstable Brown House pre-derby gala, where she wore her late mother’s dress that the former model wore more than 20 years ago to the Kentucky Derby.

“I feel good in it. I try not to cry when I say this, but I can’t know my mom, sadly, and this is the only reason and way I can, so this is the closest I’ll ever be getting to a hug from her,” Dannielynn told Access Hollywood on the red carpet. “I’ve been on and off with tears all day.”

She wore a black halter-neck floor-length dress featuring embellishments that attached around the plunging front.

Anna Nicole Smith died in 2007 at 39 years old, one year after giving birth to Dannielynn. Smith memorably starred in a series of Guess campaigns during the 1990s, in addition to modeling for H&M and other brands.