The famed Birdcage enclosure with its lavish party tents was once again ground zero in the rubber-necking stakes,though getting into the VIP enclosures is akin to a Game Of Groans for those not on the mercurial guest list,as the iPad wielding bouncers relish their moment of power before bestowing a coveted entry pass.
Elsa Pataky in the Lexus marquee wearing Christian Dior and Bulgari jewellery.Eddie Jim
Then there are those paid to be there,likeElsa Pataky,the actor and wife of one of Hollywood’s best paid starsChris Hemsworth (who did not get to Flemington,though PS heard attempts were made to do a double act deal,but the price was simply not right).
The beautiful Spanish-born actor was dressed in Dior and rewarded handsomely by Lexus – rumoured to be more than $200,000 – to sip champagne surrounded by bug-eyed car salesmen and socialites.
Nearby directorTaika Waititiprovided a celebrity counterpoint,though even their combined presence was not enough to mask the horrendous odour coming from the men’s toilet inside the luxury car-maker’s marquee.
Taika Waititi,Joel Selwood and Brit Selwood attend Victoria Derby Day.Getty
AFL legendJoel Selwoodturned up atPenfolds’ oddball space-themed marquee,along with an army of the ubiquitous social media influencers that now infest such events with little to offer beyond selfies.
Cricket legendMichael Clarkepartied in the TAB marquee,just down the road from his former girlfriendPip Edwards;supermodels past and present did their thing,including red-hotDuckie Thot,who popped champagne in the chic Mumm marquee;while veteran models Nicole Trunfio, Ashley HartandJessica Hartwere paid to mingle with the great unwashed among the VRC Paradiso enclosure – where anyone can pay $1200 to gain access.
Ashley and Jessica Hart,and Pip Edwards.Getty/ Eddie Jim
It was Rolexes at 10 paces in high-end jeweller Kennedy’s sumptuous marquee,where the brand’s museJaimee Belle Kennedy turned up in a confection of black tulle and bows,almost outshining Melbourne’s beloved “wogboy”Nick Gianopoulos,who was finally receiving the VIP treatment which appears to have evaded the actor and film-maker,despite his latest filmWogboys Forever smashing box offices across the country.
“If wasn’t for the private investors who believed in the film and our eligibility for offsets,it wouldn’t have happened. But you know what,it’s the second-biggest Australian box office hit this year behind Elvis ... that is very reassuring for me,especially when I wasn’t getting much love trying to get it made,” Gianopoulos said.
In the TAB marquee it was a clash of political tribes,as local memberBill Shorten and wifeChloe turned up,ending up in spitting distance from controversial NSW Liberal SenatorHollie Hughes and Victorian Liberal powerbrokerMichael Kroger,sticking to tradition in his morning suit.
VRC ambassador Christian Wilkins.Eddie Jim
And it was impossible to miss Melbourne Cup Carnival ambassadorChristian Wilkins,who preened for any lens within a 30-metre radius wearing what must rate as the world’s largest fascinator made of peacock feathers,though he was in danger of resembling a drowned chicken as the storm clouds gathered over head late in the afternoon.