Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead, made a striking entrance at the 2026 Kentucky Derby with a bold new look that had people watching.
The 19-year-old attended the event with her father, Larry Birkhead, wearing a black gown covered in large white floral designs. She completed the look with a black-and-white fascinator, bracelets, and platform heels. Larry matched the formal tone in a white suit with a black shirt and black shoes.
The Derby appearance came after Dannielynn debuted an even more dramatic goth-inspired look at the Barnstable Brown Derby Eve party on Friday.
Dannielynn Went Full Goth Rock
For the Derby Eve party, Dannielynn wore a Gothic dress from Punk Rave, featuring an embroidered corset and a sheer draped skirt. Her hair also got a major change. The platinum blonde style was tipped with jet black, giving the look a sharper edge. According to Larry, Dannielynn told him she “wanted something edgy and cool.”
A friend of Anna Nicole Smith, who is also a hairstylist, helped create the look by cutting Dannielynn’s hair and adding the bold color. “I was kind of bracing myself at the hair salon,” Larry said. “I guess she’s at the age to do what she wants to do.”
Larry Says She Is Finding Her Own Style
Larry admitted he was initially nervous about the transformation, but he said the look marks Dannielynn stepping into her own identity.
“This is a different style for Dannielynn,” he said. He added that people often expect her to wear something connected to her late mother. “People [are] always looking for her to wear something of her mom,” Larry said. “And she’s done that a couple times, but this is kind of Dannielynn showing off her own sense of style, and she said it’s a goth rock theme.”
Dannielynn also said the style is connected to honoring her mother while still being herself. She described it as a way to embrace her “beautiful” mom.
Her Derby Style Has Changed
Dannielynn’s 2026 look was a major shift from the brighter, more traditional outfits she had worn to Derby events in previous years.
This time, the tone was darker, sharper, and more personal. The look worked partly because it did not feel like a costume. It felt like a teenager stepping into adulthood and testing a public image outside her mother’s shadow.
Other celebrities also turned out at the Kentucky Derby in dramatic and elegant looks, but Dannielynn’s transformation was one of the most talked-about moments.
For Larry, the reaction seems secondary. His daughter is growing up, making her own style choices and choosing how she wants to carry her mother’s legacy.
