Dannielynn Birkhead Debuts Goth-Inspired Style at Kentucky Derby Gala

Dannielynn Birkhead turned heads during Kentucky Derby weekend after stepping out with an edgy new look alongside her dad, Larry Birkhead, at the annual Barnstable-Brown Gala.

The 19-year-old, whose mother was late model Anna Nicole Smith, attended the event in a black floral-inspired gown paired with a dramatic new hairstyle. Larry later shared photos from the event on Instagram, where fans quickly reacted to Dannielynn’s striking appearance.

Dannielynn attended the annual Barnstable-Brown Gala on May 1 alongside Larry Birkhead during Kentucky Derby weekend festivities. Larry shared photos from the event on Instagram, revealing Dannielynn’s black-and-white dress and newly chopped pixie hairstyle with silver roots and darker ends.

“Another year, another Barnstable-Brown Gala for the @Kentuckyderby weekend,” Larry wrote. “Dannielynn is rocking a fresh cut and ‘goth-rock’ style with her @punkraveclothing dress.”

Larry also joked that his daughter encouraged him to coordinate with the theme by wearing a Philipp Plein jacket to the gala.

The annual Kentucky Derby appearance has become a longtime tradition for Larry and Dannielynn, who have attended the event together for years. In 2025, Dannielynn made headlines after wearing the same black gown her mom wore to the Barnstable-Brown Gala 21 years earlier, as reported by People.

Larry had a chat with the same publication this year that Dannielynn wanted “something edgy and cool” for this year’s Derby festivities.

“We've got this total style change up for her,” Larry told the outlet. “And this is kind of, I think her coming into her own, doing her own thing and kind of exuding her own style and her choices that she made."

He also admitted he was initially nervous while watching the transformation happen at the salon. “I was bracing myself as she chopped it all off and put some wild colors in it,” he said.

Over the years, fans have watched Dannielynn grow up at the annual Derby events alongside her father. Larry once told E! News that their appearances together originally happened by accident after a babysitter canceled years ago, but eventually became a meaningful tradition for the pair.

“I think the one year the babysitter canceled,” Larry told the outlet in 2024. “And then it became I brought her when she was able to kind of walk and do her own thing down the carpet, and then it became a tradition.”

Since then, the annual outing has become one of the pair’s most recognizable public appearances together. Larry has frequently shared photos and memories from Derby weekend on social media, often reflecting on how quickly his daughter has grown up.

In a 2025 interview with Access Hollywood, Larry opened up about watching Dannielynn reach adulthood while maintaining the tradition they started when she was a child.