At 19, Anna Nicole Smith’s Daughter Shows Off New Style at Kentucky Derby With Her Father Larry Birkhead

May 05, 2026 by apost team

The Kentucky Derby has long been a place where fashion and tradition meet, and for Dannielynn Birkhead, it has also become something deeply personal. Now 19, the daughter of Anna Nicole Smith and Larry Birkhead returned once again to the Barnstable Brown Derby Eve party on May 1, continuing a tradition she has grown up with. 

Over the years, many have watched closely to see how she honors her mother’s legacy, often through fashion choices that reference Smith’s iconic style. This year, however, felt noticeably different. For the event, Dannielynn stepped out in a strapless, embroidered corseted gown from Punk Rave, paired with a sheer, draped skirt that gave the look a darker, more dramatic edge than she had worn before. Her hair matched the shift, styled in an icy platinum shade with jet black tips, something she told her father she wanted to feel “edgy and cool.” 

According to Larry, a hairstylist who had been a friend of Smith, had helped bring the look together, cutting her hair and adding bold color. While he admitted the transformation caught him off guard at first, he also recognized that his daughter is at a stage where she is making her own decisions. 

“I was kind of bracing myself at the hair salon,” he told PEOPLE with a laugh, adding that he was initially unsure but ultimately supportive. Even with finals happening at the same time, Dannielynn stayed involved in every detail, narrowing down options and making sure the final look reflected exactly what she wanted.

While the night was filled with cameras and attention, the dynamic between Dannielynn and Larry added another layer to the moment. As much as he has guided her over the years, this time, she turned the focus back on him. Dannielynn helped choose her father’s outfit for the event, pushing him toward something more bold than he might have picked on his own. He ended up wearing a black blazer with rhinestone detailing and lightning-bolt accents, a look he admitted felt outside his comfort zone. 

“She said I needed to up my fashion game,” he told PEOPLE, joking that she insisted he had “no sense of style.”

It was a lighthearted moment, but it also reflected a shift in their relationship, one where she is stepping more confidently into her own voice. That independence has been shaped over time, especially considering everything she has navigated since birth. 

After a highly publicized paternity case, Larry was awarded custody when she was still an infant, following the death of Smith just months after Dannielynn was born. Since then, he has worked to keep her grounded while still allowing her to connect with her mother’s legacy in her own way. 

In previous years, that connection often came through wearing her mother’s clothing to the Derby, something that carried both nostalgia and meaning. This time, the approach was different. The focus was not on recreating the past, but on something more personal and present. 

As Larry explained in his interview with PEOPLE, this moment felt like a clear shift, not just in style, but in identity. “This year is a different style for Dannielynn,” he said, before adding the thought that captured it all.

“This is kind of, I think, her coming into her own.”  

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Have you followed Dannielynn’s journey over the years at the Kentucky Derby? What do you think about her choosing to express her own style now? Let us know in the comments and pass this on to your family, friends, and other Anna Nicole Smith fans out there!