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Celebrities including US actress Lindsay Lohan were more thankful than ever for the shelter of Birdcage marquees on a wet Derby Day.
It may have been wet at Flemington on Derby Day but the downpour didn't dampen the mood of those lucky enough to be inside the Birdcage.
Celebrities, sports stars, models and the occasional politician took shelter from the pouring rain in the enclosure on Saturday, only stepping outside to swap marquees.
US actress Lindsay Lohan was the only international guest of the day, spending it in the Channel 10 marquee after it was announced earlier in the week that she was returning for a second season of reality TV show The Masked Singer in 2020.
The 33-year-old, wearing a shirt dress by Australian label Leo & Lin, did not take questions but posed for photos with her sister Ali.
Former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was also in the Birdcage, wearing an on-trend in a black and white boater hat, pussy-bow shirt by Husk and polka dot palazzo pants from Torrance.
"With everyone in black and white, Derby Day is always very elegant," she told AAP.
The racing regular was also a judge at the Fashions on the Field competition, which was won by accountant Adele Pearce in a black and white Toni Maticevski dress she bought a couple of weeks ago after her original dress didn't fit right.
"I honestly can't believe I won today," Pearce said.
"I put a lot more thought and effort into my outfit for Cup Day and worked on an amazing headpiece with my milliner, so while I am so happy to have won I'm a bit disappointed I can't compete again."
Full skirts, boater hats, netted veils and bows were popular choices among the ladies, while men wore striped and checked suits in shades of grey.
Celebrity stylist Lana Wilkinson said she hadn't seen a look she didn't like.
"That's the beauty of embracing classic silhouettes and accessories, it looks so elegant and timeless," she said, predicting outfits would be more out there on Cup Day.
Wilkinson was joined in dating app Bumble's marquee by social media influencers Laura Henshaw, Steph Claire Smith, Rozalia Russian, Brooke Hogan and Nadia Bartel, as well as WAGs Rebecca Judd and Jessie Murphy.
The rain kept mining magnate Gina Rinehart away. She was expected to return to the races after a well-documented stumble in 2016, appearing on the Mumm and Lexus marquee's guestlists.
Away from the shelter, the most coveted accessories were the humble umbrella and plastic raincoat.
Despite the absence of celebrities, including Lexus ambassador Megan Gale, who shunned the event this year amid animal cruelty revelations, there was little talk of horse welfare inside the marquees.
A small group of anti-horse racing protesters gathered outside the racecourse holding signs which read 'no more whips and 'there is no retirement plan' and 'is the party really worth it?'.
