Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead, is capturing attention at the 2026 Kentucky Derby by emulating her late mother’s affinity for fashion.
The New York Post called Birkhead a “look-alike” to her late mother, noting a sharp departure in her look this year while also honoring her late mother’s involvement in the world of fashion.
As the Courier Journal reported, the daughter of the late model and actress is a regular at the Kentucky Derby, where her parents first met more than 20 years ago. Birkhead has garnered attention throughout her youth as she accompanied her father, but this year sported a new look at a gala event held before the race.
Dannielynn Birkhead’s Fashion Sense
As the Courier Journal reported, Birkhead is starting to make her own waves in the fashion world after emulating her famous late mother in past years.
“Last night at the 2026 Barnstable Brown Derby Eve Gala, Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter, Dannielynn Birkhead, wore an outfit of her own design,” the report noted. “It was a marked departure from some past ensembles her mom selected, which her dad, Larry Birkhead, called more ‘girly and frilly.’ ”
Birkhead’s look may have been a sharp departure from her mother’s famous style, but marked her own interest in the field that made Anna Nicole Smith famous.
“Her look at this year’s gala was inspired to look like a vampire,” the report noted. “In 2025, Dannielynn made headlines when she wore her late mom’s dress to the Louisville gala, the same event where her parents met more than two decades ago.”
Dannielynn Birkhead Goes for ‘Edgy and Cool’ at Kentucky Derby
Dannielynn Birkhead’s father, Larry Birkhead, told People magazine that his daughter “wanted something edgy and cool” at this year’s Kentucky Derby. They enlisted a hairdresser friend to chop her hair and give it black tones.
“She chopped it all off and put some wild colors in it,” Birkhead told the magazine.
Birkhead said he wasn’t sure how the look would turn out, but praised his daughter for developing her own sense of fashion — one that is very different from her platinum-blonde mother.
“I was kind of bracing myself at the hair salon,” he said with a laugh. “I guess she’s at the age to do what she wants to do.”
Birkhead added that Dannielynn is coming into her own, honoring her mother’s love of fashion while giving it her own twist.
“This year is a different style for Dannielynn,” Birkhead told People. “People [are] always looking for her to wear something of her mom. 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 Birkhead had been known for her bright colors in the past, but this year’s dark was an intentional decision on her part.
“So we’ve got this total style change up for her,” Larry Birkhead said. “And this is kind of, I think, her coming into her own, doing her own thing and kind of exuding her own style and, and her choices that she made.”
Anna Nicole Smith’s ‘Look-Alike’ Daughter Honors Late Mother at 2026 Kentucky Derby