Former Australian politician Julie Bishop has long been known as a fashionista, with one women’s magazine once going so far as calling her “the first lady of fashion”.

But her winning streak might have come to an end thanks to a Melbourne Cup outfit that has divided fans.

Bishop, 70, served as Australia’s foreign affairs minister from 2013 to 2018, and was deputy Liberal Party leader from 2007 to 2018.

After retiring from politics in 2019, she moved into corporate and academic life, and even became a brand ambassador, before she was appointed UN Special Envoy on Myanmar in 2024.

But while she is used to never putting a foot wrong when it comes to foreign affairs, it appears she may have finally failed in the fashion stakes, after dressing head to two in pastel florals for the race that stops the nation.

Bishop arrived at Flemington in a three-quarter length white dress adorned in pink and yellow flowers. She accessorised with a matching Chanel handbag, believed to be worth a staggering $12,000, pink closed in shoes and a straw boater style hat.

At least one commentator on X suggested Bishop was “channelling Mary Poppins” with her look.

While Bishop’s look was widely panned, she was not the only celebrity making waves, with fashion designer Pip Edwards also standing out in the crowd in a bizarre teal outfit consisting of daring bustier top, pedal pushers and bustle by Melbourne designers J’Aton Couture. 

She pared the outfit with towering teal heels and a hat with matching scarf detail.

While it might not have been everyone’s cup of tea, it certainly caught the eye of visiting A-list celebrity Jamie Foxx, who was photographed hand in hand with Edwards.

But while Bishop and Edwards were considered fashion failures by some, there was one notable bright spark in the day, with scorned wife Jules Neale stealing the show in a dazzling red ‘revenge dress’ for her first Melbourne Cup outing.

Neale, whose marriage to AFL star Lachie Neale imploded shortly before Christmas, travelled from her home in Perth to Melbourne for her Cup debut, where she donned a dress by Aussie designer By Johnny.

She paired the dress with long gloves, a head band, heels and handbag, which were also red.

Her appearance in Melbourne came three days after her ex and his new girlfriend Emma Field also travelled to Melbourne for Derby Day.