Supermodel Helena Christensen confirmed as star guest for Derby Day

One of the world’s most famous supermodels is heading to Melbourne, with Helena Christensen confirmed as a star guest at Flemington’s Derby Day next weekend.

The Danish fashion icon will join the celebrity crowd in the exclusive Birdcage enclosure as a guest of luxury carmaker Lexus.

Christensen, 57, is set to turn heads in a custom creation by Australian designer and close friend Rebecca Vallance, who will also be attending the event.

“I’m so excited to be joining Lexus at LANDMARK for Derby Day,” Christensen said.

The visit will be something of a homecoming for Christensen, who has longstanding ties to Australia through her former relationship with late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence.

The pair dated for four years between 1991 and 1995, while Christensen was among the biggest names in international fashion.

She has since returned to Australia several times, including for Melbourne’s fashion festival.

“Australia has always held a special place in my heart,” she told the Herald Sun.

“So it’s wonderful to be returning for such an iconic event.”

Christensen rose to fame alongside some of the world’s most recognisable models in the 1990s, appearing on the covers of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle.

She has also built a career behind the camera as a fashion and documentary photographer, and entrepreneur.

Her Derby Day appearance will centre on Lexus’s theme, A New Dawn, inspired by the Japanese concept of Akebono, the moments before sunrise.

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Her custom Rebecca Vallance outfit will nod to the theme, although details of the design have not yet been revealed.

“Fashion, art and design have always been such important parts of my life, so I can’t wait to experience how this year’s theme, A New Dawn, comes to life,” Christensen said.