Anna Nicole Smith's daughter Dannielynn Birkhead paid an iconic tribute to her mom on Friday in honor of the 20th anniversary of the late star's first meeting with her dad, Larry Birkhead.
The 16-year-old and Larry, 50, attended the 34th annual Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala before the big race on Saturday, an annual event Larry takes his only child to every year in memory of Anna Nicole and the place where they first met.
© Larry Birkhead/InstagramDannielynn showed off her flair for fashion by wearing a black tulle skirt and paid the ultimate tribute to her mom by rocking a top that featured photographs of Anna Nicole from her various Guess campaigns, which she accessorized with a rhinestone necklace and a silver bow around her waist.
Her dad also gave a subtle nod to Anna Nicole by wearing a tie that also boasted photos of her to match Dannielynn's top.
© Larry Birkhead/Instagram"She's showing off her fashion sense but at the same time paying tribute to her mom," Larry told People ahead of the gala. "It came from a Guess collection that sold out and she [Dannielynn] saved it for a special occasion. It's done with photos from some of Anna's best Guess campaigns."
© Getty ImagesThe photographer added: "We're both paying tribute because it's the 20th anniversary of our first meeting. It seems like yesterday to be honest. That I was walking up with my camera bags and just hoping for a decent picture. I wound up with so much more.
© Larry Birkhead/Instagram"It's funny how one event can change your life. And that's what this party did for me. If I had not been there that night and had that connection, how different my life would have been if I hadn't met Anna and had our daughter."
Larry met Anna Nicole at the Barnstable Brown Gala in 2003 when he was a photographer sent to cover the annual event which benefits the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center at the University of Kentucky.
© Getty ImagesLarry takes his daughter to the horse event every year, to both honor the past as well as to create new memories with her. Talking to Fox News Digital about the annual affair, he explained: "It's kind of been a tradition that we would go every year.
"Since I did meet her mom there, it started off just kind of me taking her back and showing her around and kind of letting her know the stories that, you know, this is kind of where I met your mom and things.
© Getty Images"And then it came to kind of people look for my daughter there because I really don't let her do any public events. And so, in all honesty, the Kentucky Derby is kind of the growth chart for Dannielynn."
© Larry Birkhead/InstagramDannielynn's late mother Anna Nicole was an American socialite who found fame in the early 1990s when she married Howard J. Marshall who was 63 years older than her.
© Getty ImagesDannielynn was born in 2006 but tragically five months later, in February 2007, Anna was found unresponsive in a Florida hotel room and was pronounced dead in hospital. She was just 39.
Initially, it was Howard who was listed on the birth certificate as Dannielynn's father. However, Larry claimed paternity and a DNA test later confirmed that he was indeed the little girl's dad.
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