On 1965 Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, English model Jean Shrimpton wore a white minidress that sparked controversy and was later described as a pivotal moment in women's fashion.

[1] Three years later, in 1965, textile manufacturer DuPont de Nemours International engaged Jean Shrimpton, then the world's highest-paid model,[2] to travel to Australia to be a judge in the 1965 "Fashions on the Field".

[5] Her visit to Australia was highly anticipated[3] and was regarded as bringing international glamour and prestige to the Spring Carnival, which was the social and fashion event of the year.

[4] It was expected that, when attending Derby Day, she would be wearing a beautiful hat and accessories,[3] including gloves and stockings—which were de rigueur for the ultra-conservative Melbourne establishment.

[3][6] In the following Monday's edition of The Sun News-Pictorial, a Melbourne tabloid newspaper, the Derby and its winner were bumped from the front page by the famous photo by Ray Cranbourne.

[10][2][3] Alongside that photo was an article about Shrimpton:[3] There she was, the world's highest-paid model, snubbing the iron-clad conventions at fashionable Flemington in a dress five inches above the knee, NO hat, NO gloves, and NO stockings!

[9]The controversy quickly spread to Britain, where the press angrily defended Shrimpton, with comments such as:[4] Surrounded by sober draped silks and floral nylons, ghastly tulle hats and fur stoles, she was like a petunia in an onion patch.

Under pressure from her sponsors, she was dressed and accessorized entirely in keeping with accepted convention: a three-piece grey suit with a straw hat, beige gloves and stockings, and a brown handbag.

[4] Shrimpton's appearance at Derby Day 1965 has since been described as the pivotal moment of the introduction of the miniskirt to the international stage, although London designers such as Mary Quant had promoted it the year before.