The Best Hats & Shoes on the Kentucky Derby Red Carpet 2025
Amina Ayoud
Assistant Digital Editor
The 151st Kentucky Derby is currently underway.
The highly anticipated racing event takes place today at the iconic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. This year’s Run for the Roses boasts a talented line-up of horses and their riders from all over. The Kentucky Derby will be broadcast live on NBC, with coverage starting at 2:30 p.m. ET. The winner of Derby 151 will take home a cash prize of $3.1 million.
Beyond the horse racing and cash prizes, the derby is best known for its fashionable attendees. Often adorned in decorative hats and striking footwear to match, this year’s attendees include celebrities like Chris Tucker, Star Jones, Eden Bridgeman Sklenar and Izabel Araujo, among others. With the racing event underway, FootwearNews is rounding up the best celebrity footwear and hat looks from the star-studded occasion thus far.
Star Jones
Jones attended the occasion alongside her husband, Ricardo Lugo. The journalist was red carpet ready in a pair of Valentino pumps. The chosen style was comparable to the brand’s VLogo slingback. The chosen style had slingback straps and leather uppers dotted with crystals throughout. Valentino’s logo adorned the tops of each pointed toe. Thin kitten-esque heels rounded out the set.
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A whimsical, wide-brimmed hat adorned the top of her head. The style was affixed with flowers, feathers and voluminous tulle. Jones also wore a halter-style white dress with feather trim and a key-hole cut-out.
Chris Tucker
The “Rush Hour” actor graced the red carpet solo, dressed in white low-top sneakers. The Louis Junior P Strass Eternity sneakers hail from Christian Louboutin and currently retail for $1,495.00. The toes were round and covered in silver sequins. White cotton laces gave way to rubber soles and crisp white leather uppers.
Foregoing a hat, Tucker went the suiting route in blue. The suting moment consisted of a tailored blazer with a silver floral motif on the shoulder, along with tailored trousers. The “Friday” star wore a crisp white button-down beneath his blazer and silver jewelry around his neck.
Eden Bridgeman Sklenar
Sklenar attended the coveted derby in a maximalist look, paired with chunky gold sandals. The silhouette featured mirrored gold leather uppers, open almond-shaped toes and ultra-thick straps that secured the style in place. Although her shoes were slightly concealed beneath the hem of her dress, it’s likely the style featured stiletto heels of some kind. The shoe is very similar to Steve Madden’s Saturn Bronze shoe.
Atop her head, Sklenar wowed in a striking headpiece in silver and light pink featuring a veil, crystalized appliques and tufts of light pink fabric poking out from the top. The entrepreneur also wore a free-flowing two-piece hailing from Zimmermann. The mint green set featured a poncho-esque top and a tired maxi-length skirt. Both the top and bottom featured wavy mint green trim.
Izabel Araujo
Araujo attended the derby alongside her boyfriend, NSYNC’s Joey Fatone. The Brazilian-born public figure wore thong sandals in white. The summery style featured open square toes, thin but secure straps, buckle closures and what looked to be short stiletto heels. The style was breezy and functional, allowing her to walk around the derby with ease.
Araujo also wore a wide-brimmed bright blue hat made of a see-through material. The hat was adorned with a large floral motif and feathers. She also wore a matching blue and white floral dress with lace trim, a corsetted bodice and a tiered skirt.
