British model Jean Shrimpton caused a huge uproar after arrving at the Melbourne Cup Carnival in 1965 wearing a minidress five inches above the knees, with no stockings, gloves or hat.
London designer Colin Rolfe created the short, shoulderless dress after being given a limited amount of material by textile manufactuer DuPont.
For the first time since the inaugural race in 1861, the winning horse was knocked off newspaper front pages in favour of Shrimpton's legs.
Silence descended on the Flemington members' lounge as Shrimpton and Hollywood actor boyfriend Terence Stamp (pictured) marched in two hours late. 
DuPont employed a local milliner, Adele Chapeaux of South Yarra, to create a hat for Shrimpton's next appearances. The model complied -- for one day.
Margaret Woods was the winner of the first Melbourne Cup Carnival "Fashions on the Field" competition in 1962. The top prize was a Ford Falcon Futura car.
Just three years after Shrimpton caused a stir, finalists in the 1968 "Fashions on the Field" competition can be seen wearing dresses well above the knee. 
Last year's "Fashions on the Field" winner Angela Menz (center) with finalists Alex Foxcroft and Louise Struber. 
Competitors are judged on their originality, accessories, understanding of current fashion trends and deportment, with prizes this year including a Lexus IS 250C F Sport convertible. 
Actors Eva Longoria, right, and Ronn Moss attend the 2005 carnival. International celebrity guests are now a regular feature at the $6.2 million horse race. 
Actress Kate Bosworth chats to jockey Chris Munce at the 2006 carnival. The mild Australian climate means punters aren't obliged to wear jackets and gloves.
"Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker at last year's carnival, alongside cricketer Shane Warne and actress Liz Hurley. 
"Fashions on the Field" celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2012, with "O.C" star Mischa Barton one of the announced guests.
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- Model Jean Shrimpton caused outrage by wearing mindress to 1965 Melbourne Cup
- Hemline five inches above the knee sparked Swinging Sixties fashion revolution
- This year is 50th anniversary of horse race's "Fashions on the Field" competition
- Today style is more relaxed at the internationally-renowned Australian event
(CNN) -- "I was surrounded by cameramen, all on their knees like proposing Victorian swains, shooting upwards to make my skirt look even shorter. I had no idea this was going to happen -- this was publicity that I certainly had not planned." Model Jean Shrimpton.
On a sultry spring day in 1965, silence descended on the packed crowd gathered at Australia's biggest sporting event.
All eyes were on British supermodel Jean Shrimpton as she arrived at the prestigious Melbourne Cup Carnival -- or more accurately, all attention was focused on the 22-year-old's legs.
"The most beautiful girl in the world" had stepped out at Flemington Racecourse wearing a minidress five inches above her knees, with no hat, stockings or gloves.
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Rise of the celebrity horse owner In an era when women didn't leave the house without wearing a hat, it was an outfit which both scandalized the nation and sparked a fashion revolution which would define the Swinging Sixties.
As the Melbourne Cup next week celebrates the 50th anniversary of its "Fashions on the Field" competition, the iconic image of Shrimpton in "that dress" has gained almost mythical status in the history of a horse race now worth $6.2 million in prize money.
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Known as "The race that stops a nation," it is one of the richest thoroughbred competitions in the world, and is so revered in its home state of Victoria that its annual date -- the first Tuesday in November -- has been made a public holiday.
But in 1965 it was Shrimpton's legs which famously stopped the country in its tracks.
"She was one of the world's first supermodels and her visit was highly anticipated -- everyone was expecting this beautiful hat and accessories," Victoria Racing Club Art and Heritage curator Penny Tripp told CNN.
"When Jean came marching through the members' lounge two hours late with her boyfriend of the time -- Hollywood actor Terence Stamp -- in this casual dress, there was absolute silence."
The conservative country was rocked by the seemingly skimpy outfit and, for the first time since the inaugural race in 1861, the winning horse was knocked off newspaper front pages -- in favor of Shrimpton's legs.
"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!" screamed Melbourne newspaper The Sun.
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"The Shrimp," as she was known, had been employed by textile manufacturer DuPont de Nemours International to be a judge in the annual "Fashions on the Field" dress competition.
The face of "Swinging Sixties London" was flown to other side of the world to promote DuPont's new fabric, Orlon, during the four days of the Melbourne Cup Carnival -- Derby Day, Melbourne Cup, Oakes Day and Stakes Day.
Penny Tripp, VRC arts and heritage curator
Shrimpton was sent rolls of the material, designing her secret wardrobe with London dressmaker Colin Rolfe.
With limited fabric, Rolfe was forced to create the now-famously short dress. Though Shrimpton appeared undeterred by the length, telling Australian Women's Weekly magazine: "I always wear my day dresses above the knee."
DuPont quickly employed Melbourne milliner Adele Chapeaux to create a hat for Shrimpton's next appearances. The model complied -- for one day. By the end of the carnival she had converted back to her trademark stripped-back mod look.
"It had an enormous impact on the fashion world," Tripp said. "Shrimpton credits the arrival of the miniskirt to her wearing it at Derby Day, though it was probably London designer Mary Quant who invented it the year before.
"Regardless, it was very much the pivotal moment of the introduction of the miniskirt to an international stage."
Despite the scandal, Melbourne designers copied the fashion icon in droves. The following year, newspaper The Age reported: "Last year's controversial Miss Shrimpton would have passed unnoticed in the crowd this year. Anyone with hemlines below the knee looked very 'old hat.' "
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Angela Menz, 2011 "Fashions on the Field" winner
Today, more than 350,000 people attend the Melbourne Cup Carnival, with 1,100 men and women taking part in last year's "Fashions on the Field" event.
Competitors are judged on their originality, accessories, understanding of current fashion trends and deportment, with prizes including a Lexus IS 250C F Sport convertible.
"I think to the rest of the world, the Melbourne Cup probably looks like one big party -- and that's exactly what it is," said Angela Menz, last year's fashion competition winner.
"Everyone makes an effort to dress up. But it's done in a very different way to say, Ascot in England, for example. The lifestyle in Australia is quite relaxed -- we don't have to wear gloves and jackets because it doesn't get that cold.
"By today's standards, Shrimpton's dress was actually quite long."
This year, Menz is predicting lots of tall hats, rather than traditional large brims. "Head wear has been getting quite sculptural, almost like a piece of art on the head," she said.
Since Shrimpton first graced Flemington, international celebrities have become a regular feature of the Melbourne Cup, with high-profile appearances from Britain's Princess Diana in 1985, Kate Bosworth in 2006 and fellow American actress Sarah Jessica Parker last year.
The Melbourne Cup is as much about its fashion stakes as its horses. But when it comes to groundbreaking outfits, no one has ever come close to "The Shrimp."
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