Floral overload! Julie Bishop suffers a rare fashion mishap in a head-to-toe flowery ensemble at the Melbourne Cup - and carries a handbag worth a whopping $12,000

She has long earned the unofficial title as Australia's ultimate 'Minister for Fashion'.

But Julie Bishop had a rare fashion misstep at the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.

The former politician, 67, who often opts for understated, elegant gowns, opted for a full floral look that was slightly overwhelming.

The outfit consisted of a short-sleeved, full-length, voluminous, button-up dress, a matching floral Lady Dior handbag, worth a whopping $12,000, and a straw boater hat.

As usual, Julie wore dazzling diamonds, including diamond drop earrings and two diamond-encrusted rings. 

Julie was a guest in the Lexus marquee inside The Birdcage and posed for photos solo, without her boyfriend, Stephen Gray.

The pair have been going strong for over a year following a romance that began after her headline-making split from former partner David Panton. 

Little is known about Gray, whose Instagram account is private with only 60 followers.

They appear to have been an item for around three years after she 'soft-launched' him on her social media accounts in July 2023.

Last year, they travelled to South Australia for a 'fabulous Outback adventure'.

In a video shared to her Instagram page, Julie put together a montage of images and video clips from their holiday and tagged her partner.

The news of her new romance came one year after Panton allegedly dumped Julie over dinner in Sydney in July 2022, putting an end to their eight-year relationship.

During their partnership, Julie took Panton to the United Nations to meet world leaders, Buckingham Palace to hobnob with British royalty and to the White House where he met Donald Trump.

The pair first stepped out publicly in 2014.

They were pictured at countless celebrity events over the years including the 2018 wedding of Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough.