Anna Nicole Smith's Daughter Dannielynn Debuts New Look Ahead of Kentucky Derby

Dannielynn Birkhead is kicking off Kentucky Derby weekend in full style mode ... rocking a fresh new look, with a hidden ode to her late mother, Anna Nicole Smith.

Dannielynn stepped out Friday night with her dad, Larry Birkhead, for the Barnstable Brown Derby Eve party, continuing their annual Derby tradition.

Larry tells People he couldn’t help but feel proud watching his 19-year-old daughter embrace a bold new look for the night as Dannielynn showed off her fresh pixie cut hairdo with black tips, and rocked a Punk Rave Gothic-inspired strapless corset gown with a flowing sheer skirt.

According to Larry, Dannielynn said she wanted something “edgy and cool,” and leaned all the way in, telling the outlet a hairstylist friend of Anna Nicole actually helped bring the vision to life ... chopping and coloring her hair into the spunky new look.

Larry admitted he was “bracing himself” while it all went down at the salon, joking he had to mentally prepare for whatever was about to happen. Still, he said he gets it, and she’s at the age where she’s making her own style moves.

Of course, Dannielynn was just a baby when her mother, Anna Nicole Smith, was found unresponsive in a Florida hotel room in February 2007. Her death was later ruled an accidental overdose at just 39 years old.