Sporting elegant ensembles, a bevy of British beauties did their country proud as they flocked to this year’s first day of Royal Ascot. With their array of vibrant-hued, ladylike outfits, the racegoers had clearly been studying the new wardrobe guidelines that had been emailed to all ticket holders before the prestigious event. With fascinators no longer allowed in the royal enclosure, fashionistas took this as an opportunity to show off some seriously fabulous hats – with a base of four inches no less.
One lady paired her sweet, chiffon dress with a huge, froufrou hat that certainly set her apart. And another racegoer injected a dose of colour into her otherwise monochrome outfit with a neon yellow headpiece that featured netting. TV presenter Lizzie Cundy, meanwhile, was a ray of sunshine in her canary yellow ensemble that lit up the fabulous occasion.
Other first-day fillies chose to fly the flag for Britain in red, white and blue. One particular group chose to give a colourful nod to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in their matching Union Jack print hues.
Help was on hand for anyone spotted falling short of the new standards in the form of a sartorial team dubbed the ‘fashion police’, who were dressed in smart purple outfits. Armed with baskets of pashmina shawls and an array of different-coloured fascinators, the dress assistants infiltrated the crowds to ensure there was no excessive bare flesh or uncovered heads. Any transgressors were discretely taken to one side and given their accessory for free.
Royal Enclosure dress code
- Dresses and skirts should be of modest length defined as falling just above the knee or longer
- Dresses and tops should have straps of one inch or greater
- Jackets and pashminas may be worn but dresses and tops underneath should still comply with the Royal Enclosure dress code
- Trouser suits are welcome. They should be of full length and of matching material and colour
- Hats should be worn; a headpiece which has a base of 4 inches or more in diameter is acceptable as an alternative to a hat
- Strapless, off the shoulder, halterneck, spaghetti straps and dresses with a strap of less than one inch are not permitted
- Midriffs are covered
- Fascinators are no longer permitted in the Royal Enclosure; neither are headpiece which do not have a base covering a sufficient area of the head (4 inches)
Grandstand dress code