The opening day of the Royal Ascot, held in Ascot, Berkshire, was this past Tuesday, June 19th. The Ascot lasts for five days, with the last day being today. I will update later with fashions from the final day. Fashion and hats/fascinators are one of the main elements that gets people talking about the Royal Ascot. One day in particular, known as ‘Ladies’ Day’, tends to get the most attention in terms of the fashions worn. This past Thursday, June 21st was Ladies’ Day, and the fashions did not disappoint! Aside from talk about fashion, one of the highlights of this year’s races was when the Queen’s horse called Estimate, won a race! The Queen was presented with a trophy known as the Queen’s Vase by her husband, Prince Philip.
The Queen with her winning horse:
Going back to talking about Royal Ascot fashion, this year was the first time they enforced a strict dress code for a certain prime viewing section known as the Royal Enclosure. On the Royal Ascot website, they had a “Royal Enclosure Style Guide” that listed the dress code for women and men, and gave photographic examples of what could be worn. One of the main “rules” was the exclusion of fascinators in the Royal Enclosure, meaning the small head pieces often seen worn instead of brimmed hats. Here are some glimpses at the guide:
Ladies style guidelines
Example of what to wear: dress by Jaeger, shoes by Gina, and hat by Stephen Jones
Due to the strict guidelines, the Royal Ascot hired dress code assistants, aka fashion police, who will stop people dressed “inappropriately” or against the rules from entering the Royal Enclosure. However, they do have supplies on hand to help attendees make their outfits acceptable, including waistcoats, ties, and shawls, etc. Here are some of the attendants:
Below are images from the past four days of the Royal Ascot. Enjoy!
Royals at the Ascot:
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh – Day 2
Loving the cuff detail on the Queen’s coat!
Queen & Duke on Ladies Day 2012
Anne, Princess Royal and Princess Beatrice
Princess Eugenie
Sophie Countess of Wessex
Carole Middleton on Ladies Day
Racegoers:
Singer, Katherine Jenkins on Ladies’ Day
Tootsie Rollers Retro Girl Band at the Ascot
Here is my post about the fashions seen last year: Royal Ascot 2011
cheers! andrea ♥
photos via Ascot Racecourse & Huffington Post UK
Nice pictures, some of those hats are very interesting! I especially love the olympic one with the torch!