As this year’s Ascot opens to a new, more formal dress code, Channel 4 News asks if it is an attempt to bring back tradition – or to further restrict the guest list.
Crowds of well-dressed ladies and gents flocked to this year’s first day of Royal Ascot on Tuesday, but they were joined by a purple-uniformed patrol of dress code assistants.
Armed with baskets of pashmina shawls and an array of coloured fascinators, the fashion police infiltrated the crowds to make sure that this year’s new dress code rules are kept – namely no uncovered heads, and a modest amount of bare flesh.
Taking centre stage in the society calendar, Royal Ascot has always had strict admittance rules – and not just on dress code. Divorcees were prevented from entering the royal enclosure until 1955, and when My Fair Lady was filmed in 1964, the appearance of cockney lass Eliza Doolittle at the races still seemed daring.
But organisers this year have deemed it appropriate to bring in a new dress code, and those entering the Royal Enclosure even have a 16-page style guide to advise, just in case of any confusion [see right image above]. Dresses are to fall just above the knee or longer and they must not be strapless (any straps must be less than one inch wide). Gents are required to wear black or grey morning suits, complete with waistcoat, top hat and tie – but no cravat.
Perhaps the most shocking of rules applies to the fascinator, which despite being favoured by Katharine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, is no longer permitted in the Royal Enclosure. Instead heads must be covered by a hat or headpiece – with a base of four inches no less.
Royal Ascot is all about getting everyone to ‘act up’ in way that is imposed by the event, and the specificity of the dress code shows a bit of anxiety about how formal wear works. Sarah Ditum
The more formal dress code was welcomed by many fashionistas, including Gemma Cartwright, editor of Catwalk Queen, who will be in the Royal Enclosure on Friday. “We have so few opportunities to dress up that I just see it as a chance to put on a beautiful dress and buy a fabulous hat,” she told Channel 4 News.
“It’s always been more of a social occasion than a sporting event for many of the attendees anyway. I know some people have suggested these rules are old-fashioned and outdated, but there’s nothing wrong with tradition.”
The new clarification of the rules follows complaints last year that officials patronised visitors by making those who breached the dress code wear an orange sticker. Ascot later issued admission refunds to those affected (reportedly a five figure sum).
But fake tan, miniskirts and fizz-fuelled brawls were also a feature of previous Ascot events, and the new dress code has been interpreted by some as a sign that this is something organisers want to avoid.
“There has clearly been a struggle to get the people who are buying tickets to understand the standards Ascot requires,” fashion and lifestyle journalist Sarah Ditum told Channel 4 News.
“The way that Royal Ascot works, I think, is about trying to get a feeling of class consistency – that visitors belong and that everyone matches up to their standards. It is all about getting everyone to ‘act up’ in way that is imposed by the event and the specificity of the dress code shows a bit of anxiety about how formal-wear works.”
The level of detail in the new rules – the one inch straps, the four-inch headpiece – has also been called unnecessary, with some saying it is an attempt to restrict visitors to those within a certain social group.
Fashion blogger Neily Alimohamadi, editor of Cherie City, told Channel 4 News that while Ascot has the right to impose a dress code, employing people to regulate the rules was “draconian” and could be embarrassing for those who get it wrong.
So far dress code breaches seem to have been few and far between. But with 300,000 visitors expected to attend, and the fashion calendar highlight Ladies Day on Thursday, whether it will stay that way remains to be seen.