Royal Ascot publishes new dress code

Ascot Racecourse released the new dressing guidelines today to clarify ‘misunderstanding of what constitutes appropriate attire for this formal occasion.’

Ladies enjoying the week-long event from the Royal Enclosure this June will be expected to wear dresses or skirts ‘of modest length defined as falling just above the knee or longer,’ underlining the prohibition of miniskirts.

Organisers further request that women wear hats, although ‘a headpiece which has a base of 4 inches (10cm) or more in diameter is acceptable as an alternative’. In other words, ladies, leave the fascinators at home.

Men—sorry, ‘gentlemen’—stand ‘kindly reminded’ that they must wear morning dress complete with a waistcoat, tie, top hat and black shoes, in the Royal Enclosure.

The regulations for the Grandstand Enclosure are slightly less formal. Women may not wear strapless or ‘sheer strap dresses and tops’, and must wear a hat, headpiece or fascinator at all times. Men: back to the suits and ties.

‘We have worked extensively with experts in the world of fashion to define better what formal dress means, with the overarching intention of... assisting everyone in understanding what is expected and, we believe, cherished about the dress code at Royal Ascot,’ Charles Barnett, Ascot chief executive, said. He was careful to position the new dress code not as a matter of snobbery, but rather one of taste.

‘It isn’t a question of elitism and not being modern in a world where there is less and less requirement to dress smartly—far from it. We want to see modern and stylish dress at Royal Ascot, just within the parameters of formal wear, and the feedback we have received from our customers overwhelmingly supports that.’