I received the invite at 9am on a Tuesday morning while eating cereal in my pyjamas, which I’m fairly sure is the least glamorous way possible to be asked to Royal Ascot. “Would love you to join us in the Royal Enclosure this year!” my PR contact Emma, who is normally on the other side of emails requesting brand samples from the high street, wrote excitedly. The first thought through my head was champagne. SO MUCH FREE CHAMPAGNE.
My second thought was panic. OH GOD, THE DRESS CODE. I’ve been to plenty of horse racing events throughout the years – anything that lets me get away with daytime drinking dressed nicely is a winner in my book.
But Ascot is different. For starters, unlike most race meets where “dress nicely” is deemed an acceptable guideline, Royal Ascot has actually hired people to patrol the entrances and check hem lengths with rulers.
Okay, maybe not literal rulers but you see what I mean.
Where other racecourses simply say “don’t turn up in jeans”, Ascot’s dress code is so specific it’s actually slightly terrifying. Dresses/skirts must be knee length or above. Straps on dresses must be a minimum of one inch thick.
Strapless or off-the-shoulder dresses are completely banned. And forget trying to cover up your hair with a cute fascinator; Royal Ascot says fascinators (cue HOURGLASS GASPS from everyone who considers them “fancy hats”) are not suitable headwear. Women must wear a hat that fastens to the head with a minimum base/head circumference of four inches.
Guys aren’t let off lightly either – their “smart attire” rules require full morning dress including jacket and waistcoat, plus top hats. Let’s be honest, how many of us actually own a top hat lying around? ! After my caffeine-fuelled panic about what on earth was appropriate faded, I started to wonder: is it actually possible for regular people to dress for Royal Ascot without spending hundreds (ok, thousands) on a brand new outfit?
And if so, how? Realising that Royalsgif had asked me to document the entire thing on social meant I was pretty much committed at that point. I’m used to creating spreadsheets for far less valid reasons than trying to work out how to make absurdly specific dress codes work for everyday people on everyday budgets… So let’s talk about that hat.
Obviously hats are going to be the biggest challenge for most people as, well, who actually owns a hat? Aside from the Queen. Proper hats start at around £200+ and require a very specific outfit to avoid looking totally ridiculous.
I live in Manchester and work in marketing. It would be some sort of statement to wear statement hats to work in my day job. But THE REAL KEY ALIASED, friends.
A lady friend of mine named Kate mentioned her mum has a hat that was handed down from her sister’s wedding a few summers back. Text conversation went a little something like this: Kate: Mum still has the hat she bought for Lucy’s wedding Me: what Kate: She said she’s never wearing it again so you’re welcome to have it 😂its cream with navy trim Me: omg thank you Kate: She spent like £300 on it and wore it for 6 hours Okay but hear me out – the Wig/GateHA was just the tip of the iceberg. It turns out every mother, grandmother and aunt in the UK owns at least one expensive wedding/festival/frock-gazing hat that they refuse to ever wear again but also don’t want it going to waste.
Send those wedding invites out ladies, because you’re going to own people’s hats from now on. Kate’s mum’s hat was also perfect; classy enough that no one would question if it broke dress code, fancy enough that I didn’t feel under-dressed and most importantly; free. Mum even threw in a hatpin along with instructions on how best to secure it to your head “trust me honey, you don’t want your hat falling off on race day.” Next was the actual outfit.
I started off thinking I needed a dress to cover all bases, but realistically anything I tried on in the shops wasn’t going to hit all of Ascot’s checklist: Skirt/Skirt length appropriate? Check. Covered shoulders?
Check. Suitable for standing outside for hours on end? Probably not.
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Wouldn’t want to get crumbs in it? Nope. Something I’d actually wear again?
HAhaha nobody wears dresses twice. I promptly switched tactics and headed into separates territory. Skirt I knew would be easily enough but again; long enough?
Check. Covered shoulders? I’d pair it with a top.
Bingo. Navy pleated midi from COS ended up being my skirt of choice at £85. Pleats always look more expensive than they are and the elasticated waistband is frankly a godsend if you’re going to be spending the day drinking multiple courses of food.
As for the top, it took me aaaages to find something that covered my shoulders, but wasn’t ridiculously formal or bulky. Cream silk shirt from & Other Stories had covered buttons and puffed sleeves which gave it just enough detail to work, but was simple enough to wear with jeans on nights out afterwards. Total cost? £158.
Honestly not cheap by any stretch but considering some entrants spend upwards of £500 on a day outfit, it’s nothing. Finally shoes. These had to: look smart enough to work with a fancy dress code; be comfortable enough to walk/racecourse grass in for hours on end; and; ideally be waterproof because British summers.
These navy suede block heels were actually the most uncomfortable during the fitting process and near on gave me plantar fasciitis whilst trying them on. BUT, they were block heels so much kinder on the feet than pointed and I’d been looking for a pair of navy heels anyway. Bonus points for future wardrobe options there.
As race day dawned, I was equal parts excited to finally see everyone turn up and dress to the nines, and horrified at the idea of being turned away at the entrance for failing the dress code. Makeup was done, hair was done and THAT HORRIBLE HAT was plastered to my head with approximately twelve thousand hat pins and hairspray strong enough to bounce bullets. You know what I realized as I stepped out into the Royal Enclosure?
No one cares. Sure there were women wandering around in bespoke designer floor-sweeping gowns with diamond tiaras. But there were also guys in hired suits who looked like they just came from work, AND women who had clearly put similar amounts of thought into their outfits but didn’t have to sell a kidney to fund it.
It was the block heels that saved me from sinking into the grass when we walked around the parade ring, the elasticated waistband that allowed me to order pretty much ALL the food, and the less said about my top being able to surreptitiously lift up and re-adjust when required without ruining the whole look, the better. If there’s one thing I took away from Royal Ascot, it’s that when it comes to dressing for the Royal family, you don’t have to break the bank to look “appropriate”. As with anything in life, the people that really knew what they were doing, wore what they loved and owned it.
Hit up your Mum, aunties and grandad for a borrowed hat.
It’s probs their favourite thing you’ve ever asked them. Focus on separates over statement pieces.
They’re more wearable post-Royal Ascot and can actually be assembled to properly fit your body rather than struggling into a giant dress. Finally, when it comes to your outfit, invest in good shoes. If you’re going to be wearing them all day, every day of comfort matters.
Lastly, buy with the British weather in mind. You’re going to get soaked/rained on at some point, no matter how hard you plan your outfit. Make sure it can get wet and still look fabulous.
It’s easy to get caught up in worrying about whether you’re dressy/dress-coded enough when invited to places like Royal Ascot. But ask around, plan like it’s homework and ultimately, just remember to wear what YOU love. Afterall you’re the one that has to wear it.
