Hailed as the crème de la crème of racing events, Royal Ascot was founded by Queen Anne in 1711.
Royal Ascot's Ladies Day returns!
Synonymous with high fashion, fine dining and fast-paced stakes, the five-day festival boasts the who’s who of Royals, Jockeys, Lords and Ladies.
An anonymous poet in 1823 described the women of the event perfectly - ‘like angels’ and ‘sweetly divine’.
Grab your chequebooks, fix your hats and don’t forget ‘sensible’ shoes because Ladies Day is back this Thursday!
Dress code: Stunning
An annual spectacle, Ladies Day has seen a mirage of trends, colour waves, textiles and silhouettes over the years, despite the dress requirements being almost unchanged.
Divided by enclosures, the event's historic and sartorial dress code can be found on Royal Ascot’s website.
For female attendees, such requirements most notably mean dresses needing to be just at or below the knee in length, straps with a minimum 2.5cm in width and required headpieces covering a base diameter of 10cm.
Ladies Day cannot be talked about without remembering a catalogue of classic looks.
Paying homage to her character Eliza Dolittle in 1964’s My Fair Lady, Audrey Hepburn appeared at Ascot donned in a black and white lace masterpiece.
Encrusted with ribbons and lace, accompanied by a dramatically oversized hat, the piece would go on to be one of the most iconic in cinematic history.
Jumping to 1972, actress Nina Baden-Sempar also stole the show, appearing in a jaw-dropping full-length beige gown, scattered with descending pom poms made of bright yellow and amber roses.
The queen of 2016 fashion and performance art, Anna Friel, appeared in a brown-bronze ankle-length gown paired with a pièce de résistance feather headpiece by London boutique Jane Taylor.
Re-defining the boundaries of non-gendered clothing, Daisy Knatchbull strutted in 2017 wearing a sharp tailored suit, grey pinstripe trousers, butter yellow tie and pastel blue double-breasted waistcoat.
For not the first time of note, Princess Kate wowed in 2022 with a re-imagining of Lady Diana’s classic polka dot number, details refined even down to the wrist-length sleeves.
Ladies Day is not officially recognised by event organisers, the day is all about seeing and being seen, extravagant hats, gorgeous gowns and all.
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