Ascot Gets Tough on Fashion Crime!

Remember when I busted the myth that Royal Ascot is posh?   Well, it appears I wasn't the only one who has noticed the drastic decline in standards.  The racecourse has tightened their dress code for the Royal Enclosure (at the Royal meeting), Premier Enclosure (at "regular" meetings) and the Grandstand (at all meetings).

Royal Ascot: Fascinators have now been banned in the Royal enclosure and those in the Grandstand MUST wear a hat or fascinator (head wear was previously optional).  We now will be spared the dreaded boob fat spill-over because strapless dressed have been banned in the Grandstand (they were never allowed in the Royal enclosure), but unfortunately, they did not go so far as to demand that dresses "are of a modest length" as is required in the Royal enclosure, so we will probably still have to deal with loads of orange cellulite on display. For the men in the Royal enclosure, a morning suit, complete with waistcoat and tie, will be mandatory and cravats have been banned.  A suit and tie will be required for the Grandstand.

"Regular" Ascot:  Men in the Premier enclosure must wear a jacket a tie, but more casual trousers or even "smart jeans" can be worn in place of the suit trousers. If it is an especially warn day, they will make an announcement that men's jackets can be removed.  Ladies should dress "for a smart occasion" and hats are encouraged, but not mandatory.  In the Grandstand, the standards remain low - basically, you can wear whatever you want, but you may not go bare chested.  Thank god for that.

The new dress codes were put into effect last weekend when a "regular" meeting was held at Ascot. So, what did they do to the people who didnt meet the dress code?  Turn them away?  Pass them a leaflet explaining the new rules?   Of course not.  They actually tagged the offenders with orange stickers to mark them as a rule breaker!  Secretly, or not so secretly since I'm telling all of you, I think this is awesome, but the stickered racegoers didn't seem to appreciate it.  In true British style, they whinged about their mistreatment and embarrassment and now will be given a refund of their ticket price.  For the record: Ascot officials say they chose to sticker people so that they wouldn't be reprimanded multiple times by different members of staff.

Photo: Daily Mail Online

If you're planning a visit to Ascot in the future, the official dress code guidance can be found here.