Royal Ascot Ladies’ Day: ‘We’ve had a year and a half of fashion drought and this is amazing’
Arriving at Ascot Racecourse for the third day of Royal Ascot, no racegoer could be overheard moaning about the two Covid-19 tests they had to take to gain entry to the grounds (one lateral flow, one PCR). They weren’t even complaining about the weather (overcast to rainy after two days of blazing sun). And there was scant discussion of the horses.
The conversation almost exclusively concerned one thing: the hats.
“It gives me goosebumps, seeing people all dressed up! It’s so exciting,” says fashion editor Deborah Brett, wearing an organza rainbow ripple hat by Marisa Groom with a Roksanda dress.
“The whole process of getting dressed – the manicure and pedicure, choosing the right shoes, selecting a handbag – all these small things that make up an outfit is what I really missed. Seeing everyone having made that effort today is really exhilarating. It makes your heart soar.”
Gold Cup Day, also known as Ladies’ Day, tends to be the most decorative of the five days of Royal Ascot, and the constraints of the 2021 event – a racecourse at less than a fifth its normal capacity, compulsory testing, etc – didn’t dampen the display. If anything, it was the opposite: after 15 months of living la vida loungewear, women relished the chance to dress up; for themselves, for each other and for the event itself.
“This is the one kind of occasion when people can let go with their fashion and be fabulous,” says milliner Awon Golding, wearing a crimson halter-neck Whistles gown (rented via lending website HURR Collective, a favourite of Carrie Johnson) with a dramatic sweeping-brim scarlet fedora of her own design.
“We’ve had a year and a half of fashion drought and this is amazing. Even just putting lipstick on was a game-changer.”
Across the Royal Enclosure, women who took a more colourful, flamboyant approach to their Ascot looks than in years with more opportunities to dress up could be seen congratulating one another on their outfits. The focus on joyful dressing was so pervasive that you had to wonder: does anyone care about the horses?
“After not dressing up for such a long time, it’s been the most fun to dress up and plan the outfit,” says designer Savannah Miller, who enjoyed her first Royal Ascot experience on Wednesday, wearing a silver-blue dress from The Vampire’s Wife, a Philip Treacy hat and Jimmy Choo shoes. “In fact that was way more fun than the event itself.”
The British couture designers and milliners for whom Royal Ascot is the focal point of the business year seemed relieved. Despite organisers urging racegoers to rewear past-season outfits or look to rental or secondhand sources for their race-day looks, many women still proudly showcased their new purchases.
“It’s a huge relief and a huge joy that Ascot is going ahead, albeit in smaller numbers,” says milliner Victoria Grant, wearing “an explosion of colour” in a fuchsia suit and her own silk-covered Bellini cocktail beret adorned with a crystal veil and an “extra-exuberant” feathered treble clef.
“There was a lot of uncertainty and hesitancy. Normally we would have had commissions a year in advance, or at least been really busy from March. In fact it was really late this year because people were waiting to see if it would go ahead.
“A lot of the regulars are not here, but those that are have been wanting to celebrate in huge, big, colourful style,” she continues. “They’re really enjoying dressing up again and celebrating millinery.”
Horses? What horses?
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