All change Racegoer fashions
1700s
Beau Brummell, a close friend of the Prince Regent, decrees that “men of elegance should wear waisted black coats and white cravats with pantaloons” and this sets the tone for the dress code that is still observed by men today in the Royal Enclosure.
1830s
Queen Victoria arrives at Ascot in a lace dress with full bell skirt and shawl – her visit also starts a craze for the porter bonnet.
1890s
Skirts are less full, but silhouettes make a greater statement with angular hips and puffed sleeves. Hats are large and full of feathers and adornments.
1950s
Christian Dior’s New Look, a small waist and full skirt, proves popular. However, it is when the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret wear the style at Royal Ascot that it is cemented in history.
1970s
Trouser suits become more popular following their introduction to the Royal Enclosure dress code in 1971. Gertrude Shilling is given the title the “Mascot of Ascot” by the press after delighting crowds with her extravagant outfits and huge hats. One year, her son David’s millinery designs outgrow the Shillings’ Rolls-royce, so the hat has to follow in a van behind.
2012
Royal Ascot officially launches its style guide for racegoers, outlining the dress code for the Royal Enclosure and Queen Anne Enclosure (formally known as the Grandstand).
2017
The jumpsuit is formally accepted in the Royal Enclosure and the Queen Anne Enclosure dress code is extended to the new Village Enclosure.
2019
Cross-dressing is permitted in a drive for Ascot to become more “inclusive” to transgender racegoers.