Royal Ascot takes place from Tuesday, June 20, to Saturday, June 24, 2023. Last year, its dress code guide stated that trouser suits were “welcomed” but specified that “they should be full-length to the ankle and of matching material and colour”.
It was believed Kate could wear one of her favourite tailored two-piece suits but the Princess opted for a flowy polka dot dress instead.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, Kate slightly changed her style and adopted a more formal and conservative look.
This is because her more “fun” outfits, like print and polka dot dresses, are “not appropriate for a future Queen”, as style and royal expert Miranda Holder explained.
The Official Royal Ascot Dress Code for 2023, however, “remains unchanged” meaning that Kate could ditch her flowy dresses and opt for one of her fabulous tailored suits this year.
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This year, as part of their annual Style Guide, The Royal Ascot Lookbook, six styles are allowed: “Luxe, Tailoring, Pre-Loved & Rental, Vintage, High Street and Emerging Designer.”
This summer, people can expect “retro-inspired vintage looks evocative of the 1970s” and “exquisite tailoring and avant-garde millinery”.
The Luxe Edit features “soft, buttery silk gowns by Roksanda, velvet mirrored suiting by Gucci and perfectly paired three-piece morning dress by Favourbrook”.
The Pre-loved & Rental Edit has “sustainable dressing at the forefront of the style agenda, showcasing spectacular second-hand and hireable fashion from leaders in the rental space including HURR, Selfridges Rental, Moss Bros and Oliver Brown”.
“From raiding grandma’s hat boxes to scouring charity shops for treasures, this edit is for the sartorially adventurous who are after unique fashion finds,” Royal Ascot explained.
The High Street Edit “sparks intrigue in summer linens, mint tailoring, alternative prints and glamorous dresses suitable for all enclosures”.
The Vintage Edit is mainly “1980s skirt suits by Thierry Mugler, preppy blazers by Vivienne Westwood and flamboyant fuchsia silhouettes, evoking a sleek and surprisingly modern aesthetic for race day styling, inherited from iconic wardrobes of yesteryear”.
The Tailoring Edit are “daring colour block suits, contemporary soft shades, and traditional fine tailoring, presenting inspiration from Zimmermann, Edward Sexton and RXQUETTE”. Finally, the Emerging Designer Edit celebrates looks from the most coveted up-and-coming fashion designers.
Commercial Director of Ascot Racecourse, Felicity Barnard, commented: “There are very few events that allow people to embrace dressing for a special occasion on such a global scale and each year Royal Ascot becomes the most followed display of sartorial elegance and individual flair – a true celebration of style that is woven into the very fabric of Ascot’s DNA.
“This year sees an exciting evolution for what has been known as the Royal Ascot Style Guide for more than a decade. For 2023 Ascot is proud to unveil the Royal Ascot Lookbook where, for the first time, we look to inspire people through six new fashion edits that draw from current styling trends.”
Stylist Luke Jefferson Day added: “This season I wanted to encourage unexpected freedom under the guidance of the enclosure dress codes and inspire racegoers to be a little more unconventional and inventive in the way they dress up, and how they source their looks.”
