Every year, in the middle of June, the papers are filled with the latest images from Royal Ascot. Undeniably as important as the races are the outfits adorning the 250,000 race-goers, who have been attending the annual equestrian spectacle since 1768. Today, Ascot Racecourse gives strict guidelines on what to wear in each enclosure, while encouraging visitors to be creative with their garments. Looking through our archives at images taken at the five-day event, attendees have consistently risen to the occasion.
With Royal Ascot taking place next month, we’re taking a quick canter through the archives to find out about the history of the fashion that has become synonymous with this world-famous event.
Unsaddling enclosure at Royal Ascot horse race meeting showing first second third winning horses with well dressed crowd
Royal Beginnings
It was Queen Anne’s love of horse racing which resulted in her founding the Ascot Racecourse in 1711. By the 1750s, attending the races there was becoming very popular amongst elite society and was one of the places to be seen. Naturally those in the crowds would want to make sure they were also seen wearing the very best of the latest fashions, and dress codes for the events can be dated back to 1807. Interestingly these early dress codes applied to the men rather than the ladies, enforced by Beau Brummell who insisted that ‘men of elegance should wear waisted black coats and white cravats with pantaloons’.
Although there was still no official dress code for the ladies by the 1800s, Ascot fashion was heavily influenced by Queen Victoria’s visits to the racecourse. During her visits in the 1830s she wore the poke bonnet, which was designed to protect the face from the sun and provide the wearer with extra modesty. She significantly influenced the races’ fashion again in 1910, after the death of her son King Edward VII prompted ‘Black Ascot’, where all race-goers wore black to mourn the king’s death.
The 1920s brought a rejection of the restrictive and opulent fashion of the Victorian era and of course, the outfits seen at Ascot reflected this. Looser and shorter dresses became the norm and were popularised further by royal guests. In 1922 The Times hailed Ascot as ‘the best place in England to see beautiful women in beautiful clothes’.
Seventies Shake-up
From the 1920s to the 1950s, the outfits seen at the races remained adjacent to the trends of those decades. It wasn’t until the end of the sixties and into the seventies that Ascot fashion started becoming more outlandish. Women’s trouser suits were seen for the first time, and even hot pants were allowed entry. The seventies also saw Gertrude Shilling loudly arriving on the scene. Affectionately dubbed ‘The Ascot Mascot’, Gertrude wore huge, over the top avant-garde hats which were designed by her milliner son. Sometimes these hats were so large they required their own transport. Over the following decades, her outfits would test the boundaries of the dress code for Ascot’s Royal Enclosure, but this only served to make her an even more iconic staple of the races. So while headgear had always been encouraged and even compulsory in some areas of the event, this was the era that saw big hats take off in a big way.
Fashion in the 1980s only perpetuated the over-the-top looks from the 1970s. This was the decade of bold colours and exaggerated silhouettes alongside statement accessories, and of course Royal Ascot was the perfect place to showcase this. As well as a focus on flamboyant glamour, power suits were in abundance and a corporate aesthetic was further shaped by Princess Diana’s Ascot outfits.
The Fashion Pendulum Swings
Society and culture swings from one extreme to the other, and following the showy extravagance of the 1980s, the 1990s brought in a more minimalist approach to Ascot attire. Statement hats were still a staple, but these were paired with more sophisticated, sleek tailored outfits.
Couture Controversy
Royal Ascot during the 2000s and 2010s saw both the acceptance of fashion firsts and a crackdown on acceptable attire. Ascot decided its visitors had become too lax in their attire, and in 2012 issued its first ever style guidelines. It also banned fascinators in the Royal Enclosure, stating that hats must have a diameter of at least 4 inches.
It was no coincidence that the style guide arrived in 2012. The previous year, overzealous attendants decided to affix orange stickers to visitors who they felt had not adhered to the dress codes. This led to complaints and ticket refunds. Today, guests can be refused entry to areas of the racecourse where dress codes are enforced if they’re not adhering to them.
In 2016 history was made when Daisy Knatchbull (the first female-only tailor on Savile Row) became the first woman to wear a top hat and tails inside the Royal Enclosure, and in 2017 jumpsuits were allowed into this exclusive area.
Today, Royal Ascot continues to be a major fashion occasion, and we look forward to seeing all the images our news contributors upload during the event, which runs from Tuesday 16th June – Saturday 20th June 2026. Keep up to date with all the racing action by following our live news feed here.
If you’re a photographer heading out to capture the Ascot festivities and have yet to apply to submit news imagery, you can find out more about becoming a news contributor here.
Explore our curated collection of imagery from Royal Ascot over the last 130 years here.