Dressing Up
Royal Ascot
Driving to work this morning I was listening to the Today programme on Radio 4. The conversation was all about the tightening up of the dress code for the ladies in the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot.
Listen here, Tuesday 19th at about 7.45am
Fascinating fascinators
Apparently this year all dresses have to be on or just above the knee and surprisingly fascinators are to be discouraged. Now, this conversation piqued my interest, firstly because I had images of upper class bouncers measuring the Queen and Princess Kate's dresses with a ruler. Once they got through I imagined them both rolling up the dress at the middle to show a bit more leg! Secondly at first I had no idea what a fascinator actually was, thinking it might be some kind of hold up stocking!
As the conversation on the radio progressed it dawned on me that a fascinator is in fact some sort of headwear usually made of a few bits of material/feathers etc. held in my a hair grip. Does that mean that a princess' tiara would not be allowed under the new rules?
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPPdHY97OQfggYdiiWZROBb4tqxn9PSolRkgxh5Bvm53kDJVj5bKgBjELAZ7H5cxFgL-B1YFV-3YEpz5j6GWyB3D2wTomnfw9GHv9GRQe_kveEH0jrbcb0EHOOkshdFEbBkyDfUbndntdy/s1600/kate-middleton-fascinator.jpg
Below is the dress code as described on the Royal Ascot Website
Ladies
Ladies are kindly reminded that formal day wear is a requirement in the Royal Enclosure, defined as follows:
Gentlemen are kindly reminded that it is a requirement to wear either black or grey morning dress which must include:
The customisation of top hats (with, for example, coloured ribbons or bands) is not permitted in the Royal Enclosure.
Note that it is not acceptable to customise a top hat, but you can remove it whilst eating!!!
Now, it is all very upper class, but it is what it is, a day out with royalty and you would expect to dress up to go to the races with the queen wouldn't you?
Work Dress Code
Where I work I am expected to wear professional dress, this includes a tie. Now I like dressing up in a suit and tie for work, it helps me differentiate between work and home. In fact if I ever work from home I will dress as though I'm going to work. Is that weird?
It seems though that professional dress might have had its day. Richard Branson went on record in the Entrepreneur magazine calling for a ban to ties in corporate dress
Additionally watching Jimmy (the farmer) challenge the supermarket giant Tesco on Channel 4 I noticed that the executives he met were more often than not without tie and jacket and in some meetings wearing jeans!
In some ways I think this is sad, but I like dressing up and if I had to go to work in my own clothes people would soon see the lack of fashion and indeed clothes in my wardrobe. So I will continue to wear a tie, even when the weather is hot.
British Summer Dress Code
There is one strange dress code that happens in England when the temperature gets hot (above 15 Centigrade). I saw evidence today on my way home from work.
It seems that some men of a certain age have a compulsion to remove their tops wrap them around their waist and then walk down the street with a can of Tennants displaying their tattoos to the world.
And from nowhere as if a signal is sent by a crazy pheromone women start wearing see through white linen trousers!
I wonder if the royal enclosure at Ascot will ever allow bare chests and linen trousers in their dress code? Maybe the occasional royal midriff?
Driving to work this morning I was listening to the Today programme on Radio 4. The conversation was all about the tightening up of the dress code for the ladies in the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot.
Listen here, Tuesday 19th at about 7.45am
Fascinating fascinators
Apparently this year all dresses have to be on or just above the knee and surprisingly fascinators are to be discouraged. Now, this conversation piqued my interest, firstly because I had images of upper class bouncers measuring the Queen and Princess Kate's dresses with a ruler. Once they got through I imagined them both rolling up the dress at the middle to show a bit more leg! Secondly at first I had no idea what a fascinator actually was, thinking it might be some kind of hold up stocking!
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPPdHY97OQfggYdiiWZROBb4tqxn9PSolRkgxh5Bvm53kDJVj5bKgBjELAZ7H5cxFgL-B1YFV-3YEpz5j6GWyB3D2wTomnfw9GHv9GRQe_kveEH0jrbcb0EHOOkshdFEbBkyDfUbndntdy/s1600/kate-middleton-fascinator.jpg
Below is the dress code as described on the Royal Ascot Website
Ladies
Ladies are kindly reminded that formal day wear is a requirement in the Royal Enclosure, defined as follows:
- Dresses and skirts should be of modest length defined as falling just above the knee or longer
- Dresses and tops should have straps of one inch or greater
- Jackets and pashminas may be worn but dresses and tops underneath should still comply with the Royal Enclosure dress code
- Trouser suits are welcome. They should be of full length and of matching material and colour
- Hats should be worn; a headpiece which has a base of 4 inches (10cm) or more in diameter is acceptable as an alternative to a hat.
- Strapless, off the shoulder, halter neck, spaghetti straps and dresses with a strap of less than one inch (2.5cm) are not permitted
- Midriffs must be covered
- Fascinators are no longer permitted in the Royal Enclosure; neither are headpieces which do not have a base covering a sufficient area of the head (4 inches / 10cm).
Gentlemen are kindly reminded that it is a requirement to wear either black or grey morning dress which must include:
- A waistcoat and tie (no cravats)
- A black or grey top hat
- Black shoes.
The customisation of top hats (with, for example, coloured ribbons or bands) is not permitted in the Royal Enclosure.
Note that it is not acceptable to customise a top hat, but you can remove it whilst eating!!!
Now, it is all very upper class, but it is what it is, a day out with royalty and you would expect to dress up to go to the races with the queen wouldn't you?
Work Dress Code
Where I work I am expected to wear professional dress, this includes a tie. Now I like dressing up in a suit and tie for work, it helps me differentiate between work and home. In fact if I ever work from home I will dress as though I'm going to work. Is that weird?
Additionally watching Jimmy (the farmer) challenge the supermarket giant Tesco on Channel 4 I noticed that the executives he met were more often than not without tie and jacket and in some meetings wearing jeans!
In some ways I think this is sad, but I like dressing up and if I had to go to work in my own clothes people would soon see the lack of fashion and indeed clothes in my wardrobe. So I will continue to wear a tie, even when the weather is hot.
British Summer Dress Code
There is one strange dress code that happens in England when the temperature gets hot (above 15 Centigrade). I saw evidence today on my way home from work.
It seems that some men of a certain age have a compulsion to remove their tops wrap them around their waist and then walk down the street with a can of Tennants displaying their tattoos to the world.
And from nowhere as if a signal is sent by a crazy pheromone women start wearing see through white linen trousers!
I wonder if the royal enclosure at Ascot will ever allow bare chests and linen trousers in their dress code? Maybe the occasional royal midriff?
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