Hello-Hello, happy new week to everyone.
Today we briefly revisit a topic we have nattered on about relentlessly chatted about occasionally.
Via Royal Ascot Facebook
We’re talking about that week of fun and fashion across the pond known as Royal Ascot. Some may recall that certain issues of propriety and style had arisen over the years and a stricter dress code was instituted. From the Daily Mail:
The new dress code was announced in January 2012, and organisers sent out reminders with badges and tickets. The decision to tighten and clarify the dress code at the annual summer event and comes amid criticism of sartorial standards which have been more loosely enforced in recent years.
In 2012 the summer racing meet unveiled a new list of sartorial rules which included banning fascinators within the Royal Enclosure and forbidding anyone from wearing strapless dresses anywhere in the park.
The Royal Enclosure is at the heart of Royal Ascot, with exclusive viewing areas and some of the best facilities on the course. The Royal Enclosure includes access to the viewing area by the Winning Post and the Royal Enclosure Garden, perfect for relaxing with friends and guests.
Via Royal Ascot
From the Style Guide for this area:
- Overseas Visitors & Serving Military Personnel are welcome to wear their formal National Dress or Service Dress.
- Girls (aged 10-16) should dress for a formal occasion in a smart summer dress. A hat, headpiece or fascinator may be worn.
- Boys (aged 10-16) should follow the gentlemen’s dress code, or wear a dark-coloured lounge suit with shirt and tie (no hat required).
A ‘lounge suit’ for men in Britain is akin to a man’s business suit in the US.
The following looks are showcased as examples of what qualifies as appropriate ensembles for the Royal Enclosure.
Ascot
The dress on the far left is by Emilia Wickstead (a label your faithful scribe adores), the black and white frock is by Osman, the suit on the far right comes from Mulberry.
These are the rules for chapeaux in the Enclosure:
Hats should be worn.
A headpiece with a base of 4 inches (10cm) or more in diameter is acceptable as an alternative to a hat.
Please note that fascinators are no longer permitted in the Royal Enclosure.
Royal Ascot
Two more looks for attendees who plan to mingle with Royals.
Via the Daily Mail
Those with tickets for areas not quite as rarefied as the Royal Enclosure are still reminded of the following:
Although no formal dress code applies in the Silver Ring Enclosure, racegoers are encouraged to wear smart clothes.
Please note that fancy dress, novelty, and branded or promotional clothing is not allowed, and bare chests are not permitted at any time.
To ensure everyone gets the word Ascot has even launched an advertising and public relations campaign.
And to think we have friends who have actually gone to Royal Ascot, oh my! (We’re talking about you Miss Pretty, and you too Meg!)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Also today, a quick mention about a pal many of you may already know, Nick of Great Lakes Prep fame. We got to chatting about this year’s Midwest Prep Brand brackets. (A number of favorites have made it to the Sweet Sixteen, including our friends at KJP, Brooks Brothers, Lilly Pulitzer and Southern Tide.)
Great Lakes Prep
Nick let me know about a project he has launched, a modest fundraising campaign on Indieagogo, a crowdfunding site. He has long celebrated Midwest preps and he plans to offer artwork allowing others to do the same. He hopes to raise $2000 to create and market a line of letterpress posters celebrating the land of the Midwest prep. Below we show an example, the Ohio design.
Great Lakes Prep via Indieagogo
Ultimately Nick plans a broader range of products. The line would include these these tee shirts, they proclaim “Midwest, The Land I Love The Best”.
Flyover Press
Hopefully Nick will be able to get this off the ground, I’m sure there is a sizable audience of preps in the Midweast eager for products celebrating their region.
