Royal Ascot publishes its official 2022 style guide ahead of this year’s event
Royal Ascot is one of the most prestigious race meetings in British horseracing. It holds a special place in the hearts of trainers, jockeys and racegoers alike.
The attendance by The Queen, who has held a passion for horseracing since an early age, also helps to create a sense of grandeur. With the event attracting royal interest, it’s no surprise that Royal Ascot is one of the best-dressed race meetings in the calendar year.
Each year the event’s organisers publish an official ‘style guide’ to articulate what guests can and cannot wear on race day. The 2022 style guide is the 11th edition and appears to be a celebration of British fashion designers this summer.
Royal Ascot is due to take place on 14th-18th June, just in time for the summer weather. With some 300,000 people set to arrive through the gates of Ascot Racecourse during the five-day event, let’s take a peek at what this year’s style guide recommends for men and women planning to visit this iconic corner of Berkshire.
What to make of the 2022 Royal Ascot official style guide
This year’s guide features a host of British fashion houses, including Erdem and Shrimps, as well as The Vampire’s Wife. In terms of style icons used, the guide’s most notable inclusion is model and actress Greta Bellamacina, alongside her husband Robert Montgomery.
Although the guide appears to encourage racegoers to be more “daring” with their outfits, there is a general sense that visitors should embrace a “casual” appearance.
The rules for 2022’s Royal Ascot have been relaxed slightly. Men are allowed to wear brightly-printed garments and Cuban shirts – both of which would ordinarily be frowned upon.
The guide also shows ladies sporting a more casual look too, with platform heels and mini dresses seemingly the order of the day. Even miniskirts are set to be allowed in all Royal Ascot enclosures, except for the Royal Enclosure where a “modest” hemline is requested.
The Royal Ascot meeting has shown an increasing willingness to alter its dress code in recent years. In 2021, navy morning suits were finally approved in the Royal Enclosure, while jumpsuits were also permitted in the Royal Enclosure and Queen Anne Enclosure dress codes as of 2017.
Despite its shift in stance towards dress codes, organisers have continued to take a tough stance on revellers that fail to control their drinking, with pioneering temporary accommodation ring-fenced for problem patrons to protect the integrity of the occasion.
The allure of visiting Royal Ascot
First starting out in 1768, the event has come a long way from its 18th-century roots.
The Gold Cup remains the most iconic race of the entire festival, providing a stiff test for even the world’s most elite flat stayers. It attracts the interest of bettors from around the world, with the live coverage of Royal Ascot broadcast across the globe. Racegoers at Ascot have the option of visiting the betting ring on any of the 36 races throughout the festival. It’s here that multiple independent bookmakers jockey for bettors’ custom.
Aside from the on-course bookmakers at Ascot, some racegoers prefer to place their bets before they travel to the racecourse. This allows them to enjoy the festivities of everything the day has to offer without having to deal with packed betting rings.
Most UK bookies have mobile-friendly desktop sites, as well as native mobile apps that allow customers to place bets at the tap of a screen.
When creating an account with a bookmaker for the first time before Royal Ascot, you’ll likely activate an Ascot free bet. These can take multiple forms – either as a risk-free wager on any horse or race at Royal Ascot, or even boosted odds on a specific horse pre-race.
The most notable races that attract the significant betting interest at Royal Ascot include the Coronation Stakes, the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, as well as the Gold Cup. All three of these races are in the Group 1 grade, attracting some of the best flat racing thoroughbreds and jockeys in the business.
Royal Ascot organisers are seeking to optimise capacity levels at this year’s event, which could hit its bottom line by £1.3m despite radically improving the customer experience for those lucky racegoers.
With some of the most popular enclosures having their capacities limited, casual dress could certainly be the way to go to appreciate the additional personal space in and around the stands.