Ascot bans fascinators and minis from Royal Enclosure

THE DRESS CODE for visitors to Royal Ascot this summer has been tightened to prevent the Berkshire course resembling "a nightclub" during the Queen's favourite race meet, which takes place in June.
 
The new guidelines outlaw fascinators in the Royal Enclosure. Instead guests must wear proper hats rather than the small headpieces, even though they are fashionable alternatives to hats and popular with trend-setters including the Duchess of Cambridge. Women have also been warned that they must wear skirts or dresses of a "modest length", which are allowed no higher than just above the knee.
 
Men must now wear a waistcoat and tie while cravats are not allowed, reports the BBC.
 
There will also be new guidelines for guests in the grandstand – one stage down from the Royal Enclosure. There some form of headgear will be made compulsory – and fascinators will be acceptable. Strapless or sheer-strap tops and dresses will also be banned. Men will be required to wear a suit and tie.
 
The Guardian quotes Nick Smith, a spokesman for Ascot, who said: "It is stretching a point to say standards have collapsed but there is no doubt that our customers would like to get back to a situation where it is universally acknowledged that this is a formal occasion and not an occasion where you might dress as you would at a nightclub.
 
"It is probably fair to say that the dress code hasn't necessarily been enforced quite as rigorously as we might have liked."
 
Ascot, and other racecourses, have been criticised in recent years for the standards of dress at many set piece meetings.
 
The Daily Telegraph says that the new approach will not just apply during Royal Ascot and that sports attire, jeans and shorts will all be banned from the course.
 
"With the first jumps meeting of the season due to be held at Ascot on Saturday, stewards will start to enforce the no leisure wear rule building up to the showpiece royal meeting," says the paper. ·