- .Huge colourful hats and elegant shift dresses proved popular among racegoers arriving for day one of Royal Ascot
- .Ascot has a strict dress code with straps of less than one inch thick and fascinators among the contraband
- .Despite the watching fashion police, some determined racegoers did manage to sneak in wearing outlandish garb
- .Celebrity racegoers included Sir Bruce Forsyth, Eamonn Holmes and Ultimo boss Michelle Mone
- .Today's highlights include the Queen Anne Stakes, where the hot favourite Toronado ran out the winner
- .Ascot has been a royal tradition since 1711 when the last Stuart monarch, Queen Anne, had the venue built
- .Although none of the Queen's horses will run today, Musical Comedy will compete in tomorrow's Jersey Stakes
Glamorous in a rainbow of colourful hats, bright shift dresses and towering heels, the ladies were out in force as the first day of Royal Ascot got underway.
Perhaps mindful of organisers’ warnings about bare shoulders - helped by a chill breeze that blew in off the Berkshire countryside - and too-small headgear, tasteful knee-length frocks dominated, as did huge wide-brimmed hats.
That didn’t, however, prevent a few brave souls from running the gauntlet of Ascot’s fashion police with the odd outré titfer or wacky ensemble. Among them was racegoer Jackie St Clair, who accessorised her simple navy dress with a huge butterfly shaped hat decked out with iridescent blue feathers.
Striking: A group of colourfully dressed racegoers show off their tangerine frocks and outlandish feathered and flowered headgear as they arrive on day one
Enjoying the day: A racegoer shows off an unusual peacock feather hat and pretty print dress (left) and right, a racegoer is elegant in a monochrome ensemble
Colourful: Racegoer Jackie St Clair shows off her elaborate butterfly inspired hat - accessorised with a restrained navy shift dress
Colourful: Racegoer Angela Mens in an incredible architectural hat (left) and, right, fellow Ascot fan Ester Dohnalova beams as she shows off her daffodil yellow titfer
Pretty: Four identically dressed racegoers sporting hats designed to look like baskets of flowers arrive ahead of the racing action on day one at Ascot
Others opted for demure florals, among them a group who arrived in headgear designed to resemble baskets of flowers. Equally glamorous were Clare Balding and Ultimo boss Michelle Mone, both of whom tweeted photos of themselves in their Ascot finery.
Joining them at the races was Gok Wan, Channel 4’s most recent race day signing, and the man in charge of giving viewers a style insider’s view on proceedings.
Speaking ahead of the event, he told of his excitement at being signed up to work on Royal Ascot – and tipped monochrome and brights to take the prizes in the style stakes.
‘There’s going to be a lot of monochrome and quite a lot of colour clash,’ he told MailOnline. ‘Floral prints are a huge trend throughout the whole of the summer as well.
Unusual: A lady shows off a wonderfully colourful hat complete with a mini champagne bottle (left) and right, a racegoer poses in her elaborate ruffled hat
All smiles: A racegoer does her best to keep her elaborately ruffled and accessorised hat on her head after falling foul of the Royal Ascot breeze
Wearable sculpture: Racegoers Angela Menz and Lisa Tan show off their elaborate architectural hats as they arrive on day one of Royal Ascot
In bloom: Racegoer Eliza Cortez arrives in a hat inspired by old-fashioned cabbage roses while Nahla Dankha from Baghdad ups the ante in a marabou creation
Stylish: A colourfully dressed group of racegoers tick off all the key summer trends - bright colour, floral print and monochrome - with their Ascot ensembles
Elegant: Racegoer Sofia Hayat shows off Herve Leger bandage dress and crimson hat (left) while right, a lady in a bright yellow ensemble gives the cameras a twirl
THE SECRET OF HAT-WORTHY HAIR REVEALED
Legendary celebrity hair stylist Paul Edmondsreveals his top tips:
- Hair normally looks better worn back and away from the face, especially if it your hat has a large brim.
- If your hair is long and you want a simple quick do’, try putting your hair in a low ponytail and split the hair behind the band down the middle and pass the tail through itself and pull tight to get a soft, rolled up look.
- Long hair can also be plated and finished with a binding of ribbon - think chic, not twee!
- If you have shorter hair, tuck the sides back or leave them out until the hat is on and then fold them back and grip under the hat.
- Always practice wearing a hat before the occasion as panic does not help give a great style.
- If all else fails, get a professional blow-dry.
‘It’s going to feel very, very beautiful English garden. Of course, there will be the big-brimmed hats as well and this season we’ve gone very clean and neat with our tailoring, and we’ve put that on to prints as well.
'So expect to see loads and loads of sharp lines, which will be quite unusual for Ascot. I think it’ll be very exciting.’
Royal Ascot is one of the UK’s most famous race meetings, thanks in no small part to its association with royalty – a tradition that began with Queen Anne's opening of the course in 1711.
In recent years, royalty and racing have almost been eclipsed by the fashion, with enormous hats, classic British florals and bright wedges taking centre stage in the paddock.
The meet has also become notorious for fashion faux pas – a problem that has seen the course issue increasingly strict guidelines over the last half-decade.
'I think it was necessary and important to clarify what was expected,’ explains Ascot’s international racing manager Nick Smith. 'Feedback from regular racegoers was that they wanted to see other people dressing with as much thought as they had put in.
‘It was only a minority of people who weren’t complying or respecting the traditions of what is unashamedly a formal event.
'All in all, re-doing the dress code and re-clarifying the attire and introducing the style guide was an absolute revelation. It put us on the front foot in terms of fashion.
‘The very fact that we are now engaged with the fashion community and putting out modern, fashionable vibrant examples of how you can dress in a formal way has been one of the best things I think we’ve done in the past few years.’
But Smith, who says he’ll sporting a dapper morning suit and a silk top hat for the duration, says that Ascot-goers shouldn’t forget about the main event – the races themselves.
‘A lot of people come to Royal Ascot for the fashion and the social aspects, which we are totally comfortable with,’ he says.
‘But if you are coming just for a day out, I’d recommend taking a bit of time to have a look at the form of the horses and learn a little bit about what the races mean and the kind of horses that you’re seeing.’
Cheers! A group of racegoers dressed in elegant monochrome ensembles salute the start of Royal Ascot with a glass of Laurent-Perrier Rosé champagne
Looking good: A pair of soberly dressed racegoers pose for a selfie in front of the stands as they arrive for day one of Royal Ascot 2014
Stunning: A lady in a beautiful shell pink hat adorned with silk roses and delicate netting holds onto her headgear as the Ascot breeze strikes again
Hats you win! A colourfully dressed racegoer shows off her elaborate yellow headgear, brightened up with feathers and lots of marabou trim
Mono mania: Monochrome was a huge hit at the 2013 race and has proved popular with racegoers once more, as this elegantly dressed woman demonstrates
Trendsetter: Four-month-old Kingsland Hyde is dapper in a mini grey suit as he's carried into the Ascot racecourse in the arms of his father Chris
Those who did manage to tear their eyes from the peacocks in the paddock were rewarded by the sight of hotly tipped favourite Toronado storming home to victory in the first race, the Queen Anne Stakes.
The big race of the day, the St James Palace Stakes will see Irish Guineas winner Kingman go head to head with the mighty Night of Thunder, who triumphed in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket last month.
‘Ascot is an unforced, unmanufactured celebration of Britain,’ adds an excited Smith. ‘A genuine celebration of everything that is good about Britain and everything that is good about horse racing.
‘It is an organic event that has been created by the people who attend it and is one of the most exciting meets on the racing calendar – both for fashion and horses.’
Ready for action: Sir Bruce Forsyth and his wife Winella arrive for a day at Royal Ascot (left) and right, Eamonn Holmes poses for a photo with a fellow racegoer
Demure: Danielle Lineker is lovely in an ankle-length powder blue frock and cream wide-brimmed hat, and shows it off by doing a neat twirl for the camera
Eccentric: Veteran pundit John McCririck was on typically eccentric form as he arrived sporting a purple and blue waistcoat accessorised with an orchid buttonhole
Thinking of Brazil? Ex-WAG Lizzie Cundy plumped for patriotic red and white but got into a spot of bother courtesy of a stiff breeze blowing off the surrounding fields
Dapper: TV presenter Nick Knowles was dapper in black morning dress, while his pregnant 25-year-old wife Jessica was pretty in pale pink
Stylish: Ultimo boss Michelle Mone (left) and Channel 4 presenter Clare Balding tweeted photos of themselves looking wonderful ahead of the races
OUTLANDISH HATS, COLOURFUL FROCKS AND THE STRICTEST DRESS CODE IN RACING: MEET THE ASCOT CROWD
While Cheltenham is famous for pearls and fur, and Aintree for its colourfully dressed fillies in fake tan and skyscraper heels, Royal Ascot's trademark is hats - the bigger and more outlandish the better.
From towering piles of fruit to laser-cut and wide brimmed, almost anything goes, although racegoers are likely to fall foul of the Ascot fashion police should they venture into the Royal Box sporting a fascinator.
Although the majority of racegoers come dressed up to the nines with elegant shift dresses and neat tailoring taking centre stage, recent years have seen Aintree-style bodycon become increasingly popular.
As a result, Ascot organisers have issued a strict dress code which bans bare shoulders and miniskirts, as well as fascinators and anything that shows off a slice of stomach.
Also outlawed are spaghetti straps, or indeed any sort of strap that is less than an inch thick, mismatched trouser suits, halterneck tops and headpieces with a base of less than four inches.
Men, meanwhile, are asked to wear black or grey morning dress which includes a tailcoat, waistcoat and a natty pair of pinstripe trousers, all accessorised with a silk top hat, but with a tie in place of a cravat.
Despite the dress code, each year sees a smattering of bizarrely dressed racegoers fall foul of the fashion police. Last year, milliners David Schilling and Tracey Rose made headlines when they were ejected from the course thanks to their outlandish get-ups.
Filling up: Racegoers enjoy themselves with a Pimms in the sunshine as they wait for racing action to get underway on day one at Royal Ascot
Wonderful time: Racegoers enjoy the sunshine while perched on a patriotic bench as they wait for the action to get underway on day one of Royal Ascot
Smartly dressed: Racegoers dressed in colourful frocks and morning suits queue as they wait to join the crowds on day one at Royal Ascot
On their way: Racegoers stream into the Royal Enclosure as they wait for the action to get underway on day one of Royal Ascot 2014
Bold: A racegoer arrives at Waterloo Station in London en route to Royal Ascot in a wonderfully bright hat festooned with elegant silk flowers and feathers
Picnic time: Gaily dressed racegoers enjoy a breakfast picnic in the Royal Ascot car park ahead of the racing action which kicks off with the Queen Anne Stakes
HOW TO PICK A WINNER: ROYAL ASCOT'S INTERNATIONAL RACING MANAGER NICK SMITH REVEALS HIS TOP TIPS
Spotting a horse with potential isn't always easy - especially when you don't know one end of the animal from the other. Happily, Royal Ascot's head of international racing, Nick Smith, is on hand to offer his tips on sorting the winners from the also-rans.
Good horse: Frankel is the world's most successful racecourse and retired unbeaten in 2012 - if your horse looks like this, place that bet
WHAT DOES A WINNER LOOK LIKE?
'Make sure you get a good look at the horses’ condition in the parade ring. When you’re studying them look for the ones with gleaming summer coats. It’s also important that the horse isn’t sweating so look out for the ones that are calm and relaxed and with what we call a quiet temperament.
'For many of them this will be the first time they’ve seen crowds this size so how they behave is important.'
WHAT DOES 'THE FORM' MEAN?
'Form is the term used to describe the past record of any given racehorse. This is usually detailed in the race card next to each horse’s name. A good tip is to see if the horse has won previously over the same distance and/or ground of the race they are about to run.'
HOW DOES GOING AFFECT THE OUTCOME?
'Going (or the ground) is absolutely fundamental to the outcome of any given race: Some horses will run on any ground but most horses will have a preference of either firm or soft conditions. When you see the term ‘good ground’ it means somewhere in between firm and soft.'
WHICH HORSE IS YOUR TIP FOR THE GOLD CUP?
'I think it will be won by Leading Light whose trainer Aidan O’Brien has a remarkable record in the race, having won with Yeats four times in the past.
'Brown Panther, owned by Michael Owen has improved a lot - he’s in the form of his life at the moment and is a significantly better horse than last year.
'The Queen’s horse, Estimate, won the race last year, but this year it’s a much more competitive race.'
ANY OUTSIDERS WORTH LOOKING AT?
'There is a French horse called American Devil which was trained by Eric Libaud and is running in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes on Saturday. He got nominated for Royal Ascot straight after his recent win at Longchamp the other day, so that in itself is a real tip.'
WHO ARE THE OWNERS TO LOOK FOR?
'Flat racing is dominated by superpowers. I have tremendous respect for the Coolmore Syndicate from Ireland and the amount of incredible horses they have.
'Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum [ruler of Dubai and vice president and prime minister of the UAE] is massively respected - he has been investing in British racing for 40 years.
'Britain is now seeing patronage from Saudi Arabia too. Prince Khalid ibn Abdullah is much respected – his colours, carried by the mighty Frankel, are the best.'
Perfectly pruned: Workers at the Ascot Racecourse place boxes of cheerful scarlet geraniums around the Royal Box ahead of the action on day one
Patriotic: A ray of sunshine lights up the Union flag bunting that festoons the entrance to the Ascot Racecourse as day one of Royal Ascot gets underway
Nearly ready: One of the thoroughbreds gets a bath in preparation for an appearance on the racecourse behind the scenes at Royal Ascot this morning
Ready to run: A bay thoroughbred relaxes in his stall at the Ascot Racecourse as he waits for his breakfast ahead of the opening races on day one
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