Dress like a royal at the races! ITV’s stylist Sarah Kate Byrne reveals how to channel memorable looks from The Queen and Kate Middleton to inspire your own outfit – and what NOT to do
- ITV’s stylist Sarah Kate Byrne reveals how YOU can dress like a royal
- The Royal Family has provided style inspiration to Britons for several generations
- Taking ideas from her favourite royal looks, Sarah has shared her top tips
It’s the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Year, so there is no better time to channel regal vibes, dress like a royal and do justice to the history and prestige of the UK’s most famous race meets.
Race meetings such as the Cazoo St. Leger Festival lend themselves perfectly to high fashion and the most elegant and formal of attire.
The Queen herself owned a winner – Dunfermline with Willie Carson on board.
In 1977, the same year as Her Majesty’s Silver Jubilee, the British thoroughbred won two of the five British Classic Races – Epsom Oaks and the St. Leger Stakes.
Members of the Royal Family, particularly women, have been style icons and trendsetters for generations, sporting some memorable looks at race events that will be remembered in history books.
Some of their most glamourous looks still influence fashion choices in Britain and provide a reference point from which to put together winning contemporary looks.
King George VI and the Queen Mother visited Doncaster racecourse in 1948 wearing a bowler hat and a veiled headpiece.
These days, the bowler hat has been replaced by panama hats and trilbys for the chaps while a modern version of the Queen Mother’s side percher bonnet with delicate veiling would make for a very royal appearance.
So with plenty of time to put together your look for the next season’s hottest racing events, and even prizes on offer for the best-dressed ladies, it’s never too early to get your look together.
DOWNSIZE THE HAT
According to one of the Queen’s favourite milliners, Rachel Trevor-Morgan ‘The Queen doesn’t want to have hat brims that are too big as she’s got to get in and out of cars and she wants people to see her’
Her Majesty’s understated choice of headwear is quite deliberate and there’s a lot to be said for adopting her stance.
According to one of the Queen’s favourite milliners, Rachel Trevor-Morgan: ‘The Queen doesn’t want to have hat brims that are too big as she’s got to get in and out of cars and she wants people to see her’.
So whether you arrive to this year’s meeting by plane, train or automobile make sure your hat choice makes you stand out from the crowd to be seen by the all-important judges, but don’t go mad with flamboyant oversized designs!
TRY A HEADBAND
Princess Beatrice sported an understated black fascinator with a white flower on day five of Royal Ascot 2022, which perfectly complemented her monochrome dress
When Queen Elizabeth II attended Doncaster racecourse in 1955 she sported a very contemporary headband that would look as good today as it did then.
Recently both the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Beatrice have both showcased an array of elegant headbands and headpieces that move away from traditional millinery.
These pieces are young, fresh and modern and their styles make them so versatile for re-wearing for weddings and other race days – so they are a solid wardrobe investment.
GO FOR A BOLD COLOUR
The Queen (pictured at British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse on October 16, 2021) often opts for bright colours in her outfits – and Kate says that blue in particular is very regal
For me a block colour in a wonderful, bright jewel or pastel tone is such a great starting point when planning an outfit. Royals often opt for blue!
Another factor in the Queen’s choice of outfit is worth noting.
As her milliner has said ‘The Queen does tend to like a lot of bright colours because she’s seen and she stands out.’
For me a block colour in a wonderful, bright jewel or pastel tone is such a great starting point when planning an outfit.
Royals often opt for blue, which it easier to choose the perfect accessories as solid colours tend to be more versatile.
In particular The Queen’s royal blue look for British Champions Day at Ascot in 2021 and Kate Middleton’s tulle teal dress at Royal Ascot in 2019 should provide some inspiration.
HAVE A WET WEATHER BACK UP
The Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge clearly adhere to the same rule as I do when settling on their look for the day – check the weather!
Both women have donned summery confections and floaty frocks as much as they have buttoned up in warmer wool weights and coats.
Back in September 1956 the Queen was spotted dressed for chillier temperatures as she walked past crowds of spectators after visiting her horse High Velt in the Parade Ring before the start of the St Leger Festival
The famous British weather can be hit-and-miss come September so do have a back-up colder weather option or elegant umbrella in reserve.
ADD A BROOCH
The main aim is to enjoy your day at the races and win or lose, stay elegant and carry on smiling
And finally, one of my favourite final flourishes (and one the Queen is known to often add to her outfits) is a thoughtful brooch.
For us mere mortals, we might not have a diamond cluster to pin to our lapel but a stunning piece of vintage costume jewellery will add a little sparkle to your look not to mention upping your sustainable fashion credentials!
You can even craft a special brooch yourself with many kits now available to buy online, ensuring you can create your own little bit of royal flair.
Why not try cherry picking different style elements and dress for the many decades of The Queen’s reign? Vintage and borrowed clothing can be a wonderful way to achieve a fresh and modern look, if you pair them up to compliment each other.
Above all else, the main aim is to enjoy your day at the races and win or lose, stay elegant and carry on smiling.
What NOT to wear to the races
Here, Sarah reveals how to execute some racecourse-friendly looks – and what NOT to do if you want to win the fashion stakes.
FRUMPY FLORALS
The line between pretty/feminine and frumpy is fine and a mistake easily made by those attending the races – but Princess Beatrice pulls it off.
We loved the fit and flair of her dress, pretty dainty little headband, feminine and nothing too overpowering.
Plus she has popped a fabulous belt around her waist to enhance her figure and stop her looking frumpy in a floaty number, as can often happen.
The colour choice of the print and headband is also perfect, as warm tones work well for a summer sunny event and complement her fair skin tone.
The floor length option is quite overwhelming as it is, but teamed with a heavy bucket hat the look is too bulky.
Also, wearing your hair down with any kind of hat tends to look messy, so opt for hair up with a hat or hair behind the band when wearing a headband like Beatrice.
Colours such as lemon can look quite wonderful on warm skin tones, but the yellow and green in this dress wash out the model. She is also in dire need of a belt with that dress!
COLOUR CLASH CATASTROPHE
While Princess Diana was always top of the style stakes, particularly with a colour clash, the idea only works if the colouras go well together.
Light purple and red match because they are on the same side of the colour wheel, so whilst being a ‘cool warm’ the purple is still considered a warm colour, complementing the red.
The blue skirt suit that we have styled here on our own model, is actually a very fashionable cut and fit, and the colour is divine.
The problem is the awful pink colour of the top and the red belt are completely opposite on the colour wheel and should never be paired up together.
If this ensemble was altered for a cream top and a tan belt, this would be instantly transformed from fashion woe to fashion hero.
LACE DISGRACE
Here we have the Duchess of Cambridge looking absolutely beautiful in stunning cream lace top to toe, hair back in a classy low updo, teamed with an elegant tilted fascinator.
Our model has been dressed in a similar lace style dress but the length of skirt is very short and the garment is super tight.
You don’t have to wear a dress to the knee by any means, but if you are wearing a very short dress you will find yourself perpetually pulling it down or worried about sitting cross legged, or bending down throughout the day.
Nobody wants to be flashing their knickers on race day!
The fascinator we have teamed with it is too small and is being worn in the wrong place altogether. Smaller fascinators/clip ins/slides like this should be worn towards the back/around the hair bun more.
BOXY BLACK
In the 1950s The Queen wore a fit-and-flare velvet dress which was nipped in at the waist and a delicate headpiece to complement the outfit.
We have dressed our model in a dropped waist, total shapeless binbag, which is also velvet, completely inappropriate for any day occasion.
Velvet and sequins should only ever be worn in the evening as a cocktail dress – anytime after 5pm is acceptable. For example, if you were going to a wedding in the evening, velvet or sequins are perfectly fine.
The headpiece has also been perched far too far forward on the model’s head, and has gone from fashionable and fabulous to something resembling Mexican Day of the Dead.
PILLBOX PERFECTION
Inspired by Lady Violet Manners, many people may choose to sport hot pink from top to toe.
However the fit on the model is not the way to do it – with a dress too long and the pillbox hat worn the wrong way around.
Her hemline is far too long and the dress is totally the wrong style for her hat.
The neckline is very Grecian, which is indicative of resort wear, making it totally incompatible with the hat.
The pillbox needs to be paired with a vintage style design. It’s a great colour but with the hat, lipstick and dress it’s all far too garish.
POLKA NOT
Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton looked ten out of ten this year at the races in her polka dots and it is one of the most photographed looks she has ever worn.
The simple and snappy boater hat coupled with a stunning up do along with her her high necked, fitted yet floaty panel dress, emphasises her figure and is an outright winning look.
In contrast the model’s dress lacks structure and is in desperate need of a belt to emphasise the waist.
The hat is floppy and has no definition, it’s more like a sun hat for the beach and looks absolutely ridiculous with such a formal dress and shoes. The hair is down which just drowns out the wearer and covers her face up.
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