Accessories for your Royal Ascot Morning Attire

Last but not least for your Royal Ascot morning attire is the accessories - so why not complete your look with gloves and a cane or umbrella?

Umbrella: Ede and Ravenscroft have a Whangee solid stick black umbrella with a natural cane handle. Available on their website shop www.edeandravenscroft.co.uk at £250.

Oliver Brown cane

Cane: Oliver Brown has a silver plated cap stick. The handle is a mushroom shaped design whilst the shaft is hardwood painted black and fitted with a neat metal ferrule. Overall height is 92cm. Available online www.oliverbrown.org.uk  for £50

Chester Jeffries Oxford glove

Gloves should be soft suede or kid leather and the colour- white, pale yellow, buff or grey.

For semi bespoke gloves check out  www.chesterjeffries.co.uk

First you choose the glove style. Chester Jeffries recommends their Oxford for Ascot - see above image for style but don't go for brown, go for the lighter colours..  Made from soft Capeskin (kid) leather, this style of glove is widely used in films and stage such as Poirot. Priced at £41 unlined.

Second stage - choose the colour. For Ascot go for: white, pearl, ivory, parchment, sunshine, belvedere or frigate grey.

Third stage- choose the lining.  Go for silk at an additional £7

Fourth stage – you can measure your hands or just ask for small, medium, large or extra large.

That is the last of the Royal Ascot Attire blogs, Hope they helped.

All there is for you to do now is enjoy the day and make sure your morning attire is a safe bet.

The Bottom Line for Royal Ascot Morning Attire- trousers and footwear

You're looking dapper on top with your morning coat and wasitcoat, now to tackle the bottom part:

Trousers:

Always wear traditional morning trousers with a single pleat and brace buttons.

Don't think any old dress trousers will do. 

Royal Enclosure Rule not to be broken:

If wearing a black morning coat the trousers must be either striped or hounds tooth.

Oliver Brown houndstooth

The houndstooth is very popular and is single pleated with a buckle, strap adjusters and internal brace buttons.  These Oliver Brown trousers are traditional cut using pure wool worsted houndstooth and priced at £135 available online www.oliverbrown.org.uk 

Oliver Brown striped morning trousers

Also in the traditional stripe in 100% wool, half lined, zip fly and side adjusters. Price again £135

Oliver Brown grey morning suit

If wearing a grey morning coat, the trousers should match the coat in colour and fabric like a suit. Above is an

Oliver Brown  morning suit:

Morning coat: 100% wool in grey £475

Trousers: matching £135

Shoes and Socks:

Royal Enclosure Rule not to be broken:

Shoes must be black with laces, plain and highly polished (although not patent)

Best going for the plain Oxford shoe. 

Herrings Knightsbridge Oxfords

Herring Shoes, one of the sponsors for the Leech racing in Devon suggest their black hi-shine oxford shoe the Knightsbridge which is part of their Classic collection.  Made from calf leather for the upper, full leather lining, leather insoles and Goodyear welted soles.  Handmade in Northamptonshire at the Loake factory for Herring Shoes

Available for £155 online at www.herringshoes.co.uk  

Socks: no coloured socks just plain black or grey.

What Shirt to Wear with your Royal Ascot Morning Suit.

Royal Enclosure Rule not to be broken: Your shirt must be double cuff

However you no longer have to stick to a plain white shirt to wear with your morning coat. You can now show your true colours as long as they are pale or soft hues – no garish brights please. 

  

Ede and Ravenscroft

A stripe with white collar and cuffs is a good alternative.

Oliver Brown tunic shirts

Or go down the traditional route with a white detachable stiff collar and tunic shirt. Oliver Brown has a choice of white, yellow or blue collarless shirts online www.oliverbrown.org.uk  for £59 and a choice of stiff collars for £15.

Tie:

Royal Enclosure Rule not to be broken: no cravats or an ascot. (Keep these for weddings only)

Wear a tightly knotted tie and preferably in silk.

Here you can choose any colour.

Charles Tyrwhitt self stripe silk tie

 Charles Tyrwhitt has a selection of silk ties, plain and patterned. Above is the self stripe woven tie in 100% silk. Normal price is £50 but at the moment they have a promotional price of £24.95. If purple is not your colour, also comes in yellow, charcoal grey, Royal blue and red, www.ctshirts.co.uk

Handkerchief

Royal Enclosure Rule not to be broken: Has to be silk and neatly folded.

Cotton or any other fabric besides silk is a no no.

 And the silk handkerchief has to be neatly folded not flamboyantly pushed in to the pocket.

Above are silk handkerchiefs from  www.davidedward.co.uk in pink, grey or blue. They feature 4 different shades of the same colour and have hand rolled edgings. Price £12

Tip:
Don't wear the same colour for your tie and handkerchief as you'll look as though you're going to a wedding rather than looking dapper for Royal Ascot. They don't need to match, just complement each other.

The Waistcoat for your Royal Ascot Morning Attire

Here is a great opportunity to express your personality with a touch of colour to your morning attire, but keep to the soft subtle hues.

The waistcoat began a sombre life in Britain when after the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London; Charles II ordered his court to replace their opulent French fashions for the plainer more sobering thigh length vest.  After a few years the wearing of vests spread to the continent and changed from plain to colourful and patterned. The vest became the waistcoat proper in the 18^th Century when they were shortened above the abdomen.

Royal Enclosure Rules not to be broken

Firstly you have to wear one and secondly keep the bottom button undone. The later is more of a sartorial rule accidently started by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) when he left his undone and everyone followed suit.

 Plain wool or linen are best although silk or satin are also acceptable. But keep the bright colours and patterns for weddings.

The cut can be either single breasted with or without lapels or double breasted. 

Online formal waistcoat specialists www.davidedward.co.uk have created a Royal Ascot range called Royal Enclosure.

Royal Enclosure range

100% pure Irish linen with matching cloth covered buttons and pocket flaps; the Royal Enclosure waistcoat is single breasted with step collar and 6 buttons. Comes in the traditional buff colour (as seen in image), but also in summer yellow, white, Royal Air force blue, chocolate, mid brown, dark brown  and sea green. Price £145

For a wider range of colours choose their Morning Wear Range. Very similar to the Royal Ascot range except the fabric is wool and the front pockets are not flaps.

The Chelsea

Their Chelsea waistcoat is made of 11oz merino wool in pastel blue. Price £185. Here teamed with their herringbone weave yellow silk tie Price £29.99

Or use their online custom build service. Just choose the cut from: single breasted, evening wear, country wear, double breasted, Royal Ascot and country Windsor. Then choose the cloth and colour from the names in their RTW range. Plus you get to choose whether you would like horn buttons or matching cloth covered.

Double breasted

The double breasted cut is only available through their custom build service and is seen here in their buff coloured Tunbridge cloth: 14oz all worsted wool with horn buttons and teamed with their navy/sky blue polka dot silk tie. Price £29.99

Complement your waistcoat’s colour with your shirt, tie and pocket handkerchief but don’t have them exactly matching as this will look too much like wedding attire.

Many choose a colour to match or complement the outfit of the lady on their arm.

Top Hats for Royal Ascot

It’s surprising to know that Top Hats got off to a shaky start when the hat maker John Heatherington wore the first one to be seen in public on the streets of London in Jan 1797. At the sight of this unusually tall hat, women screamed and fainted, children cried, so the poor man was arrested and fined for ‘frightening timid people’.

Proving it had stamina; the top hat ran the distance and secured its place in high fashion when Prince Albert started wearing one in 1850.

But what about the fainting women? Well we are more apt to swoon at the sight of the hat now.

Originally made out of fur felt (beaver being the most expensive); silk became to gain the lead in the fashionable stakes. Silk is still out there in front but no longer manufactured, making them a rarity and most coveted.  

Royal Enclosure Rule not to be broken

A top hat must be worn at all times within the Royal Enclosure area except for:  the restaurant, a private box or a private club. You can also remove your hat within any enclosed external seating area within the Royal Enclosure Garden. If in doubt, keep it on unless you see the vast majority taking theirs off.

Black or grey top hats are acceptable for black morning coats, but grey top hats partner well with grey morning suits.

Oliver Brown’s website www.oliverbrowntophats.com states: “has been selling Top Hats for over 30 years and is the oldest independent silk top hat dealer in London. We are the official and only silk top hat dealer with a trade stand as part of the Royal Ascot shop on the course during the Royal meeting.”

Oliver Brown vintage silk top hat

Their vintage silk top hats start from £500

Whilst their new top hats include:

Oliver Brown - Royal Ascot Tall topper

Royal Ascot Tall topper – standing tall above the rest in this highly polished, black 6 ¼ inch high top hat. £450

Oliver Brown - grey top hat

Or go for the more popular 5 ½ inches black or grey top hats, felt finished and priced £250

Oliver Brown also stocks top hat boxes to keep your top hat safe. Vintage boxes start from £750 whilst new at £450.

Savvy Row of www.savvyrow.co.uk stock vintage British classic garments and at the moment has two top hats on sale.

Savvy Row- Christy's top hat

One is a brand new Christy’s black wool top hat with 5 ¼” crown and black morning band for £79.

The other is an antique genuine silk top hat priced at £125

You’d be ‘mad as a hatter’ to miss out on these two.

Speaking of ‘Mad as a Hatter’ – the phrase is said to originate from those unfortunate hat makers in the 1800’s who used a mercury compound in the process of turning fur into felt.  The workshops were usually poorly ventilated and so the fumes were breathed in causing mercury poisoning which resulted in slurred speech, trembling, loss of memory, depression, anxiety and loss of co-ordination.