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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nTOM DULAT\/\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s the first day of Royal Ascot<\/a> and thousands of racegoers have headed to Windsor for the much-anticipated five-day event. For some, the race meeting is all about the horses, but for others it\u2019s the fashion that is the big draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the flamboyant to the fragile, the dramatic to the dainty, hats are always center stage at Royal Ascot. And today, royals, celebrities and the general public did not disappoint as they topped off their outfits with some stunning headpieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n King Charles and Queen Camilla arriving at Ascot.SAMIR HUSSEIN\/\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n\n\n\n Queen Camilla<\/a> made her debut as Queen in a white Dior outfit with matching hat by Philip Treacy, while Princess Anne chose a pale green ensemble. Other racegoers were decked out in vibrant colors, with hats and fascinators of all shapes and sizes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRoyal Ascot is very important to us as milliners, it’s a place to showcase our talents, our fantastic hats, to have fun with designs and, as everyone needs to wear one, it helps keep the industry going,\u201d says milliner Katherine Elizabeth whose eponymous hat-making business<\/a> specializes in designer millinery, handmade hats, and formal toppers for ladies. \u201cIt offers me the chance to be creative, think outside the box and design wonderful hats for women to wear. These hats make them feel more confident, look more beautiful, feel taller and more elegant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Model Eunice Olumide wore a dramatic yellow hat to the first day of Royal Ascot 2023.KIRSTIN SINCLAIR\/\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n\n\n\n Describing Royal Ascot as her \u201cfavorite time of year,\u201d Katherine says that this year she is expecting to see some trends worn at the coronation also in Ascot hats. \u201cOne of the trends highlighted during the coronation was leaves,\u201d she says. \u201cThe Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, and the Duchess of Edinburgh were all wearing gorgeous headpieces featuring leaves. The nature trend has been around for some time but we\u2019re now looking more at leaves than flowers…Leaves are on trend but I also still expect to see flowers on hats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A racegoer in one of the more over-the-top hats at Ascot today.KIRSTIN SINCLAIR<\/p>\n\n\n\n Royal Ascot has a strict dress code<\/a>, particularly inside the royal enclosure where skirts must be below the knee or longer, shoulder strap must be a minimum of one inch and hats or headpieces with a diameter of at least four inches are required. Men must wear morning dress in black, grey or navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While women have been allowed to wear trousers at Royal Ascot since 1971, this year the Telegraph<\/em> has reported<\/a> that the event is \u201cencouraging\u201d female racegoers to wear the ensembles through fashion edits in its style guide. And it seems that several women were picking up the trend, with plenty of people opting for trousers over skirts and dresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\nDAVID M. BENETT<\/p>\n\n\n\nKIRSTIN SINCLAIR<\/p>\n\n\n\n