Last Tuesday (17th June) Royal Ascot 2008 began and it will be going on until Saturday 21st.

On the left you can see the Royal Ascot 2008 poster. That gorgeous hat was made by Philip Treacy for that campaign and I love the retro look.

I’ve been following the event on the BBC, and it’s been lots of fun to see all the nice hats and dresses.

If you are unable to watch Royal Ascot on TV, you can still enjoy it by googling for pictures and reading the Royal Ascot Media Guide. The best part of the Media guide starts on page 10 with the Royal Enclosure Dress Code.

Please know that in the unlikely event that you were allowed in the Royal Enclosure (you need sponsorship from a member who has attended at least four times) you would have to respect the following dress code:

For Ladies, only formal day dress with a hat or substantial fascinator will be acceptable. Off the shoulder, halter neck, spaghetti straps and dresses with a strap of less than one inch and /or mini skirts are considered unsuitable. Midriffs must be covered and trouser suits must be full length and of matching material and colour.

Gentlemen are required to wear either black or grey morning dress, including a waistcoat, with a top hat.

Isnt’ that just wonderful? I thought that kind of thing didn’t exist any more! It should be made compulsory for everyday life. Men in tails and women with hat. Every day. All the time.

The dress code for General Admission is more relaxed:

Ladies are required to dress in a manner appropriate to a smart occasion. Many wear hats although this is not compulsory. Gentlemen are required to wear a shirt and tie, preferably with a suit or jacket. Sports attire, jeans and shorts are strictly forbidden.

By the way… did you know that on Gold Cup day (19th) you can bet which colour hat The Queen is going to be wearing? Apparently the favorite colours at the moment are yellow, blue, and white… and someone is going to be very rich if the Queen shows up with a leopard skin colour hat (odds of 150 to one)… when you thought you had seen it all!

Apparently (see page 13) there will be a fashion show by Philip Treacy, and I hope I haven’t missed that one. Hopefully it will be tomorrow.

The Royal Ascot Media guide is full of interesting Ascot trivia, so it’s a recommended read!

Finally, rejoice looking at this visual guide from the Ascot website on what is acceptable and what not if you are going to be in the Royal Enclosure.

This is my sister in law, Mirjam, wearing (with great style) the second hat I’ve made based on Ruby Carnahan’s pattern “Felt Pattern Hat”.

The other one I made was with faux astrakhan (persian lamb) and a white grosgrain ribbon, which is quite winterish, so it was time to make a summer version.

I’ve made the new one using a woven raffia fabric (vintage, belonging to Nina), and I’ve trimmed it with a huge knotted bow made out of a spectacular Gratacos silvery shiny fabric. Gratacós is a fabulous fabric shop that first opened in the 1940’s, and that has been recently remodeled to sell also accessories (among which, hats). They are fabric designers and sell their own range of fabrics. Their shop is at the center of Barcelona (Passeig de Gracia 110) and well worth a visit.

Back to the hat, I must say that working with the woven raffia has been a pain because it tends to fray, even though I first cut the pattern from (strong) iron-on interfacing, which I ironed into the rafia and then cut. I should have done a zig-zag on the edge, which I had to do later under difficult conditions.

I plan on doing another version of this hat with a different fabric. If I get my new digital camera soon I will document the process!