Latest news with #DanielFletcher
Telegraph
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
How to master Ascot dressing for under £250
Royal Ascot is one of the most glamorous fixtures in the British social calendar, where guests don their finest frocks and hats for the occasion. But dressing the part can be expensive. A friend recently confided that they felt 'like an extra in a movie' at Ascot. While the royal attendees and A-listers arrive in custom-made and designer looks, it's easy to feel like you're watching from the sidelines. But as Royal Ascot's creative director Daniel Fletcher puts it, 'Think about Ascot as if it were a red-carpet awards ceremony – it's an opportunity to channel main character energy and walk the red carpet.' As a regular on this circuit, I can tell you that you don't need a designer outfit to feel like the main character. Dressing for Ascot doesn't need to be intimidating or expensive. With a little planning, you can feel confident and elegant without overspending. And with all the money you've saved? There's room in the budget for an extra glass of champagne or two. And who knows, with the right look, someone else might be buying! Skip to: My look The right foundations Hats Jewellery Shoes and bags My Look for Ascot With a budget of £250, I was looking for something classic, flattering, and easy to wear that wouldn't crease after a train journey or lunch. I began with an embroidered cotton shirt dress from Zara. I paired it with a black veiled hat – rented from Cotswold Hat Club – a textured raffia bag from JD Williams, and classic leather heels from Stradivarius to tie the look together. I kept it simple with faux pearl earrings from Orelia. Total: £242.98 Start with the right foundations I've attended Royal Ascot for several years – with a few wardrobe mishaps along the way. I wanted to put my experiences to good use and find stylish solutions that work for real budgets. Start with the dress or trouser suit and build from there. On a budget, fabric is key. The wrong material can cheapen the look or wilt by midday. 'Avoid fabrics that wrinkle easily like linen,' advises ITV fashion presenter and columnist Joanne Hegarty. 'Instead choose light, breathable fabrics like a silk mix, lace, chiffon or high-quality cotton for comfort. Opt for pieces that look polished like tailoring and dresses with elegant details.' Light tones like ivory, powder blue or soft yellow feel fresh in the sun, while dark colours can look heavy. A three-quarter or long sleeve adds polish and warmth. If your outfit is sleeveless, add a tonal jacket for an extra layer. Or, as stylist Alice Hare suggests, 'Long opera-style gloves have an elevating effect. The key to making the look less magician, more chic is to choose a sheer pair – Dents' are only £22.' For added dimension try a waist-defining belt or a scarf. 'I'm loving silk scarves at the moment – worn as a belt or a thick, choker-style necklace,' says Hare. 'River Island has elevated a simple suit with a fuchsia silk scarf around the waist.' Rental platforms like Hurr, Loan The Look and By Rotation are a great way to get a high-end outfit on a budget, and all three have Royal Ascot edits. 'Each year we see a notable increase in rentals leading up to Royal Ascot,' says Eshita Kabra-Davies, founder of clothing-rental company By Rotation. 'People love to go all out with their looks while being more conscious of their purchases.' I love the print Vampire's Wife dress on By Rotation for £25/day, flattering and far below the retail price. Top off your look with a head-turning hat Hats are a key ingredient of a Royal Ascot look, but can blow the budget. Rentals like By Rotation, Cotswold Hat Club and Lizzie's Hats offer designer styles for less. As the daughter of a racehorse trainer and wife of champion jockey Richard Hughes, there's nothing that founder Lizzie Hughes doesn't know about race day dressing: 'Pull a colour from your dress or echo the shape in the hat's structure to make the whole look feel bespoke,' she says. Always tuck the elastic under your hair – leaving it visible can cheapen your look. If you prefer to buy, John Lewis, Hobbs and Phase Eight offer some great options. Add polish with carefully chosen jewellery When it comes to jewellery, small touches go far. Faux pearls or drop earrings work well. Amelia Hitchcock-Merritt, founder of Bijoux De Mimi advises: 'Think about layering – a delicate necklace stack or a curated ear full of dainty huggies and cuffs adds personality without going overboard. Definitely consider pops of colour to compliment your outfit.' Choose shoes and bag that blend style with practicality As for shoes, block or wedge heels won't sink into the grass and closed toes look more polished. If you prefer stilettos don't forget to pack your heel stoppers, buy them for £3.99 from Clean Heels. Comfort is critical – and Lisa Illis, head of womenswear design at Marks & Spencer says heels don't have to be high. 'Lower heels and kitten heels feel modern and relevant and don't compromise on style or comfort. Ballet flats in fresh materials like snake, animal print and luxe satin feel elevated and contemporary. When it comes to the colour palette, neutrals and subtle metallics are versatile.' Choose a chic yet practical bag such as a structured clutch or small top-handle, Katie Loxton and Accessorize have a good selection. Either choose a bag similar in colour to your hat or shoes, otherwise a contrasting colour or texture will add dimension.
BBC News
06-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Royal Ascot supports next generation of hat-makers
The King's charity has announced a millinery partnership with Royal Ascot to nurture the next generation of Ascot in Berkshire has introduced a £10,000 annual bursary to support a King's Foundation and Chanel graduating millinery Foundation's students will also be showcasing their hats at this year's Royal Ascot, which runs from 17-21 McAuliffe, education director at The King's Foundation said: "We are proud to be supporting the future of this skill at the most iconic hat-wearing event of the year." The Chanel and The King's Foundation Metiers d'Art Millinery Fellowship in Partnership with le19M, Chanel's creative hub for artisans in Paris, was launched in intensive programme aims to develop a network of young specialist milliners in the UK, with the support of Parisian hat-maker Maison Michel at King's Foundation's work is inspired by King Charles's passion for protecting traditional heritage skills at risk of being lost. The Royal Ascot Millinery Collective 2026 is celebrating its 10th anniversary with 10 bespoke designs created under the creative direction of British fashion designer Daniel students joining the millinery course will be tasked with designing a Royal Ascot inspired hat which will be featured in the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective 2026 as its 11th Racecourses' chief executive, Felicity Barnard said: "Exquisite hats and millinery masterpieces are woven into the very fabric of Royal Ascot's heritage."We are committed to preserving and celebrating this tradition for generations to come." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Telegraph
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Hatinators and the new rules of Ascot dressing
How to dress for the famous horse racing meet in June has always been a fascinating blend of tradition with a dash of modernity. As Ascot racecourse releases its official lookbook overseen by creative director of the festival, British designer Daniel Fletcher, we assess the changing style and social mores in the enclosures. The Gentlemen by Stephen Doig When King Charles casts his eye over the crowds at Ascot 2025, set to take place from 17-21 June, he may well alight on some looks that are something of a departure at the rigidly decorous occasion. A flash of mannish bare leg, for example – hitherto an absolute 'no no' at Ascot, but granted within the Windsor enclosure. Actually, there's no dress code for the Windsor enclosure, but 'smart daywear' is the order of the day. Dare you bare in shorts? You certainly have permission, because they feature in the official lookbook that has debuted today, curated by British designer Daniel Fletcher, who balances his work with Chinese brand Mithidrate alongside acting as creative director to Ascot. The guide lends some suggestions for ensembles to wear within the various enclosures, as well as some general stylistic themes, from 'Best of British' to 'Prints & Patterns'. While you might not agree that revealing some acreage of calf isn't quite the done thing at Ascot, there are plenty of outfits that will happily stand up to anything the King – a regular attendee – might wear, according to the dress codes of the various enclosures. Let's start with the most lofty and prestigious; the Royal Enclosure. There are handsome morning suits, with Pall Mall formalwear outfitter Favourbrook acting as the official outfitter RP. There are subtle sartorial mores associated with morning suits and the fine details of how to wear them – more on that to come later – but patrician eyebrows were raised in 2021 when navy was granted as a colour for morning attire. That was deemed controversial as it's a shade associated with citified, corporate attire; the old guard presumably deeming it a tad arriviste. King Charles, as it happens, tends to wear a grey Anderson & Sheppard morning suit with lilac and pink accessories, if you're looking for a point of reference. There are also suggestions for the less formal set-ups within Ascot; colourful suiting features by way of a handsome sage-green suit, and elsewhere suits are worn with sweaters and a little foulard, if you're feeling rather outré. There's also a nod to sensual Seventies style in silk shirting, as well as the more classic varieties of single-breasted suits worn with pinstriped shirts and club ties, for a hint of Gordon Gekko. Perhaps a more soft-focus and English take on suiting is the cream chalk-striped suit worn with pastel shirting, bi-coloured loafers and a jaunty straw panama hat. It's just the thing to see you through the 'season' – as it was ceremoniously called during the Edwardian era – from Henley to Glyndebourne and various garden parties, and has just a touch of Sebastian Flyte about it. Which is no bad thing. The Ladies by Jessica Burrell Ever since men were required to wear top hats in the Royal Enclosure in the late 18th century, headpieces have been a focal point of the Royal Ascot dress code. For women, regulations require a minimum base diameter of four inches, along with a dress or skirt falling 'just above the knee' – or, as of 2017, a jumpsuit. But this year, fashion-forward racegoers might trade their traditional hats for 'hatinators', which are mentioned in the official dress code. As the name implies, these combine the features of a hat and a fascinator, with a larger structure worn on a headband or hair clip rather than directly on the head. They are also a frequent feature in this year's Royal Ascot lookbook, which was launched today. Introduced last year as an inspirational guide for attendees, the lookbook is styled by British designer Daniel Fletcher, whose namesake brand is popular with young tastemakers including Alexa Chung and Robert Pattinson. Among this year's suggested looks for women are a striped and floral Vivienne Westwood suit styled with a large blush-pink hatinator by Merve Bayindir, which resembles a rose. It's an elegant look from a 'Best of British' section in the lookbook, which also stars pretty pink pastels including a top and skirt by Suzannah London paired with a bow-adorned hat by Lock & Co. Another hatinator highlight comes courtesy of Filipa Cardoso's sheer pastel-blue face-framer, which looks fresh paired with a shirt and skirt from Rotate Birger Christensen. Clearly, separates are going to be the order of the day in the Royal Enclosure this year. Classic hat styles stray towards the rather more outré, including a towering oversized yellow pillbox style and something resembling a lampshade from Harvy Santos, as well as a fully feathered peach basket style from Rachel Trevor Morgan. The latter is worn with a vintage Prada dress sourced from Sign of the Times, a luxury resale store in London and online, so perhaps Fletcher is appealing to younger racegoers. In any case, one must commend his suggestion of bringing pre-loved fashion into your occasionwear wardrobe. For those looking to play things a little safer, on-trend polka dots look set to be a winner. This classic look dominates the 'Prints & Patterns' section of Fletcher's look book and recalls Julia Roberts' race day look in Pretty Woman, which was also channelled by the Princess of Wales in black and white Alessandra Rich polka dots for Ascot in 2022.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
That's A Wrap: The Simple Styling Hack Everyone Is Wearing At Fashion Week
The easiest styling tricks are often the most effective. And by now we're familiar with the nifty, nonchalant knit-draped-over-shoulders hack. Whether it's an artfully slung sweater or a loosely tied knit, this season, designers and the street style set are utilising the casual styling solution to full effect. FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE Daniel Fletcher is partly to thank for the emergence of the trend in London this season, at his debut as creative director of Mithridate. Models and attendees opted for fuzzy mohair knits in pastel pink, mint green and lemon yellow draped over collared knits, cardigans and crisp cotton shirts. Meanwhile, at her London Fashion Week runway debut, Pauline Dujancourt's wispy ethereal gowns were styled with chunky cable knits. Talia Byre delivered her own take on the trend as candy-coloured bibs hung loose around the model's neck instead of knitted jumpers and cardigans. The same was true at Copenhagen Fashion Week where for AW25 Scandi brands Won Hundred, OpéraSPORT, Henrik Vibskov and The Garment all swathed their models in layers of slouchy knits – sometimes asymmetrically slung across the body, sometimes loosely knotted around the neck and sometimes doubling as outerwear itself. The trend is not only practical (although who doesn't love an extra layer on chilly days?); it's a surefire way to add a layer of undone elegance to your outfit while still looking impeccably chic. The best part: the look can be easily achieved with items you already own, be it your favourite charcoal cashmere jumper or that bright red cardi you wish you got more wear out of – just pull out your favourite knits, tie and knot and you are good to go! ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today Might Also Like Pyjamas You Can Wear All Day 10 Hand Soaps To Make Your Bathroom Feel Like A Fancy Hotel 8 Of The Best Natural Deodorants
