Royal Ascot 2027 dress code: what hats are allowed in the Royal Enclosure

For Royal Ascot 2027, the Royal Enclosure dress code asks women to wear a hat or a headpiece with a solid base of at least 10cm in diameter. Fascinators are not permitted inside the Royal Enclosure, though they are welcome in the other enclosures. A structured hat, a wide brim, a pillbox or a substantial headpiece all meet the rule, and the surest route to a piece that suits the day and sits well on your head is to commission one early.

The Royal Enclosure hat rule in plain terms

The Royal Enclosure is the most formal area of Royal Ascot, and its dress code is published each year by the racecourse. For women, headwear is required, and the measurement that matters is the base. Your hat or headpiece must have a solid base of 10cm or more across. That single figure is what separates a permitted headpiece from a fascinator.

A fascinator, in the language of the dress code, is a small decorative piece mounted on a comb, a clip or a thin band with no solid base. It is a graceful thing in the right setting, and you may wear one happily in the Queen Anne Enclosure or the Village Enclosure. Inside the Royal Enclosure it does not qualify, so the safe reading is simple. If the base of your piece measures less than 10cm, treat it as a fascinator and keep it for elsewhere.

What counts as a solid base

A solid base is the flat foundation the piece is built on, such as the crown of a hat, a disc, a pillbox top or a percher shape. Milliners measure it across its widest point. When a headpiece is made to order the base is built to pass comfortably, so there is no guessing on the morning of the race. Every piece we block by hand is measured against the 10cm rule before it leaves the atelier, which removes the one worry you do not want at the gate.

What works in the Royal Enclosure

The rule opens up a wide field rather than closing it down. Several families of headwear read beautifully in the Royal Enclosure and all satisfy the base requirement when they are properly made.

• Wide-brimmed hats. A generous brim frames the face and holds its own against grandstand architecture. It photographs well and reads as considered from a distance.
• Pillbox hats. A pillbox sits high and neat, carries a veil or a sculptural trim with ease and flatters almost every face shape. Our pillbox hats are a considered choice for the enclosure.
• Structured percher and disc headpieces. Worn at an angle, a disc of 10cm or more gives the lightness some women prefer while still meeting the rule.
• Boaters and upturned brims. A crisp boater suits a tailored day dress and a warm June morning.
• Veiled pieces. A face veil adds a note of old-world elegance and drama. You can see the effect across our hats with veils.

Whichever shape you choose, proportion is the quiet skill. The scale of the hat should answer the scale of the outfit and the wearer, so a petite frame is not overwhelmed and a bold dress is properly partnered. This is the judgement a milliner brings to a fitting, and it is why a made piece tends to sit and photograph better than an off-the-shelf one.

Frank Sinatra put it neatly. "Cock your hat, angles are attitudes."

Colours for Royal Ascot

The Royal Enclosure sets no colour rule for women, so the field is open, and June daylight rewards clarity. Rich saturated tones hold up under a bright sky and against the greens of the course. Cornflower and ink blues, emerald, deep rose, coral and buttercup yellow all carry well. Ivory, dove grey, navy and black remain assured and photograph cleanly.

The decision that shapes the whole look is whether the hat tones with the outfit or answers it. A tonal match reads as polished and lets the dress lead. A considered contrast, a soft yellow hat above a blue dress for instance, gives the eye a lift. Because every piece we make is one of one, we match any colour from a photograph or a fabric swatch, so the hat meets the exact shade of your dress rather than settling for a near miss. If you are dressing for a wedding in the same season, the same principle guides our mother of the bride pieces.

A note on morning suits and the wider party

The Royal Enclosure also requires formal daywear for men, which means a black or grey morning suit with a waistcoat and a top hat. It is worth coordinating within your group so the whole party reads as one, particularly in photographs taken together.

How to commission a hat in time

Royal Ascot 2027 takes place in June, so the calendar is the thing to respect. A bespoke hat takes six to twelve weeks from first conversation to finished piece, and that window covers design, hand-blocking, trimming and a fitting. To sit comfortably inside it, begin in the spring rather than the weeks before.

The process is unhurried and personal. It starts with your outfit, your colour and the shapes that flatter you, and it moves through a blocked base built to the correct proportions and finished by hand. Each hat is blocked in London and made as a one of one, so nobody else in the enclosure carries the same piece. UK delivery is complimentary and worldwide orders are sent fully insured.

If your date is close, our ready-to-wear pieces are made to the same standard and can be matched and adjusted, which shortens the timeline considerably. You can begin with our Royal Ascot 2027 collection or arrange a fitting through our private service.

Questions people ask

What hats are allowed in the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot 2027?

Any hat or headpiece with a solid base of at least 10cm in diameter. Wide brims, pillboxes, boaters, structured discs and veiled pieces all qualify when they are properly made.

Are fascinators allowed in the Royal Enclosure?

No. Fascinators are not permitted in the Royal Enclosure. They are allowed in the Queen Anne and Village enclosures, so they suit those areas rather than the most formal one.

How big does the base need to be?

At least 10cm in diameter, measured across the widest point of the solid base. A made-to-order piece is built and checked against this before it reaches you.

What colours work at Royal Ascot?

There is no colour rule for women. Saturated tones such as blue, emerald, rose, coral and yellow read well in June light, and ivory, navy, grey and black are always assured.

How long does a bespoke Ascot hat take?

Six to twelve weeks. Begin in spring for a June date. If time is short, a ready-to-wear piece can be matched and adjusted more quickly.

To wear a hat made for you, your colour and the occasion, enquire about a commission or explore the Royal Ascot 2027 collection. We will guide you from first idea to finished piece with time to spare before the meeting.