Royal Ascot's Ladies Day gets off to a flying start as revellers don their most showstopping headwear
READ MORE: Prince William shares sweet moment with Princess Eugenie, playfully teasing her during a day out at Royal Ascot
Glamorous racegoers have put their best fashion foot forward as they arrived at Royal Ascot in the sunshine today to kick off Ladies Day.
Floral summer dresses, vibrant frocks and eye-catching headpieces were all on display as thousands of revellers descended on the Berkshire racecourse this morning.
Showstopping headwear appeared to be the order of the day, with radiant racegoers showcasing an array of fabulous fascinators and quirky hats.
One guest decided to stand out from the crowd with a balloon-themed headpiece, while another sported an elegant lace creation.
Royal Ascot, the jewel in the crown of the UK racing calendar, started on Tuesday with the Queen Anne Stakes and will run until Saturday.
Hat's the spirit! From quirky to elegant, hats were the main feature of the day as racegoers showcased their fabulous headwear
Spot on! This racegoer was effortlessly elegant in her monochrome outfit as she arrived at the third day of Royal Ascot
A bit of all white! This radiant woman showcased a stunning hat as she posed for the camera
Hat's how you do Ladies Day! Racegoers show off their finest frocks as they attend the event at Royal Ascot
Lady in red! A woman opts for a matching scarlet dress and hat as she steps out at Ladies Day
This year's meeting will have an overall prize-money pot of £10million. This is a record amount for Royal Ascot. The minimum winnings for all eight Group 1 races will be £650,000.
It was founded by Queen Anne in 1711 after she declared Ascot ideal for 'horses to gallop at full stretch' and has today become a major social event as well as a sporting attraction.
For the first time in its 313-year history, Ascot Racecourse announced this year the appointment of a creative director.
British fashion designer Daniel Fletcher was responsible for the creation of the annual Lookbook and Millinery Collective in 2024, which set the style tone for the year and often inspire racegoers' outfits.
He's known for his classically tailored silhouettes and modern gender-fluid clothes; his Spring/Summer 2023 collection included corset designs for both men and women.
The Cheshire-born designer, whose first customer was the eccentric Harry Styles, told GQ in 2023: 'The idea of an item of clothing being for a specific gender is such a funny one.
'I understand that something like a bra is designed for function, but when it comes to a shirt, why would we apply gender to something like that? And for me, the same applies to the corset.'
Former One Direction member Harry whose style has included jumpsuits, feather boas, skirts and dresses, became Daniel's first customer after buying all the boxy short-sleeved shirts from the designer's graduate collection in 2015.
Perfect polka dots: Glamorous racegoers (including TV presenter Louise Roe, pictured left), showcase their patterned dresses
Bringing the sunshine! A racegoer stuns in a yellow floral and polka dot dress and matching hat
The bigger, the better when it comes to these hats! These women commanded attention with their over-the-top headwear
'Harry had a huge impact on my career,' Daniel admitted to GQ in 2020. 'At 24 years old I couldn’t believe what was happening.'
Since then, the designer's career has gone from strength to strength, with A-listers including James McAvoy, Robert Pattinson, Eddie Redmayne, Emma Corrin and Emerald Fennell wearing his looks.
The Central Saint Martins graduate has also designed for some of the world’s most prestigious houses including Louis Vuitton, Lanvin and JW Anderson and held the role of Artistic Director for Italian label Fiorucci between 2019 and 2023.
He was nominated for the LVMH prize in 2017, was a winner of the European Semi- Final of the International Woolmark Prize and named Breakthrough Designer of The Year in the 2020 GQ Men of The Year Awards.
After many successful seasons showing his collections on the London Fashion Week schedule, Daniel took part in Netflix’s ‘Next In Fashion’ series which saw him make it to the final.
Of his latest appointment, Daniel said: 'I’m thrilled to be appointed as Ascot’s first Creative Director and have thrown myself into the new role.
Glamorous guest arrive for Ladies Day at the Berkshire racecourse
Photographers take pictures of Louise Roe as she attends day three of Royal Ascot 2024
Police are pictured at Royal Ascot as racegoers arrive for Ladies Day at the Berkshire racecourse
'I’m keen to encapsulate the rich heritage of the racecourse while embracing the unique dress codes, adding a contemporary twist to bring a flair that Ascot hasn’t seen before.
'For 2024, I want to inspire racegoers to push the boundaries with their own unique style and immerse themselves in the opportunity to embrace their own creativity – and what better occasion than Royal Ascot!
'I’m super excited to reveal the next evolution of style direction for the world- renowned brand and can’t wait for the vision to become a reality.'