Elegant Racegoers At Ascot Caught In Rain

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29238, 23 June 1960, Page 2

Elegant Racegoers At Ascot Caught In Rain

IBy

ZALIA THOMAS

LONDON, June 14. The opening day of Royal Ascot and the weather .could not have been more changeable. One minute the torrential rain and violent thunder and lightning sent racegoers running for cover, plastic raincoats and. umbrellas; the next minute brilliant sunshine brought them out again undaunted and smiling as they trod their elegant way across the rain-sodden lawns.

This year there was a trend towards plain suits and dresses and jackets in contrast to the most elaborate hats seen at Ascot for many years. Massive confections, mostly of tulle or flowers,' vied with the utter simplicity Of some of the debutantes’ hats. Many of them (favoured a single rose perched atop their heads and held in place by an alice band. On the whole, the debutantes showed much better dress sense than in previous ■years.

After the disaster at Ascot five years ago, when a number of people were killed by lightning, the loud-speaker system gave repeated warnings to stay clear of all metal objects during the storm Two women who had laboriously but triumphantly climbed under a television camera’s steel scaffold for shelter climbed out again hurriedly

Well-named Winners The Coventry Stakes, which was run during the most violent part of the storm, was appropriately won by the favourite, Typhoon, and two other winners of the afternoon were Blast and Shatter.

The Queen wore a peppermintpink coat over a pink and white floral dress and hat of white petals tipped with pink.

The Queen Mother wore a coat of the palest yellow wild silk with a matching floral hat. She wisely slipped into plastic overboots for her visit to the paddock. (Less well-equipped women sank to the hilts of their stiletto heels in the soggy turf.) After the fourth race Prince

Philip, his Ascot appearance over, drove away in his car to nearby Windsor Park to play polo. It is still clear that he does not enjoy watching horse-racing. During the four days of the Ascot meeting, fashionable women vie with each other for outstanding fashions and the ultimate success is a photograph in any or all of the London pacers At

what cost? Their dresses are anything from 50gns to lOOgns; hats. 15gns at least; shoes, 12gns upwards; handbags. 15gns to 20gns If you do not possess a suitable fur, these can be hired for 4gns to lOgns, plus a deposit of £2O to £5O depending upon their value. Coat Of Admittance So much for the clothes. But then comes the actual cost of admittance. In addition to the cost of entering the course (30s or 40s, depending upon the day), private boxes can be rented from £5O to £7O. These have their own private dining rooms and meals are served at more than 15s a person. Each year several thousand people apply for admittance to the Royal enclosure. All applications are most carefully scrutinised. No divorcees are al’owed Men pay £lO and women £7 entrance fee to walk on this exclusive lawn which stretches in front of the Royal box. It is estimated that from 3000 to 4000 bottles of champagne are consumed during the four days of the meeting, and some ”'oolb of strawberries.