LURE OF LONDON SEASON

Evening Star, Issue 21784, 28 July 1934, Page 21

LURE OF LONDON SEASON

THE FEMININE NOTE AT ASCOT ARTICLE' No. 3. [Written by the Hon. Gladys Jksskl, daughter of Baron Jessel of Westminster] Ascot .week. appeals to me as the most romantic or the London season, I'erhups this is because the feminine note predominates. At the other .great race meetings women are present as'the less important sex, though not now on sufferance, thanks fee. At Ascot they more than hold 1 their own. i shall not forget the remark of ono now-comer to Ascot. “ Why, ’ she exclaimed iii astonishment, •• there are twice as many women here as men. Here we come into our own at last.” A quick and easy calculation proved her wrong, yet 1 was not surprised at her mistake. The grounds were so'guy with the bright colouring of women’s frocks that the more soberly apparrelled men seemed lost to view.

Four days and lour frocks is the rule, and there are few women who do not enjoy the rare sensation of 'wearing four complete creations consecutively. Many women who live in the country all the yeaj- round come up to town for this event, and buy dresses for it that have to last- them the whole season. They find real joy in having to wear all .their new stock at once, though later, for economic reasons, these frocks will be reserved for special occasions, and relieved by last yey a, renovations.. ,• - It is surprising )iow determined most women are that they shall not fall below the conventional standard. Dressing up is half the joy of Ascot. I have met women who could only afford two now frocks, and so refused _ to attend the race more than twice. They feared to be laughed at if they appeared in the same dress twice. Thus does overattention to Dame Fashion make slaves of us all. , ' ■ i

Anxiety to be “ up to, standard ’ may drive a woman to the opposite extreme, and lead her into difficulties. “I have been in such trouble,” a. friend once confided to ind, as we made our way towards the paddocks. “ Fortunately I was able to borrow this big lace scarf, ■which has saved the,situation., Otherwise I should have had to go home. .. X was iso pleased with my, new /frock,: a very special one for the Occasion, lint when I got here I found ifc looked filr too extreme. 'Really, I was,actually on my way back, but under this scarf nothing matters.” My friend’s anxiety was particularly acute, for she had several French friends on the eoufse, and she was right in thinking that a French woman would hardly have fallen into her error. The French' have an intuitive knowledge of what is fitting. . Ascot has, always been a favourite reSoiT of foreigners; It is in part this foreign clement that makes the lure of the famous course. There is a. gay, cosmopolitan nir about the Ascot Meeting that is quite different from the stolid British atmosphere of Derby Day, which has a homely feeling that appeals to the proletariat. It may be that Ascot, a race meeting started by Queen Anne in 1711, has always retained something of the dignity that attached to Royalty, Certainly it has cast a glamour, over the Court. . Our own Royal house is always well represented, and European royalties have always been regular patrons of Ascot Week. Often, too, you will see there dark-skinned visitors, who are potentates in their own far-distant lands. The social contrasts that meet on this favourite racecourse add glamour to its natural charm, for if Ascot is not so democratic as the Derby it, is by no means.the exclusive affair it is sometimes supposed to be. The side of the course opposite the enclosures is always crowded with a cheerful multitude which overflows on to the Heath. Gaiety is contagious and every unit adds to the total sum of happiness. The sport at Ascot is always of the best.. Were this not so the meeting would degenerate into an objectless social event. But the racing is of a quality that will satisfy the most exacting sportsman. Indeed, no horse has reached the pinnacle of fame until lie has won the Ascot Gold Cup. Women to-day take an intelligent interest in racing, but even if they did not Ascot is spectacular enough to satisfy their craving for beauty and .display. t shall never forget the thrill I felt •when I first saw the Royal procession, with

its outriders on their grey horses, followed by the Royal carriage, with its postillions and , footmen in scarlet arid gold. The wonderful green turf land tlfo marvellous flower, beds seemed a fitting background for the imposing pageant. There is a spirit of gaiety about Ascot that seems half foreign to our stolid, race; there is an opulence of background that seems almost Oriental in its Ihvishucss. No wonder that women who love colour and glamour cannot resist its lure. ' .. [The fourth article of this series will be published next Saturday.]