Cheltenham Festival starts today with the racecourse owners’ The Jockey Club announcing a new relaxation on the dress code. It is apparently all part of a drive to entice a younger audience along to this famous event on the racing calendar, plus other upcoming races at it’s other courses.

But who wants to go in jeans and a t-shirt? Certainly not us!

A day at the races is always an excuse to dress up. Indeed Cheltenham’s website states ‘Whilst the Jockey Club has no formal dress code in place, we appreciate many do like to dress up for the Festival. Cheltenham Racecourse is the Home of Jump Racing and The Cheltenham Festival is home to some of the finest racing in the world, and with the finest racing often comes the finest fashion’.

Style partners of The Jockey Club for this event are House of Cavani and Frankie Foster, plus Holland Cooper.

The races. What better excuse to dress up?

Pictured top: Take a leaf out of Surrey Frills Claire’s book (our cover model from last summer’s edition) who is pictured wearing a very elegant Edwina Ibbotson Millinery creation. This was all part of a feature (in last year’s summer edition) in which some of the UK’s leading milliners, including Royal milliners Stephen Jones and Rachel Trevor-Morgan were invited to create a one-off collection of hats inspired by the seven decades of the Late Queen Elizabeth II’s reign to be auctioned in aid of Brain Tumour Research. The collection of 15 hats which is entitled “Hats Fit For A Queen” raised over £3000 for the charity.

Bespoke headwear creations, from left to right: 1: Edwina Ibbotson Millinery: 2000s. 2: Lisa Tan: 1980s. 3: Alexandra Harper Millinery: 1960s. 4: Martha Lynn Millinery: 1970s. 5: Jenny Roberts Millinery: 1908s. 6: Judy Bentinck Millinery: 2000s. 7: Rachel Trevor-Morgan Millinery: 2010. 8: Karen Henricksen: 1900s. 9: Lock & Co. : 1950s
Hair: Teresa Weller; Makeup: Sheri Louise. Photography: Rachel Thornhill