First off ladies, strapless or sheer strap dresses are an absolute no-no. I'd avoid spaghetti straps too in case of any wardrobe malfunctions! Off the shoulder is permitted but do you really want to be in a strapless bra all day? I thought not.
When coming up with your Ascot dress ideas, I suggest you treat it as a combination of attending a royal wedding and a picnic. You'll be on your feet all day and yes, you want to look as gorgeous as possible, but you must also be comfortable in order to FEEL it. We can all tolerate a small about of minor discomfort (tactical underwear, anyone?), however, feeling as though you're trussed up all day is particularly exhausting, and will be visible to you in every picture you see of yourself.
Our model Gayle picked a red hat to go with her gorgeous watercolour floral dress.
If you're in the mood for something particularly fabulous, I adore the above watercolour floral print dress. It's a glorious print that genuinely suits any figure and complexion- and the best part of it is that because it has so many colours you won't have any trouble accessorising it. Also, it's all very well getting yourself an Ascot dress or a Ladies Day dress in general but you want to be able to wear it to more than one event, so a print has that versatility)
Go for nude and creams when it comes to your shoes and hat for a low key, effortless look that allows the print to really stand out. Alternatively, pick a bright colour and really make that print pop! Choose red, apricot, turquoise, green or even pink- you can really have fun with this.
If you like the idea of a print but want something a bit less va-va-voom, try a more muted floral print. This floral shift dress has softer tones in the print but is still utterly beautiful.
If patterns aren't your thing, then don't be afraid to try a block colour. It's all very well coming up with Ascot outfit ideas that are fabulously over the top but remember you have to feel like you!
My personal pick (which you can read more about here) is this lovely yellow dress below. It's stunning with cream, green, red, black and metallics, but I'm actually going to pair it with whites and blacks (as I prefer my outfits to have 3 colours not a strict monochromatic two.)
(P.S, need an outfit for Ascot that isn't a dress? Trousers and jumpsuits are allowed this year, just make sure they're full length and any tops meet the rules for dresses in terms of straps. You'll find ours in our Ladies Day collection here)