Best Dressed at The Royal Ascot Horse Race in England
By Alphasuit Client Steven Hettinger
Royal Ascot. Any horse racing fan has Royal Ascot on their bucket list. Every year, the track outside of London is not only home to world class Thoroughbreds, but also THE event on the British social calendar.
I finally decided to tick Royal Ascot of my list this year. The track is divided into different enclosures (sections) seating-wise with each enclosure having their own strictly enforced dress code.
I was going to spend one day in the Royal Enclosure. The dress code is morning dress and top hat. The other days I was doing the Queen Anne Enclosure. The dress code is a suit with matching jacket and trousers.
During the afternoon, I was stopped on numerous occasions by both men and women telling me that I had on the best outfit they had seen all day
Steven Hettinger
Being an Ohio State alum, it was any easy decision for me to go with grey as the color for my morning suit and top hat. I just need to add a scarlet waistcoat. I have a race track outfit, but not a suit. So, I thought a red suit might be in order.
It didn’t take long to see I wasn’t getting either the vest or suit off the rack. I was going to have go the custom route. While doing my research, I came across the Alphasuit website. The site was well done, the reviews excellent, and it was local, so I decided to give them a call.
I easily set up an appointment with Natalia for a consultation. Armed with multiple fabric books, Natalia arrived promptly and we sat down to talk over my needs for this event. It didn’t take long for the vest. A scarlet vest is a scarlet vest. The suit on the other hand was an entirely different matter. The red fabric wasn’t what I was really feeling.
Going through the colors and fabrics with Natalia, I saw a Salmon-colored fabric that I liked as being colorful and different. We kept going through the books, and every now and then, something kind of struck me. But, I kept going back to the Salmon. Natalia finally said that if I kept going back to the same thing- that’s what I wanted. I agreed and we did the measurements and ordering on the spot.
A few short weeks later Natalia called to say my order was in and we arranged the final fitting. I met her at The new Alphasuit site. The vest and suit looked amazing. They also fit perfectly and need no alterations.
Fast forward to Royal Ascot. I wore the vest with the morning suit I rented to the Royal Enclosure. I thought I looked great, but the Brits didn’t quite get the whole Ohio State homage.
The next day was Ladies Day. The most attended day of the meeting and the see and be seen fashion afternoon. I wore my Salmon suit with a matching hat I had just happened to find in London that week.
During the afternoon, I was stopped on numerous occasions by both men and women telling me that I had on the best outfit they had seen all day. THE BEST at Royal Ascot….on Ladies Day!! That is the equivalent of being the best dressed at The Oscars. There is no higher compliment. It didn’t stop at the track either. The store where I rented my morning dress, walking down the street. Compliments everywhere.
I couldn’t thank Natalia or Alphasuit enough for convincing me to go with that suit. The satisfaction I got from all those compliments was immeasurable.
Natalia also didn’t treat me as just as a customer. A couple of months after Ascot and a good time after our first consultation, we happened to run into each other. She recognized me before I could place her (the hat threw me off). We are still chatting about some of our travels. It feels good to know I wasn’t just a sale.
Thank you Natalia and Alphasuit. Everyone looking for custom clothing could do no better than choosing you.
Steve H
