I nearly got turned away at the gates during my first visit to Royal Ascot. It was twelve years ago now and I was newly graduated and had spent far too much money on what I thought was a respectable suit. But when I walked up to the entrance, the steward (a big ginger dude with a walrus moustache that looked like it was genetically inherited from hundreds of years of military service) eyed me up and down as if I’d turned up coated head-to-foot in horse dung. “Sir, that is not a morning coat,” he said with polite disdain.
If that isn’t the national sport of the British, I don’t know what is. “Er, yeah but it’s formal enough,” I replied stupidly, and watched him raise his eyebrows by at least half an inch. Luckily my friend James showed up carrying a borrowed top hat and an actual waistcoat he’d finagled from another attendee. The steward begrudgingly allowed us in, but let me tell you he gave my suit jacket one hell of a glare before we walked past.
That day I learned a valuable lesson about British sporting events – dressing for them is bloody confusing. Whether you’re going to Wimbledon or watching Hamilton score try after try in Twickenham there seem to be rules, unspoken etiquette, and ancient customs no one will explain to you.
Something deemed “smart casual” by one person will earn you chastising stares from someone else.
Mistake your Henley regatta vibe with your day at Cheltenham and you’re pretty much done for. So let me lay it all out for you; let me take the mistakes that I’ve made so you don’t have to. Consider this your guide to dressing for British sporting events… Wimbledon Whilst Wimbledon may not technically enforce a dress code on Centre Court unless you’re part of some kind of Royal entourage in actual practice they have one, damn it.
What you wear to Wimbledon should fall under the category of “summer smart.” Think smart trousers or chinos (jeans are a big nope), a nice shirt or polo, and don’t wear trainers. If it’s good enough to wear to meet the parents on a warm Summer’s day, it’s good enough to wear to Wimbledon. Flip flops are obviously a no-no, but a lightweight blazer wouldn’t hurt either.
Especially since God forbid the British summer decides to bless us with some actual warmth, you’ll want to layer up. I tend to wear something lightweight in navy or a subtle check with stone or pale blue chinos. Speaking of trousers… I have seen an epidemic of salmon pink and mint coloured trousers invading Wimbledon over recent years and it needs to stop.
Men wearing these colors think it’s some kind of Wimbledon uniform. It’s not. Unless you legitimately wear pink trousers every weekend as part of your preppy gear then you will look like somebody who bought a ready-made “Attending Wimbledon” costume off the internet.
Just wear bloody normal trousers that fit you. Oh, and if you’ve managed to get yourself one of those debenture seats or are invited as plus-one in a corporate box, then up your smart game accordingly. Bring a jacket for starters – most guys who’ve got those tickets won’t turn up without one – and consider wearing a tie too while you’re at it.
You don’t have to, but my dad once sat near the Royal Box (not in it, I’m not harbouring a secret title from my readership) and everyone else around us, even the more casually dressed men had done little extras; a pocket square, a nice watch, leather shoes. Little touches that said “I made an effort,” instead of “I raided the smarter side of my wardrobe.” Horse Racing Ah yes, dress codes. Horse racing wins, in my opinion, for being the most baffling when it comes to deciding what you can and can’t wear.
Each racecourse has different rules for different enclosures, and will choose to enforce them more or less stringently depending on the occasion. Ascot is by far the strictest with its prestigious Royal Enclosure demanding morning suits, complete with top hats, waistcoats and all the trimmings. But it’s not just Ascot – all morning suits must comply.
It needs to be black or grey with a “grey or colour waistcoat” as they so delicately put it. And that top hat best be black silk. Black felt will do these days as they’re not animals but believe me when I say they will inspect that outfit.
The Queen’s Enclosure will accept a proper suit and tie, the Windsor will let you off the tie but expect you to at least have a jacket on. The Village Enclosure say smart casual, but that means smart. I tend to wear a lightweight summer suit in a lighter colour for these.
Looking nice but not stuffy or wedding-appropriate. Other racecourses will let you get away with slightly less, though you’ll still need a suit and tie to access Cheltenham’s Front Enclosure. A smart top will suffice for Aintree’s Grandstand Enclosure, but smart shoes will still be expected across the board.
Remember, if in doubt, google the racecourse website. They’ll usually have a section on dressing for the event. Football Football is probably where I see the worst-dressed attendees, specifically Premier League matches.
When I say worst, I don’t mean Geordie jokes about Sunderland supporters – I mean amateur hour dressing. The main rule is this: you’re going to be standing for long periods, probably walking around a lot, might get rained on, will definitely get overpriced beer spilled next to you at some point. Wear comfortable clothes.
Don’t wear your nice shoes, don’t wear your cashmere jumper. Everyone else will and you’ll regret it. As will your wallet when you’ve bought a seasonal beer specialty to warm yourself.
You Might Also Like
Wear jeans or smart trousers, plain shirt, comfy trainers. Layer up too, stadiums are freezing if you’re not moving but will have you sweating if you’re doing that exciting goal-celebration dance. My other advice would be to have a jacket with pockets.
A good pockets. Ones you can stash your phone, wallet and ticket without fear of having them snatched from your hands by some pick-pocketer on a busy concourse. Basically, if you’re smart attire starts clashing with items on that list then you’re probably dressing too smart.
I will say one thing I repeatedly see that annoys me. Guys who turn up in suits they’ve presumably worn to the office before heading straight to the game. You look stupid.
You’ll spend the entire match worried about people slopping beer over your Oxfords, you can’t sit down because your suit might crease, and you’ll have to take your jacket off as soon as you arrive in your seat. If you do office to game, wear smarter shoes you can change into (trainers in your office bag is fine by me) and leave the suit jacket and tie at work. Cricket Test matches at Lord’s have their nice Long Room and fancy members enclosure where jacket and tie is required, but for normal ticket holders it’s far more relaxed.
You’re going to be outside all day for a cricket match so just dress for that. Hot sunny day? Take a hat.
Cloudy with a chance of meatballs? Pack some rain-clothing just in case. British Summer days can change drastically in the space of an hour so be prepared.
Layer up – I’ll usually wear chinos, shirt or polo and a lightweight jacket or jumper I can easily remove if needs be. With cricket you’ll also want a sunhat. The cricketing gods will punish you if you forget one.
Bring sunscreen too. Those stands get deceivingly sunny on a cloudy day. Closer-cropped sports jackets and chinos are probably my favourite way to dress for a game of cricket.
Smart but not overly-so. Throw a sweater over it if it’s chilly, but you’ll soon warm up when that sun comes out. If it’s a shorter format match like Twenty20 you’ll see a wider range of jeans/t-shirts/merch being worn as the crowds and atmosphere at these games tend to be more carnival-like, especially for the later fixtures.
With that in mind, just don’t wear anything that will restrict you from jumping up and down and doing the Mexican wave, because you WILL be doing the Mexican wave at every T20 game you attend. Rugby The big boys rugby usually plays at Twickenham, Murrayfield or the Principality Stadium. With matches often played in the colder months, comfort tends to trump style.
Throw on a decent warm coat, scarf if you’re that way inclined, and layer up so you’re prepared for 80 minutes of chilly British weather. The clubhouse and hospitality boxes may well demand a smarter approach with games – I’ve always seen rugby types wearing flannels with blazers – but you won’t see anyone complaining about their dress in the regular stands. The range of dress you’ll see at a rugby match is probably the widest of any sporting event.
Full replica kit including kit bag and scrum cap wearing kids (parents, why?!) through to country gentlemen in tweed jacket and plus-fours. City boys in Barbour jackets and red trousers. You name it, a rugby crowd will have dressed like it.
You could probably get away with wearing a spacesuit to a rugby match nobody would bat an eyelid. Rowing If you want to see the British at their best displaying their fondness for complicated and outdated dress codes, look no further than Henley Royal Regatta. Indoor jumpsuit optional as they say in my house.
The Stewards Enclosure on Sunday asks men to wear “a lounge suit, or jacket and trousers with tie.” Crucially cravats DO NOT COUNT as my friend Dominic found to his disgust last year when he tried to cleverly bend the rules.
Denim jackets, jeans, shorts and sportswear are banned outright (they even employ stewards to check you’re appropriately dressed at the entrance gates.) The lower enclosures are less strict but with Henley you’ll still see people dressing up to attend. In smart-casual you’ll still stick out like a sore thumb in jeans.
My advice would be wear chinos, polo, and a nice jacket. Not denim; that’s so 2007 and they’ll never let you in the Stewards anyway. Of all the events I’ve covered here I think the moral of the story with Henley is just appreciate you’ve been allowed to attend what is essentially the most prestigious rowing club pageant of the year.
Dress nicely to show you understand the tradition you’re enjoying, but don’t get too caught up in wearing £2000 worth of kit just to stand by a river all day. Moral of all these stories… The moral of all of this is a bit of both. Yes, do your research and dress appropriately, but also once you’re there try and take in the event.
Enjoy the atmosphere – if you’re worried about what you’re wearing too much you’re probably not enjoying yourself enough. Learn from my mistakes. Except maybe the smart shoes at football, I never learnt from that one.
