And here we are, at the end of the five day Royal Ascot odyssey of hats and brooches and butt ruffles (regrettably). Saddle up, we have one last round of awards to hand out...
Most Predictable End
Queen Elizabeth
After a week of unpredictable brooch choices, the Queen ended with the one you were most likely to have predicted (the only one of this week anyone guessed during our
Ascot predicting game, I believe):
the Flame Lily. To be honest, it's my first disappointment of the week from her; like many of you, I thought we might see the
Australian Wattle Brooch as a little tribute to Black Caviar, the Australian mare with an impressive record that won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and was the undisputed star of day five. But that's just a small quibble in an otherwise fun brooch watching week.
Best in Yorkish Excess
Princess Beatrice
Following in the footsteps of her mother and her sister, Beatrice just can't leave well enough alone. The standard fare coral outfit is not enough, oh no; we gotta add a butt ruffle up in here! And while we're at it, let's bedazzle it! And add a technicolor fortune cookie to the hat! Sure, why not? Part of me wants to see the York sisters turn into the chicest royals on the block, and part of me (the giggly part) hopes they never, ever change.
Best Repeat
Autumn Phillips
This was a surprise: Peter and Autumn Phillips showed up! Autumn appears to be wearing what was under the Sassi Holford navy coat she sported for the
Diamond Jubilee service, and possibly the same hat with some changes made to it. The Linleys and Chattos were also present; Sarah repeated the outfit she wore to Zara's wedding, and Serena repeated the coat she wore to William's wedding.
Though I'm not sure she attended day five, I can't finish out Ascot without a tip of the hat to
Princess Haya. She had another first place finisher, making three for the week, and she's had just as many fabulous outfits throughout the week. Apart from the Queen (who is sort of a default winner in these things), Haya wins my overall best dressed award.
Who wins your best dressed award for the ladies?
We've focused on the ladies for the past four days, but of course the gentlemen are worthy of some praise of their own. Save the best for last, right?
Best in Philip
Day Five
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| Left to right, days 1-5 |
The Duke of Edinburgh was so far and away my favorite gent at Ascot, it just wasn't sporting to lump him in with the rest. It seemed to me that each day he looked a little more like his old self, and thus day five comes out my winner. (Though matching his boutonnière to his wife's pink outfit on day two was mighty adorable.)
Best of the Rest
Prince Michael
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| L to R: The Prince of Wales, Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai, the Duke of Gloucester, the Earl of Wessex, the Duke of Kent |
This is by no means a comprehensive review; other gentlemen spotted include Lord Nicholas Windsor, Viscount Linley, Charles Armstrong-Jones, the Chattos, Mike Tindall, Dave Clark (Beatrice's boyfriend), plus Sheikh Mohammed on multiple days and other members of the Dubai royal family.
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| L to R: Prince Michael of Kent, the Duke of York, the Earl of St. Andrews, Peter Phillips |
But out of them all, Prince Michael wins it. Not only does he have style, he showed up both a black coat option with natty trim
and the dapper gray option. Nicely done, sir.
Who did you admire most among the men?
Photos: Getty Images/Indigo/AP/Reuters/Contact
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