How I found the perfect Royal Ascot outfit for £73.98 in my local charity shop

I’ve had many a panic about Royal Ascot looks in my time – wearing everything from a Topshop dress picked up on a last-minute dash to a Jess Collett hat worth several hundred pounds kindly loaned to me by the milliner herself – but none has quite matched the challenge to find an outfit worthy of one of the biggest fashion occasions of the year from my local charity shop. Don’t get me wrong, I love browsing the rails, but I’d usually prefer to stumble upon an unexpected treasure than go in with such a specific goal in mind.

This year though, Royal Ascot is going sustainable and has asked attendees to consider wearing vintage, pre-loved outfits rather than something new. They’ve even enlisted “Queen of Thrift” Bay Garnett to put together some fabulous looks for their annual style guide to show just how brilliantly second-hand can compete with brand new. After scrolling through the images – a pink pinstripe pussy-bow dress teamed with an incredible tulle hat by Stephen Jones; a neat vintage Chanel dress paired with eBay earrings – I set off inspired for my own shopping mission.

I was sceptical whether I’d find items that matched and that I’d feel comfortable wearing among all the other racegoing peacocks but I just about managed it. Here’s how:

Ask the store staff

As soon as I arrived at Mary’s Living and Giving for Save the Children shop in Teddington, I explained my fashion dilemma to deputy manager Andrea, who immediately took me under her wing, darting around the shop searching for outfits that might work. I’d picked out a gorgeous mustard Jasper Conran dress I thought might work but she encouraged me to try it on, knowing that it had, shall we say, unique proportions.

After exhausting the possibilities on the shop floor, she ran up to the store room which I now imagine as clothing Narnia, such were the gems she came back with. She assured me that I wasn’t getting special treatment either – personal shopping is all part of the service and anyone can ask for help just as you would in a department store or boutique. This seems especially useful when there’s so much stock which hasn’t yet made it to the shop floor.

Don’t be a snob about brands

“Can you wear jumpsuits at Royal Ascot?” Andrea asked, pulling out a beautiful bright red £19 all-in-one with frilled detailing on the shoulders. It reminded me of an Emilia Wickstead design I tried on a few years ago. Luckily, jumpsuits were made an acceptable item for the Royal Enclosure in 2017, and the Countess of Wessex gave them the regal seal of approval by wearing one in 2018.

I did balk when I noticed that the jumpsuit has originally come from Phase Eight, which is not somewhere I’d usually shop (though I know many women love its timeless occasionwear), but reminded myself that nobody would be able to see the label once I was wearing it.

I felt the same when I later found a polka-dot Wallis skirt (£5.99) and a houndstooth Windsmoor jacket (£14.99) down the road in Oxfam but by wearing these two slightly clashing prints together the effect was, I hope, quite modern and elegant. After all, as Garnett says in the style guide: “Getting dressed up is about having FUN and Royal Ascot is the perfect event for that. Doing it in second-hand fashion makes it even more playful.” A handmade hat from Mary’s Living and Giving (£35) and a pair of fringed heels from Fara (£18) gave it a fun Ascot twist.

Take inspiration from social media

As I was about to leave, Andrea showed me the shop’s Instagram account. One of the volunteers had recently snapped an incredible vintage 1970s floral dress in our local park and I instantly knew it would be a wonderful Royal Ascot option, so she went off to dig that out, as well as a straw hat which matched the Princess Margaret-on-Mustique vibe, especially finished off with a £12 wooden bag. In future, I shall definitely keep an eye on the social media accounts of all my local charity shops.

Don’t look at sizes – and try on

I’m usually a size 10, but the pieces I’m wearing here range from a 10 to a 16. My normal charity shop modus operandi would be to move to the next rail once I’d inspected pieces in my size but because these items come from across so many eras and encompass so many different styles you need to think outside the box – in fact, the orange floral dress (nicknamed the Abigail’s Party dress by Andrea) looked all the better for being looser.

Get it altered

To make these pieces perfect for me, it would have been ideal to make small tweaks – the legs need shortening on the jumpsuit and the waistband on the polka-dot skirt could do with being taken in. Don’t be afraid to take on items like this if you know that with some minor adjustments they’ll be perfect – your local dry cleaner should be able to help.

I may not have stumbled upon the Chanel dress of my dreams but I’d be very happy to spend a day at Royal Ascot in two out of these outfits – I’ll leave you to guess which ones – and that was after just a 30-minute local sweep. The rest of you have six weeks to find yours. Happy charity shopping!

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