What to Wear to Powells Jewellery Ladies Day at Chester 2026: A London Milliner’s Guide

From the Merve Bayindir atelier, a guide to Ladies Day on the Roodee, the enclosure dress codes at the world’s oldest racecourse, and five hand-made pieces for the Best Dressed competition.

Chester does not need to borrow prestige from anywhere. Racing has been staged on the Roodee since 1539, which makes it the oldest racecourse in the world still in operation, and the course is also the smallest of the significant English tracks at just over a mile round. That tight circuit is the reason a day here feels different: the horses are never far away, the crowd is close to the rail, and the whole thing has the intimacy of a city event rather than a country meeting. Powells Jewellery Ladies Day returns this summer with a Best Dressed competition and live music after racing, making it the second great style day of Chester’s season. This is a guide to that day, written from the atelier.

The essentials: date, place and time

 

A racecourse built on a Roman harbour

The ground has a stranger history than most. In Roman times this land sat under water, part of the River Dee where Chester ran one of the great maritime ports of the north. The harbour silted up over the centuries, the water retreated, and what emerged was the flat expanse now called the Roodee. The name is a worn-down version of Rood Eye, meaning the island of the cross, after the small raised mounds at the centre of the course.

The first recorded race took place in 1539 with the consent of the mayor, Henry Gee, whose surname is one of the more persuasive explanations for why British racing still calls horses the gee-gees. The prize in those days was a silver bell given by the Chester Goldsmiths, which is a pleasing detail for a race day now sponsored by a jeweller. In 1744 the Grosvenor family replaced the bell with a Gold Cup, the May Festival was founded in 1766, and the Chester Cup followed in 1824. Almost five centuries on, the city walls still run along the eastern edge of the course, and anyone walking them on a race day can watch every race from above without paying a penny.

The first prize at Chester was a silver bell made by the city’s goldsmiths, which makes a jeweller’s Ladies Day feel less like sponsorship and more like a homecoming.

The Chester dress code, enclosure by enclosure

Chester sets its code by enclosure rather than by day, and the range is wide. The Roodee has no dress code at all, and is the one place where fancy dress and trainers are welcome. Tattersalls and the Paddock Pass ask for smart casual: a collared shirt and smart trousers or unripped jeans for gentlemen, smart attire for ladies, with no shorts, sportswear or fancy dress. The County Concourse moves up a step, requiring a collared shirt with a suit jacket or blazer and ruling out jeans and polo shirts. The County Long Room, Winning Post and The Garden sit at a polished smart-casual level, and it is worth knowing that no tie is required in any of the three. The hospitality areas and Chester Members enclosures are the dressiest of all: gentlemen wear a well-tailored blazer, collared shirt and tie, and the racecourse itself asks ladies for cocktail dressing and statement headwear. As with the race headwear worn at Ascot or the derby headwear at Epsom, the enclosure decides the register.

Chester puts it plainly in its own guidance, inviting guests to bring their best fascinators, frocks and fedoras. There is no rule anywhere on the course that a lady must wear a hat, and no enclosure will turn you away for arriving without one. What the Best Dressed competition rewards, though, is a considered head.

Late August on the Roodee

The date matters to the palette. On 22 August the season is turning, and the colours that read best sit a shade deeper than high summer: hot pink rather than pastel, navy rather than powder blue, purple and warm rose rather than ice tones. Chester is also a city course, so guests arrive on foot from the station and the town centre, which argues for a piece that travels well and stays put. The Dee brings a breeze up the straight even on a fine day, and the tight circuit means you will be standing close to the rail with people around you, where a wide brim is far less practical than a button or saucer piece.

Five Merve Bayindir pieces for Chester Ladies Day

The five below are hand-made in our London atelier and drawn from our summer occasion line. All are button and saucer shapes, chosen deliberately for a course where the crowd stands close together. Prices include UK VAT.

Brighton Fascinator

£1,450

A hot pink button fascinator with two long buntal swirls rising from the base, surrounded by hand-made roses, rosebuds and green leaves. The colour is unapologetic and the swirls give it height in profile, which is what a photographer on the rail is looking for. Wear it with ivory, deep pink or a clean white dress and keep everything else quiet.

Kaden Fascinator

£950

A navy button piece worn to the right of the head, worked with navy and white buntal swirls joined by multi-coloured crystal beads that form a flower shape where they meet. The crystals catch the light as you move, which makes it a fitting choice for a day sponsored by a jeweller. It sits well with navy, ivory or dove grey tailoring.

Onyx Fascinator

£1,450

A light blue button fascinator circled with pale crinoline and set with blue roses, shaded leaves and organza butterflies. Softly romantic and lighter in mood than the rest of the group, it suits a guest who wants detail rather than volume. Pair it with white, cornflower or the palest grey.

Tanner Fascinator

£1,000

A purple sinamay button fascinator with a curve of silk abaca shaped like a shell, two buntal swirls and a large pink silk rose. The purple and pink work against each other rather than matching, which is the kind of decision a judging panel notices. Wear it with plum, blush or clean cream.

Roseate Dream Fascinator

£2,100

The competition piece. A pink button base on the front right of the head, with wire branches curving up and across to the left and a single branch falling with one rose beside the face. It is sculptural, unmistakably hand-worked, and asks for a plain dress and nothing else in the way. If you are entering Best Dressed, this is the one to consider.

At a glance

Styling notes for the Roodee

Decide which enclosure you are in before you decide anything else, because Chester’s code shifts sharply between them. If you are in hospitality or a members area, cocktail dressing with a proper headpiece is the expectation rather than the exception. Position the piece forward and to one side, where it frames the face, rather than flat on the crown. Because the course is small and the crowd is close, button and saucer fascinators are more considerate to those behind you than a wide brim, and they cope better with the breeze off the Dee. Underfoot you have grass and hard standing and a walk in from the city, so a block heel will serve you far better than a stiletto over a full afternoon. Gates open at 11.30am and the music runs on after the last race, so dress for a long day rather than a smart hour.

Ordering, and what to expect

Our occasion pieces are made to order in the London atelier, part of a deliberate, low-waste way of working, so ordering with time in hand before late August is wise. If the date is close, our ready to ship pieces are dispatched within the next working day. Every order arrives in a custom box, with worldwide DHL Express shipping included.

Frequently asked questions

When is Powells Jewellery Ladies Day at Chester 2026?

It takes place on Saturday 22 August 2026 at Chester Racecourse, with gates opening at 11.30am. The day includes a Best Dressed competition and live music after racing.

What is the dress code at Chester Races?

It varies by enclosure. The Roodee has no dress code, Tattersalls and the Paddock Pass are smart casual, the County Concourse requires a jacket and collared shirt for gentlemen, and hospitality and members areas are the dressiest, asking for a tie for gentlemen and cocktail dressing for ladies.

Do you have to wear a hat at Chester?

No, headwear is not compulsory in any enclosure. Chester encourages guests to bring their best fascinators, frocks and fedoras, and anyone entering the Best Dressed competition will almost always wear a headpiece.

Is a fascinator better than a hat at Chester?

Often, yes. The Roodee is the smallest of the major English courses and the crowd stands close to the rail, so a button or saucer piece is easier to wear in a packed enclosure than a wide brim, and it holds better in the breeze off the Dee.

Why is Chester Racecourse called the Roodee?

The name is a worn-down form of Rood Eye, meaning the island of the cross, after the raised mounds at the centre of the course. The land was once part of the River Dee and emerged as the medieval harbour silted up.

Find your Chester hat

Every piece above is designed and hand-made in our London atelier by Merve Bayindir, a member of the British Fashion Council with selections in the Royal Ascot Style Guide. Explore the full range of hats and fascinators, the race headwear worn across the season, or begin with our Summer Occasion Headwear for the shapes that suit a day on the Roodee.

Sources

Powells Jewellery Ladies Day, Chester Racecourse: chester-races.com/whats-on/powells-jewellery-ladies-day/