A day at the races...

I arrived mid-morning at Waterloo. At first I thought that the guy in the top hat and tailed coat had simply gotten lost on the way to the Palace. But soon I noticed other subjects in morning suits, and chiffon dresses, and froufrou hats - and the women were dressed up, too!

Natch, it’s Ascot, I thought, as cameras clicked copiously on the concourse. It was all great fun, free of pretence at style or fashion and really, rather naff. But what better way to go in these recession-bound times, than to take time out from pretending to make money, get the glad rags on and spend a day at the races.

This brief exercise in concourse couture set me thinking: why do brightly-coloured frocks look so stunning alongside black suits? More next time…