Ascot chucks out the chavs

Women face being banned from the Royal Enclosure at Ascot this year if their skirts are more than two inches above the knee or their tops have straps less than an inch wide.

Course chiefs have spelled out how to dress properly at one of the highlights of the Season and they have even warned about under-wear. Women, they advise, must wear "knickers", adding: "But not on show, please ladies!" Streaky fake tans are "a total fashion faux pas and there's no excuse".

A dress code for racegoers, dubbed "anti-chav" by insiders, has been posted to each attendee with their ticket and is available on the Ascot website. No exceptions will be made this year and race course stewards will enforce the ban strictly.

The move brings Ascot into line with Henley, which already makes clear to regatta guests that there are strict rules on fashion.

Patrons of Ascot's Royal Enclosure, where racegoers must be invited by an existing member, had expressed concern that sartorial standards were slipping. Last year a ban on exposed midriffs was introduced but traditionalists still felt the amount of bare flesh on display was pushing boundaries too far.

When the five-day meeting begins on Tuesday ladies will find halterneck and off-the-shoulder creations have been added to the blacklist. Traditionally men entering the VIP area have always had to wear morning dress, including a waistcoat and top hat. Other faux pas to avoid in the Royal Enclosure are chewing gum and talking on a mobile phone.

Nick Smith, head of public relations for the course, said: "There seems to be a growing lack of understanding about what morning dress means, particularly with respect to women. Our dress code has not fundamentally changed but this year we felt there was a need to spell it out and tighten up the specific requirements."

Men in the general enclosures face tighter dress rules. For the first time they will be asked to wear ties and jackets wherever they are in the grounds.

Etiquette guide Debrett's has drawn up a new set of rules to help young people politely navigate social networking sites. It says users should never post a profile picture they would not want to see in their local newspaper. And it was always necessary to wait 24 hours to "gather your thoughts" before accepting or removing a friend.