High heels in vogue at Ascot Ladies Day

Women dug out their most elegant high heels on Thursday for one of biggest days in the fashion calendar - Ladies Day at the Royal Ascot race meeting.

Wearing glamorous designer shoes to complement their luxurious outfits, fashionistas turned up in their thousands to watch the day's events and flaunt their hats and heels.

Georgina Owen Rafferty even had her shoes custom made by Jimmy Choo to match her pink ensemble. She told the Associated Press that they "fit like slippers" because they were made by the man himself.

Royal Ascot is known for its strict dress code, with spaghetti straps and mini skirts seen as a major fashion faux pas.

Hadley Freeman, The Guardian's deputy fashion editor, explained that the aim of the code is to prevent the event from turning into "Ibiza by the racetrack".

"It's quite sweet," she told the Associated Press. "Ascot is trying to present an image of old England that doesn't exist any more, not in a country where Big Brother is so popular."

Celebrity Ascot-goers stuck to the rules but added their own individual fashion twists, including Lisa Snowden, who wore a pair of aquamarine dress shoes with her Alberta Ferretti gown.