The Olympics are, quite rightly, the focus of everyone's attention this summer. Yet the arrival in Britain of this once-in-a-generation sporting extravaganza does not mean that the nation's year-in, year-out fixtures should be neglected. Starting next Tuesday, Glorious Goodwood is a race-meeting that dates from 1801 and holds the unique distinction of being - by some several lengths - the most stylish in the land.
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This is thanks to two men: Edward VII, who at the turn of the last century established a dress code at Goodwood that makes it stand apart from the uneasy, My Fair Lady meets the J2O generation anachronisms of Ascot; and the current Lord March, guardian of Goodwood and keeper of Edward's sartorial flame.
Edward VII, an enthusiastic roué who attended the event in tandem with his mistress Alice Keppel (and was locally rumoured to have left an illegitimate daughter living nearby), reputedly described Goodwood as a "garden party with racing tacked on". It was that partying that attracted him just as much as the horses. So although he tended to be a conservative dresser and a particular stickler for traditional dress codes when on official business, he was happy to dress down for Goodwood.
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Instead of the set-in-stone formality of Ascot - where he always stuck to the rules - Edward was a suit man here. According to Debrett's it was his championing of more informal attire in the first few years of the 20th century that granted the hoi polloi licence to wear the same. And according to Christopher Hibbert's biography of Edward, Winston Churchill later assured his mother that it was the King's "sensible example" that meant "everyone wore tweed suits" to Goodwood.
King Edward VII (front row) in his dapper suit at Goodwood
As well as tweed, they wore flannel and linen, and on hot days the recently introduced Panama hat, too.
A century later, Edward's Goodwood look still prevails. Panamas are sold on-site - proper, roll-up-ables made in Equador - and gentleman, although not obliged to, are encouraged to counter the conservative bohemianism of the women's floaty florals by following the King's example. "We're not interested in acting like the police," says Lord March from Goodwood, "but I do like it when people make a bit of an effort."
Lord March's own linen suit collection runs to a dark blue, a light blue, and several sandy-coloured numbers. He is particularly keen on uncoloured linen and points out that the best thing about a good linen suit "is that it gets better as it gets older".
If you are heading for Goodwood next week but unfortunately lack a linen suit moulded by multiple wearings to the contours of your shoulders, then don't despair as there are several excellent off-the-peg options open to you.
Favourbrook, the dandy-ish formalwear company started by Oliver Spencer before he struck out as a "name" designer in his own right, makes an excellently cut but unromantically named two-button navy single breasted called the FBMJ134 (jacket £490, available at favourbrook.com).
For that natural look favoured by Lord March, John Lewis has an extremely elegant undyed organic linen suit (left) that would make a suitable Panama counterpoint, as well as several coloured variations in "mink", taupe and stone.
They're perfect for Goodwood - and would cut a dash in Stratford, too.
Read more of Luke Leitch's columns
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