Literal fashion police patrol gates at Britain's Royal Ascot

Strict sartorial guidelines were set for this year's Royal Ascot horse race in the small English town of Ascot, and a team of ladies in purple suits patrolled the entryways to ensure the fashion dos and don'ts were strictly enforced.

Paul Edwards/Reuters

Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, getting schooled by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. (Maybe...)

Prior to the event, the official Ascot Racecourse website released two 16-page (okay, most pages were photographs) style guidebooks specific to either Royal Enclosure or Grandstand event attendees. Among the frowned upon (rather, banished): above-the-knee frocks, spaghetti-strap tops, and top hats in any color other than black or grey (in case you considering otherwise.) Notably, formal headgear is enforced within the Royal Enclosure in lieu of the fancy fascinators (decorative headpieces worn in place of a traditional hat) favored by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

But what if you dare to bare (your shoulders)? The Royal Ascot Dress Code Assistants (A.K.A. the fascinator fashion police) don't leave you high and dry. They'll be giving or renting out proper hats, ascots, and shoulder-covering shawls at the gates.

Now my question is -- what if dress codes were enforced at Boston sporting events? No more flip-flops at Fenway? Proper headgear for the Celtics? To be honest, I'd just be pleased if cranky attendees would just check their hostile attitude at the door but that's a situation for another type of policing unit to handle.