Joanne Black and Lolita - Royal Ascot 2010

Where: Ascot Racecourse
The hats:
Thursday: Black Angie B hat with a ribbon under the neck
Friday: Funky cream Anthony Peto hat

Joanne Black Style:
Thursday: White Spring/Summer 2010 Sharon Wauchob dress, with a black crochet bolero style jacket, YSL belt, Alaia ankle boots, Alexander McQueen bag, red Prada sunglasses and Stephen Webster jewellery
Friday: Camel Bottega Veneta dress, with a vintage mink shawl, Sergio Rossi ankle boots and a Ferragamo bag

There’s one thing I love more than backing Ascot’s Gold Cup winner Rite of Passage (a 20-1 chance) and enjoying the celebrations, and that’s dedicating a whole two days of my year to that often forgotten aspect of fashion: hats!

Joanne Black @ Ascot 2010

Strolling round the Royal Enclosure, I felt like I was attending a festival of fashion rather than a horse racing event. The royal racegoers were out in force – Princess Beatrice looking beautiful in a gold Grecian-inspired dress, navy bolero jacket and a navy hat and the Queen stepping out in a lovely lavender outfit and matching hat on Ladies’ Day (much to the frustration of those who thought she’d be in yellow).

Anyway, back to hats! I was spoiled for choice when it came to looking for great styles over the two days. When I wasn’t staring at Jackie St Clair’s striking red anemone-shaped hat, I was enjoying Wilnelia Merced’s wonderful orange and brown hat with beautiful long feathers, which she accessorised with an orange and gold high-waisted pencil skirt, nude cami and see-through top. Danish designer Isabell Kristensen wore a beautiful DD Valentine large-rimmed black hat with pink flowers, which looked great with a white dress from her own couture collection. And Joan Collins looked absolutely wonderful with a Philip Treacy hat and turquoise jacket with puffed sleeves.

Beyond the obvious excitement of the headwear – and the remarkable win with Rite of Passage – I was delighted to be snapped by a photographer compiling a book about 300 years of Ascot. Who knows, my face might be in all good bookshops this time next year!

Joanne Black @ the Raisa Gorbachev Foundation Gala

Where: Hampton Court
Joanne Black Style: White dress with scooped neckline from Osman Spring/Summer 2010 white collection, YSL bag, shoes and jewellery

Walk the red carpet with a fashion designer and you’ll never want to walk it alone again. Arriving at the Raisa Gorbachev Foundation Gala on the Osman’s arm was a moment I will never forget. Sporting a red sash, he looked like a fabulous picador, and was certainly the best dressed man there. He described me as his muse for the night – and wearing a beautiful modern geisha-style creation from his spring/summer collection, I was definitely dressed for the part.

Hosting a table at the fifth annual Gala – a night dedicated to raising money for the Foundation and Marie Curie Cancer Care – gave me the perfect opportunity to both surround myself in fashionable people, and do a bit of style spotting. Among the highlights was Hugh Grant, the humorous commentator for the night. He looked effortlessly cool and ruggedly handsome in a suit with an open neck shirt. Anjelica Huston (who I consider to be a bit of an inspiration for everything she’s packed into her life) wore a lovely black and white dress and Tracey Emin put in a stylish appearance in Vivienne Westwood. And businesswoman Helen Davison went creative with a skirt crafted out of a Matthew Williamson dress and a handmade black lace top (I reckon she’ll be a designer to watch in future). But the coolest look of the night came from the ever-youthful Yasmin Le Bon, who stepped out in a trendy, dramatic fan-detail structured cocktail dress.

Raising nearly £2m for charity, the Gala was a huge success. I left Hampton Court that night a little lighter – having secured a three day apprenticeship with photographer Tony McGee and danced the night away to the sound of Bryan Ferry – and feeling better than ever. The dress was a huge hit and saw me receive more compliments than I ever thought possible. At a fitting with Osman (where I tried on three dresses from his white collection) he said the full-length number would be a winner with well-matched accessories – and he was right! Being told I had the best look of the night was great, but hearing that I’d managed to secure Osman a new following (and an order or two) by promoting his fabulous designs, was even better.

Mira Anafina, Joanne Black & Zhanar Kaliyeva

Where: Hotel du Cap

Joanne Black Style: White Jitrois leather dress, Lanvin sandals, Prada bag and De Beers diamonds

Put more than 400 stars of the screen – and international scene – together with fabulous food, a 20-minute firework display, dancers in catsuits and Cheryl Cole as guest of honour and what do you get? An unforgettable night out, that’s what!

This year’s de Grisogono Party, which was hosted by Fawaz Gruosi (who looked stylish in a stunning blue suit), was spectacular from start to finish. In style terms alone there was plenty to get excited about. Cheryl Cole stole the show on not one, but three occasions! First, she wowed us with her breath-taking Roberto Cavalli strapless black tulle gown and dazzling de Grisogono jewels. Then she delivered a great 30-minute set on stage, which included the song such as Stand Up. And finally, she gave us a look at her cute and daring side with a coral red twisted pleat georgette dress by Julian McDonald. What a woman!

Special mention also should be made of Naomi Campbell, who looked fantastic in a short white beaded L’Wren Scott dress and those dancers in red glitzy catsuits and black jackets (I was exhausted just looking at them dance away to Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal). Wow!

Joanne Black & Mira Anafina at the Chopard party

Where: VIP Room
Joanne Black Style: Nude Martin Margiela dress, Sharon Wauchob jacket, Bottega Venetta earrings, YSL clutch and Sergio Rossi shoes

What’s better than spending the evening sipping wine at a lavish star-studded party? Sipping wine at two lavish star-studded parties! When faced with Charles Finch spectacular and Chopard’s 150th anniversary party, there really is only one option – go to both.

Fashionistas and film festivals are a match made in heaven, and you only need look round the room at a Chopard party to find out why. Less was certainly more at this event. While Paris Hilton went long with a beautiful plunging royal blue gown, Eva Herzigova wore a super-short nude number, presenter for the evening Myleene Klass went strapless with a knee-length nude outfit and Lindsay Lohen wore a short snappy number with silver-coloured shoulder accessories. Marion Cotillard even opted for an edgy alternative to the full-length gown, stepping out in a glitzy jump suit.

This was, however, a night dedicated to more than just the well-styled and the stylish. Lionel Richie gave a show-stopping performance, belting out numbers such as a Dancing on the ceiling and Easy on a Sunday Morning, and Jesus Luz did a great turn as DJ, helping us dance the night away.

Where: Hotel du Cap
Joanne Black Style: Nude Martin Margiela dress, Sharon Wauchob jacket, Bottega Veneta earrings, YSL clutch and Sergio Rossi shoes

Everyone wants an invite to a Finch Quarterly dinner. After last year’s exclusive event, which saw everyone from Mick Jagger and Ralph Fiennes to Rachel Weisz revel in the delights of a Finch feast, I expected to be surrounded by a who’s who of stars from the world of movies, fashion and the media. And I was not disappointed.

This, the second dinner of its kind, was hosted by the man described as the ‘Cannes-do guy’ in honour of Director Bertrand Tavernier. With a guest list that included L’Wren Scott and Christian Louboutin, I knew talk of fashion would be high of the evening’s agenda. L’Wren Scott wore a fab hot pink dress from her collection, which she teamed with some very interesting pink, yellow and green sandals, and Louboutin looked like he was having great fun talking to Sydney Ingle-Finch while sporting a bright blue hat with a yellow band. And I’m not surprised – the dancers for the evening were all wearing shoes from his collection.

But they weren’t the only ones making a style statement. Glenn Close looked elegant in an icy grey jacket and camisole, Jenson Button was every inch the champion of speed in smart jacket with a crisp white open necked shirt, Mick Jagger had a beautiful bold scarf and Dominic Cooper worked the black suit and skinny tie look to perfection.

If that wasn’t enough excitement for one night, I even got the chance to share a laugh with ex bond villain Mads Mikkelsen, who played Le Chiffre in Casino Royale, before rushing off to another party with friend Mira Anafina.