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.