When: 16 June
Joanne Black Style: Sharon Wauchob dress with Jitrois belt, YSL silver tribune heels, YSL clutch and Philip Treacy pink hat.

Joanne Black @ Royal Ascot

Those who think Ascot is about horse racing and Champagne, obviously haven’t been to Ascot. This is an event that would perhaps be best described as a catwalk show in a car park. I say car park, because I seemed to spend most of my day in one.

Firstly, I had to act my way into the car park reserved for jockeys and trainers by pretending to be a jockey’s wife. (I think the BMW Z4 green sports convertible I was

driving played an important part.) And then, after doing my turn on the racing catwalk, I was straight back to another car park for the after-party – where I met legendary Irish folk singer Paddy Reilly, the man behind The Fields of Athenry.
Thankfully, I did manage to leave the tarmac behind temporarily and find my way to Paddy Power’s private box. It was the perfect place to soak up the racing style scene, catch up with friend Kelley and the Bourke family – who had invited me for the day – and see my horse come in last (so much for the luck of the Irish!).

Joanne Black with friends

Paddy’s wife Sabena Power – dressed in a white Armani suit, Philip Treacy hat, Chloé shoes and great bag by Zagliani – was a charming hostess. Daughter Tessa Power wore a beautiful navy blue dress by Marc Jacobs; Kelley’s mother Mary opted for a stunning pink suit, Philip Treacy hat and vintage diamond necklace, and regular racegoer Chanelle McCoy – wife of champion jockey Anthony McCoy – looked elegant in a white fitted Amanda Wakeley suit, with a red satin Luella bag and patent LK Bennett shoes. Her hat was a fabulous red and white Robin Hood inspired creation, complete with pearls.

I did pick up a useful racing fashion tip on my day out – always remember to check the dress code before you decide what to wear. My Sharon Wauchob number was a little on the short side for the Royal Enclosure and left my shoulders exposed (two rules broken). Losing the belt and borrowing Kelley’s fur, however, transformed me into a respectable race-goer fit for a Queen!

Joanne Black and Mikhail Gorbachev

When: 6 June
Joanne Black Style: Amanda Wakeley hourglass black full-length gown with YSL white tux jacket and diamond and emerald earrings by H Stern.
Pic: En route to the gala with the new look.
Pic: Meeting Mr Gorbachev

I believe a great new haircut should never go to waste. That’s why I like to arrange an evening out after a cut and colour, to make the most of my ‘just stepped out of the salon’ look.

The Raisa Gorbachev Foundation Gala in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace proved the perfect event to put my new look through its paces – a look created by Lupo and Fred Geilly of Geilly Green. It wasn’t long before I was joking with Mr Gorbachev himself about our mutual love of Whiskey and Vodka and swapping Irish tales with Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

I have to say, it wasn’t a night designed for strapless dresses and short skirts – my white tux certainly kept me warm when the great British weather finally did its worst. But that didn’t stop some people from making a stylish entrance. Sophie Dahl looked wonderful in a see-through black knee-length dress; Natalia Vodianova wore a beautiful short fitted cream satin dress and Vanessa Redgrave complemented her elegant sky blue silk matching blouse and skirt with a lovely pink ethnic-inspired shawl.

The men also put on a good show. Jonathan Rhys Meyers wore a progressive fitted tux, waistcoat and unbuttoned shirt that worked well with his goatee; Jefferson Hack also opted for a trendy tux with a Jim Morrison inspired ruffled shirt and my good friend Mr Gilbert Costes from Costes Hotel Paris looked great in his shiny progressive Dior suit and skinny tie. In fact, I think the only people feeling the cold were the synchronised swimmers – how they still managed to pull off a fantastic performance I’ll never know.

The temperature did start to go up, however, when I started to bid for a holiday to Mozambique. It was a great idea at the time – raising money for Marie Curie Cancer Care and some Russian charities in the process – until I remembered how much mosquitoes like to feast on me. Don’t expect any fashionable holiday pics, that’s for sure!!!

When: 13-24 May 2009

Joanne Black...Yes We Cannes!

Cannes is the ultimate playground for serious fashionistas. To survive the glamour, back-to-back parties and beautiful sunshine, you need enough dresses, shoes, bags and jewellery to clothe a small nation – and lots of stamina.

The Carlton Hotel, close to the Bay of Cannes, provided the perfect setting for soaking up the style scene and the bumping into a few well-known faces – Quentin Tarantino, Pedro Almodovar and Martin Scorsese to name but a few (I even got a Bonsoir from Eric Cantona). But, when I think back to those wonderful weeks mingling with the world’s acting elite, it’s the parties that stick in my mind. And what parties they were!

Where: Club Le Baron at 3.14 hotel

Joanne Black catching up with Dina Rosenmeier

Club Le Baron comes but once a year to the shores of Cannes – and with it comes everything that is great about Parisian style and culture. Wearing a beige silk Paul and Joe dress and a lovely necklace designed by one of my clients, Yara Lasytsya, I spent the evening dancing to Debbie Harry, who put on an intimate concert for the crowds.

I even bumped into Dina Rosenmeier, an actress I studied with in the US.

Where: La Plage vitaminwater

Joanne Black taking a break from the sand with Mark Pennell

Ok, so a Marc Jacobs dress, YSL tux jackets and YSL Tribune platforms, isn’t what I’d normally wear down to a beach party, but even those high heels didn’t stop me dancing the night away to the sound of Jim Morrison and the Beatles.

The toilet queue was an unlikely highlight. Communal toilets and a long wait meant plenty of time to strike up some memorable conversations – and admire Peaches Geldof’s tattoos, which worked well with her black rock chic dress.