Paula Laschera and Joanne Black

Lanvin Autumn/Winter 2011

Where: Espace Ephémère Paris

Joanne Black style: Jitrois leggings, Wolford jumper and Lanvin heels

When people talk about the Autumn/Winter collections, their minds are usually fixed on the latest LBD, the use of colour or masterful cuts on display. But when I think back to the fabulous Lanvin show – my last at Paris Fashion Week – I have to start by mentioning the runway. And what a runway it was! Any model that can navigate a Hollywood-style staircase while trying to look glamorous is to be admired.

It wasn’t just the runway that kept me entertained at this show. With chocolate lollipops and bubbly on tap, it was a treat just turning up. Then we have the collection itself, which unusually contained a lot of black. Gone were the candy colours of 2009 and in came models with black wigs, short dresses with edgy heels and fur-trimmed boots. Shoulders were often accentuated with oversized outfits, such as a khaki coat and double-breasted red coat. Alber Elbaz was in top form.

Strangely for a fan of all things black, I had my eye on a short hot burgundy number and a grey long sleeved sexy dress. I also could have easily left wrapped in one of the fab furs – especially a black and white piece that looked like it was going to take flight as was paraded along the runway.

With all eyes on the catwalk, it was hard to take in the crowd, but I did manage to spot Jade Jagger posing for the photographers in one of my Oscars dresses. Nice choice Jade.

Joanne Black @ Balmain show

Golden piece by Balmain

Location: Le Grand Hotel Paris
Joanne Black style: black BCBG top, Zadig & Voltaire jeans and Ash boots

Designer Christophe Decarnin gave Paris Fashion Week the royal treatment with his combination of regal purples and glittering gold pieces – not to mention the ‘Prince’ soundtrack!

The Balmain A/W ready-to-wear collection had everything for the fun-loving party girl and Oscars attendee. If it wasn’t glittering with gold, it didn’t make it down the runway. With a gold leather dress – slashed to the navel and covered in beads and sequins – beautiful belts, and jackets, skin-tight pantsuits and spray-on leggings, there wasn’t an understated outfit in sight!

Funnily enough, it wasn’t so much the gold that caught my eye. I did quite fancy a pair of the sassy red leather trousers on show. I also loved Carine Roitfeld’s Balmain boots with gold buttons, which she displayed proudly from her front row seat. Carine’s both a Balmain fan and a trendsetter, so it looks like we’ll all be golden girls later this year.

Sharon Wauchob signature piece

Where: Les Beaux Arts de Paris
Joanne Black style: black Sharon Wauchob coat and top, Zadig & Voltaire jeans and Ash boots

You have to be a skilled designer to work with leather – especially when the leather in question is being draped on the body to form a stunning dress – and Sharon Wauchob is just that.

As a lover of black clothes, I knew that Wauchob’s collection would give me plenty of inspiration for my autumn/winter wardrobe. This season there was no room for strings, leather strips hanging down or shards of material – details which have long been associated with Wauchob’s style. But even with a more minimal approach, the distinctive mark of this Paris-based Irishwoman was still very much there – clothes were finely tailored and sexy, leather mini dresses were shredded and bomber jackets looked cooler than ever, with studs and indentations.

The stand-out piece was a beautiful chain mail dress that seemed to glide over the model’s body. For fans of all things daring, Wauchob always delivers.

Joanne Black @ Milan Fashion Week

Where: Milan
Joanne Black style: Wolford body and tights, leather skirt, YSL heels and a Topshop jacket

There was much to talk about as the Fashion Week action switched to the streets of Milan in Italy – not least the exciting line-up of models on the Prada runway, which included Miranda Kerr, Doutzen Kroes, Alessandra Ambrosio, Rosie Huntington Whiteley and Bianca Balti.

The Autumn/Winter 2011 Prada collection was as much about great clothes as it was a comment on what it means to be sexy in 2011. ‘Our vision of what is sexy in women is getting narrower,’ said designer Miuccia Prada backstage after the show. ‘It is all about bows and frills and clichés now. Women can’t seem to give these clichés up.’

You didn’t have to be a fan of shiny heels and sexy black lace, however, to enjoy Prada’s latest pieces. There were plenty of outfits designed to add an interesting twist to everyday office wear. With a mix of 50s-style long-sleeved wool dresses, bell skirts, high necks, A-line hems, cropped jackets, cable knits and patterned tights, Prada was certainly out to prove that the way to be sexy this autumn is to cover up!

Wintle authentic luxury

Where: Somerset House
Joanne Black style: Sharon Wauchob jacket and trousers, Wolford body, Alaia ankle boots and a Chanel bag

Designer Jsen Wintle can make any man look great. Over the last five years he has established a reputation for creating authentic luxury menswear using hand tailoring, rich fabrics and amazing precision.

Style certainly stretched beyond the catwalk at this show. Sat front row, I had a great view of Jefferson Hack – looking cool in a grey jacket with interesting elbow patches – and Harold Tillman, who was clapping vigorously as a range of the double breasted grey and black tux suits and textured grey mid-length coats came into view.

I loved the velvet and corduroy trousers and the use of brushed, felted, mottled and piled finishes, which gave traditional tailoring a fabulous twist. The limited edition eye wear designed using vintage materials honey horn and mottled German resin also held my attention. Jsen certainly gave us the right balance of preppy, sporty and vintage.

I know what I’ll be dressing my male clients in next season!