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!

Where: The Palm Restaurant, London
Joanne Black Style: Sharon Wauchob blouse and jacket, Jitrois leather leggings worn with knee high Lazar cut-over-the-knee boots

Having lived in New York for 3 years, I find it hard now to get through November without Thanksgiving. So, when invited to a London lunch hosted by Arnaud and Carla Bamberger and Charles and Sydney Finch, I jumped at the chance to join the celebrations.

The Bambergers and the Finches certainly know how to attract a stylish crowd. Elettra Rossellini – the face of Lancome – wore a fab pair of green tights with a short LBD showing of her long legs, models Astrid Munoz looked great in a mustard top (the perfect colour for her skin tone), while English rose Saffron Aldridge kept it simple and stunning in a white shirt. Hostess Sydney stole the show, however, with an elegant grey textured wool Prada dress.

Given I will be basking on a beach in the sun when most people are tucking into Christmas lunch this year, a three course lunch with turkey and all the trimmings was a welcome sight. Whoever said beautiful people don’t eat, though, obviously hasn’t been to a Thanksgiving event. I have never seen pecan pie disappear so fast and plates look so spotless!

Location: Annabel’s night club London.
Joanne Black Style: IWC Schaffhausen Chronograph automatic silver watch with black strap.

Joanne Black's IWC Schaffhausen Chronograph Automatic

This has to be the first event I have ever attended, where being fashionably late just wasn’t the done thing.

In many ways, Vanity Fair’s On Time magazine launch party was an event like no other. Never before have I set foot in Annabel’s nightclub at a time typically reserved for pre-dinner cocktails – and left before 8pm! Never before has clock watching at a party been actively encouraged. And never before have guests cared less about your choice of high-end fashion, and more about your choice of timepiece.

Transformed into an exclusive emporium of time, Annabel’s had everything from Cartier and Breitling to IWC and Asprey. When I wasn’t listening to host and editor Nick Foulkes discuss his love of time or sharing memories of my summer break in St Tropez with Arnaud Bamberger of Cartier, I was answering questions about my own watch – an IWC Schaffhausen Chronograph automatic. Designed for men, I was determined to show even the MD of IWC himself how a few masculine touches in women’s styling can be a very good thing. Why else are boyfriend jackets such a wardrobe staple?