If you don’t have a personal trainer, stylist and make-up artist on tap how do you go about getting yourself ready for the premiere of your husband's first film – the one where you claimed you’d EAT YOUR HAT if you ever walked up the red carpet to - especially when it dawns upon you that you will be sharing that carpet with Clive Owen (no hardship, it’s true), Rosamund Pike and, of course, Pippa Middleton, one of the world’s most photographed women, who looked fantastic in a Temperly dress.

Well, luckily I have an army of amazing friends who have helped me get dressed for all my red carpet moments from last year’s royal wedding to last week’s premiere of SHADOWDANCER.  Having tried to track down the ‘best black trousers’ from The Kooples from holiday in Croatia (only 2 pairs left in the UK, and they didn’t quite do the red carpet trick), I eventually managed to get a beautifully cut pair of Hugo Boss cigarette pants from Winchester under the spurious excuse of taking my eldest son for a hair cut.  Once they’d passed the eagle eye of my friend Annabel, it was on to accessories, where I am in slightly more confident territory.  It was Jackie Kennedy who said ‘pearls are always appropriate’ and I guess she’s seen a red carpet or two.  And Grace Kelly is quoted as saying ‘I favor pearls on screen and in my private life’. So it was to my much loved  biography pearls 

that I turned and they didn’t, yet again, disappoint.  I think I have had my best cost per wear out of these really beautiful, lustrous pearls. We added a bit of modern styling by wrapping my Carrie rope of beautiful round white pearls as a cuff bracelet,

 then topped the whole look off with my royal wedding Miu Miu ballerina pink (definitely NOT nude) heels.

And off I went to eat my proverbial hat,and rub shoulders backstage with cast and crew. Clive was relaxed and charming, Rosamund extremely elegant and Pippa beautiful, fun and very friendly to all and sundry (a very straightforward, very nice woman). I felt on cloud nine.  Still do. But the hat remains uneaten.  Next stop the Oscars, by which time I would have to have an edible hat created for that red carpet.  Here’s hoping…