Hilary Alexander hosts Fashion For The Brave 2013

This year I attended Fashion for the Brave, which was held at The Dorchester Hotel. HRH Princess Beatrice is a patron and she attended the event in a black evening dress with buttons on dress, giving it a military influence.  Her table was next to mine - she's quite beautiful and elegant in person. The black tie event, organised by Hilary Alexander, raised funds for two charities - the Household Cavalry Fund and Soldiering On. The auctions raised over £65,000 -  the main auction lots included a Breiting Wind Walk, a week stay in Mount Cinnamon Resort, Granada and weekend stay at the Monaco Grand Prix.While most people dined on braised shoulder of lamb I opted for the vegetarian dish - a delicious mushroom risotto. The Military Wives performed and it was very moving. After the dinner and auction, the  gala hosted a catwalk show curated by Hilary Alexander OBE featuring the best of  British brands that included Alexander McQueen, Hackett, Mulberry, David Koma, Fyodor Golan, Sister by Sibling Marques Almeida and Peter Pilotto.The show started with some camp dancers gyrating away to ' Staying Alive' - it was quite tongue and cheek, and the audience found it delightful and amusing. Then we went right into a full on catwalk show celebrating British culture, from sporting life to the country garden and of course black tie. There was great excitement all around when Abbey Clancy appeared on the catwalk wearing  Julien MacDonald's crystal beaded British flag couture dress and a glove by Sheeva Moshiri.Guests included Julien MacDonald, Melissa Odabash, Abbey Clancy, Peter Crouch, Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs, Nicky Clarke and Kelly Simpkin (who has just designed her first collection of coats).I love when people make an effort to dress up and these Russian girls looked stunning!The camp and delightful opening for the fashion show!My table with guests of jewellery designer Sheeva Moshiri and Soldiers from the Household Cavalry.Flaming vanilla creme brulee, mango sorbet and a chocolate tart! It's always exciting to have a flaming desert!