For many of us we can find ourselves caught in a fashion cage, a defined personal style which is intrinsic to our personality and look, but at times can also hold us back from taking fashion risks. You know exactly what styles, trends and colours work best for you and as a result you become reluctant to stray from from the familiar and from what works for you. Well guess what? Sometimes it's worth taking that leap of faith and trying something new, not only can it breathe new life into your look, but can also make you rethink how you look at fashion, and more importantly how you look at yourself.

I have a very defined sense of personal style, I love well constructed, classically chic clothes, perfectly co-ordinated to within an inch of their lives creating a polished, sophisticated look. I'm not a fan of urban fashion, grunge or anything too funky, and my fashion icons are those who encompass timeless style such as Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. However my style "Alter Ego" loves show stopping looks, something a little different from what you normally see out and about that makes heads turn and creates a statement. So how so I balance these two approaches to style?


Well every now and then I like to take a fresh approach to my personal style and push my fashion boundaries and what better time to do this than at the recent University of Ulster Graduate Show taking place in the majestic surroundings of St Anne's Cathedral. What better time to take some style inspiration and push the fashion boundaries than at a fashion graduate show!

As much as I love my personal style, I really enjoy shaking things up a little every once in a while by injecting a new element to my existing style, this way it gives me an opportunity to push my fashion boundaries whist still staying true to my core style DNA.

It's so much fun to experiment style wise when I'm going to a fashion forward event and so I opted to rock a show stopping print when I attended the University of Ulster Fashion Graduate Show. The print in question was in crazy neon orange and pink leopard which really stood out but yet still felt polished and super chic. I loved how tailored the leopard "skort" suit was and by keeping my accessories super co-ordinated it was THE perfect way for me to try something new whilst still feeling like myself!


This skort suit is so well tailored for my petite frame, and I opted to pair it with a pretty lace crop top from TopShop to dress it up a little and give it a little edge! Then by carrying through the colour palette of the suit through to my accessories it kept everything super co-ordinated and polished, allowing the print to take centre stage!


Handbag wise I added a welcome injection of vitamin C in the form of this chic orange tote by Italian handbag label Furla, while my edgy leather cuff from Balenciaga picked up the hot pink accents in  my suit. A statement jewelled necklace from Esmara added a vintage feel to the look while my super sexy cage sandals from Karen Millen was THE perfect finishing touch to the ensemble!




This was one outfit I really enjoyed wearing, not only was it such a fun and eye catching outfit, it was also super co-ordinated and chic, and was the perfect balance between my desire to stay classically chic, but with a fashion edge! Such a cool look which I can't wait to wear again and again!


All photographs kindly taken by Adrian Quinn photography.

Ok I admit it, I'm known as a bit of a "Label's Queen" however most of us (myself included) can't always afford to have a wardrobe full of designer threads! Generally most of us either shop on the High Street, or mix and match our designer items with High Street pieces to get the look!