Fashion Fix with Noirin Kelly

Georgina Heffernan caught up with Big Brother's Irish star Noirin Kelly for a quick Fashion Fix.

GH: You're clearly a fan of fashion. Do you enjoy experimenting with your look?

NK: I absolutely adore fashion and I love experimenting with new trends all the time. I find my look is influenced not only by fashion trends but also by the experiences I have had, the people I have met and the countries I have been to; all these factors contribute to my individual style. I am very lucky, that because of my skin tone, I can pretty much get away with wearing bright bold colours or patterns. I also love to wear accessories and I think accessories, especially shoes, can totally transform an outfit.

GH: Who is your fashion icon or your greatest influence in matters of style?

NK: My fashion icon at the moment would have to be between Cheryl Tweedy and Vanessa Hudgens. I really adore Cheryl's look she is very versatile and seems to enjoy wearing different looks depending on the occasion. One day you might see her in contour classic sexy tailored designer dress and then the next day you might see her in a tight pair of fitted jeans with a shirt, accessories and a killer pair of boots or heels. Vanessa is also a fashion icon to me; she is very trendy and youthful in her look which I really like. She enjoys wearing jeans or hot pants with a tight t-shirt and flip flops, or sometimes, she goes for the girly look with the floral print dress and flip flops or pumps, which are perfect for the summer.

GH: As a woman in the public eye, how do you deal with so much focus being paid to your appearance?

NK: I have always been very conscious of what I wear. I believe that first impressions last, so I always try to dress the part depending on where I'm going because I think you can tell a lot about a person from the way they present themselves. I like to stand out from a crowd by wearing something sexy, bright colours, bold patterns or killer heels. I think its important to have your own unique style and to wear things that you feel comfortable in, or you wont have a good night or feel confident.

GH: Was it difficult to maintain a glamorous and groomed look when you were staying in the Big Brother house?

NK: It was very difficult to keep a glamorous look in the Big Brother house. I didn't realize until I went into the house how much I relied on hair straighteners and everyday hair and body products on the outside world. I am a qualified beauty therapist so I am very conscious of looking after my hair and skin. Before I went into the house I was told I was only allowed bring a certain amount of products in with me (e.g. hair shampoo, moisturiser, make-up etc) ,which ran out after about 3 weeks and we all ended up washing ourselves with hand wash!

I was also then told that there was no electrical equipment allowed into the house so that means no hair curlers, hair dryers and hair straighteners. I nearly died when I heard this because I have very curly hair which is a nightmare to look after. I was in the house for two months and in those two months I never blow dried my hair and only straightened my hair twice in that whole time! The minute the show finished - I made a beeline to the nearest hairdressers!

GH: That must have been an incredible yet strange experience. What did you learn from it?

NK: I learned quite a few things from being on Big Brother. One of the main things I learnt was how much I love and appreciate my family and friends and they are the most important things in life. I definitely made a few mistakes in the house but I definitely don't have any regrets.

GH: Have you ever had any major fashion disasters?

NK: Where do I start? When I was about nine or ten I loved Michael Jackson and I decided to try to look like him. My mother gave me a huge afro and I even tried to dress the same as Michael - of course it was total disaster. I think I have burnt every picture of me back then. My most recent fashion disaster was when I was wearing a floral dress to a photoshoot and I forgot to zip the back of the dress up all the way and throughout the shoot I kept wondering why it was so loose on my chest. Then when I got home my sister told me that the back of the dress was wide open. I was so embarrassed, what I don't understand is why didn't anybody tell me?!

GH: How would you describe your personal style?

NK: My personal style is casual and trendy during the day I'm definitely all about being comfortable. I'm always running about in town, through airports or just shopping so I love wearing a nice fitted pair of jeans with a vest top or t-shirt with a nice fitted black suit jacket with some nice accessories. I usually wear my Uggs in the winter but recently I have been wearing flip flops or pumps and a good trick is to bring a pair of heels with you in your bag just encase you want to dress it up.When I go out I usually wear a dress, I feel like I'm on a proper night out when I wear a dress. I like the fitted sexy classic look that isn't too short and that shows a bit of cleavage and I usually try to wear bright colours in the summer.

GH: Who are your favourite designer and your favourite high street?

NK: My favourite designer is Stephanie Rolland his dresses are very feminine; they would make any girl feel a million dollars. On the high street, I love to shop at French Connection because their clothes fit me very well. Recently they have gone all sparkly with a lot of their dresses, which is great because I love a bit of bling bling. My favourite high street shop would have to be River Island. It's cheap and it keeps up with the fashion trends and the clothes always seem to fit my body perfectly.

GH: What is your favourite city to shop in and why?

NK: I would have to say London because it seems to have all the shops you need all within walking distance and because it's not too far to go from Ireland. Even though London has a lot of the same shops as we do in Dublin, I find that London shops seem to have a bigger variety of clothing than we get in ours.