A KINGSTON student  has been named the town's most stylish shopper after having her picture taken in a Bentall Centre competition two weeks ago.

Holly Donoghue, a second year drama student, won £250 which she will spend under the guidance of the Centre's personal stylist Chantelle Znideric.

Donoghue said: "I never win anything so it is a bit of a shock. A friend and I were shopping and we saw they were taking photos so we thought we'd get our photo taken. I saw the photo the other day and thought 'oh my god why did I wear that outfit!' But I have always been into fashion and read the fashion magazines, so it is nice to get recognised."

"I particularly like the 1960s style, mini dresses, short things. There aren't any fashion icons anymore really, thirty years ago they were amazing. I do think Kingston students are very stylish though, particularly in drama, everyone has got a good personal style."

Chantelle Znideric, who runs a personal shopping service at the Bentall Centre, picked the winner of the competition.

She said: "In the end I did actually find it hard to pick a winner, the 'most stylish' entries really stood out, as they reflected confidence, personality and flair! A lot of the entries went for comfort over style and whilst being comfortable is an important aspect I felt their personalities weren't reflected in their overall outfits."

"I chose Holly because I liked the way she used colour and texture to combine an effortless and individual outfit, which reflects her own unique style. Style is something you have or you don't and often it's not about what you wear but how you put an outfit together. She looks completely at ease with herself. A lot of the time confidence is the key when it comes to looking good."

"Overall, I was surprised at the number of entries and I really liked the fact that the majority had real attitude - they weren't scared of striking those vogue poses!

Three others entrants were picked as runners up, including Kingston student Faris Mahder.

Znideric said: "I have to say I did love Faris's outfit but I would have liked to have seen more colour in it, he can get away with wearing brighter more vibrant colours. Even if just his tie or socks were highlighted in a bright colour it would have given him an edge."

Photographs of entrants were taken by Andy Newberry and Robin Moreé from Snappy Snaps in the Bentall Centre on February 25. These photos were then available for free in store the next day.

Moreé, manager of the Kingston Snappy Snaps branch, said: "It was good, the guys were up for it as well which was refreshing. Everybody said they wish they'd dressed up more, and I think people should make that effort."

"This was part of a special promotion for us. We are offering Kingston students 15% off most of our products until August so it has been a way of letting people know about that."