An Interview With Cherona Blacksell, Fashion Designer(3/3) By Bekki Stephenson Accessories are the best invention ever - except for bras!

(1/3), (2/3), (3/3).

She admits 'I much prefer shopping in Birmingham because there's much more choice and even if you still shop in Topshop there's a bigger selection. I hated it when Hull got a Primark because I used to buy things from the store in Birmingham and no one in Hull had seen it before but now there are Primark clones every where. It is fantastic though! I love that you can go in there and revamp your entire wardrobe for a new season and spend so little!

I'm a huge fan of their huge 2 quid sunglasses this summer!' She excitedly passes me the pair out of her bag. She claims that mixing and matching things is best and as we have shown on the site, Hull has some great vintage places and charity shops that are great for one off pieces which can change the entire look of your outfit. 'A top that everyone has from Miss Selfridge can look totally different depending on who is wearing it and what with,' she explains. 'Accessories are the best invention ever! - Except for bras! And Haagen- Dazs!; she laughs.

Having established that there is such a wealth of opportunity in Hull to enter into the fashion industry, what advice would Cherona give to all those interested? 'Just go for,' she beams. 'If it's something that you think you would really enjoy, then do it! But be aware that it is a very intense thing that takes up a lot of your time. You have to eat sleep and breathe fashion - especially the week before a deadline, as I'm sure any student will tell you! You need determination but if you're willing to work at it you will get a lot of out it - not just late nights!'

Cherona took the BTEC path after GCSEs to get to where she is now but explains that A-Levels and then art and design foundation specialising in fashion is also a popular route. 'Both routes have good factors' she says 'you need to find the way that best suits you'. I think with anything, what you put in, you will get out. I think people should follow their dreams no matter what, but you definitely need to be determined in whatever you do. I wouldn't change it for anything. I've got so much out of studying fashion and going to university and I just hope I continue to achieve my goals because there's still along way for me to go!' To contact Cherona regarding her work, please email bekki@thisisull.com.

Fashion - Living With... Large Thighs By Jo Allison
	As summer shines upon us, I breathe a sigh, and not one of relief; tights are officially over. For another season I must succumb the general public to my wobbling white flesh, nylon coverings are just far too warm. As a baby, I was evidently very well fed, as they say breast is best, and as a result, I grew alarmingly large as a child. Looking back at old primary school Read more...

Fashion - Boys Catch The Beauty Bug By Bekki Stephenson
	Gone are the days when men got home from work, gave themselves a quick dousing with soap and water only to appear in the local five minutes later. Today, as the male population thrust themselves into the 21st century a seemingly more rigorous hygiene routine is in place. It is not just systematic personal hygiene that is top priority in the noughties Read more...

Fashion - Hulls Next Top Model? Well, Perhaps Not ... By Jo Allison
	As an aspiring fashion journalist I was wiggling around with excitement when my friend Lucy asked me to doing some modelling for a fashion designer friend of hers..I just wasn't entirely prepared for the whole model experience. Two o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon and I'm nervously waiting at Beverley bus station for my friend to arrive. Sunglasses on, little wheelie suitcase in hand. Read more...

Fashion - Punk; Thirty Years On By Bekki Stephenson
	Thirty years ago, gig tickets cost 50p, a pint of beer 15p and 20 cigarettes 30p. There were only three television channels, all of which shut down at midnight and the greatest fashion accessories were 4-inch, break-your-neck platforms. Indeed, in 1976 the world of iPods, satellite navigation, X boxes, and video phones seemed almost impossible. Perhaps not half Read more...

Fashion - A Voyage of Vintage Discovery In Hull By Jo Allison
	The world's fashion capitals have never to my knowledge once included the lovely English northern city of Hull, but perhaps this is about to change. Hull, not notorious for its fashion sense (unless you are a fan of extensive gold jewellery, tracksuits with the obligatory tucked in socks or small scraps of brightly coloured lycra masquerading as tops) has always had a underground Read more...

Fashion - A Bohemian Revolution By Jo Allison Photographs by Cilla, Fashion Show Gallery at Lattitude 27th February 2006 by Paul Broadbent
	A little shop of heaven, just down Newland Ave. Jo had been traipsing around Hull for three hours and rummaged through just about every clothing rail in Hull. She had a big night out coming up that weekend and needed that elusive fashionista party dress. The only problem was she really couldn't find a thing. She dreamed of looking like a model, Read more...

Fashion - Plump Those 'Lovely Lady Lumps!' By Jo Allison
	Just when you thought you were going to have to shell out thousands and go under the knife to get that bouncy JLo bottom... Hallelujah for the "Falke Foam Buttocks!" However, if padded briefs seem a bit too excessive; take a look at six of the gentler ways to get that "just had surgery look". No pain, no gain, or so the saying goes. For decades women have been living up to this Read more...

Fashion - If You Haven't Got it, Flaunt It By Jo Allison
	David Bailey's most recent project, Democracy, takes a frank, naked view of the real human body. Just what we need in our aesthetically obsessed society. For too long now skinny has been beautiful, airbrushing a prerequisite. The fashion world is perhaps one of the worst culprits for warping our perception of the human body, but the latest offering from Read more...

Fashion - Trendy Traditionalists By Jo Allison
	Lost your patriotic sense of what it means to be British? Do not despair. As Gordon Brown urges us to celebrate Britain, Jo Allison re-introduces us to our classically cool English Heritage, from traditional tea to quaint seaside holidays. Queuing is undoubtedly an extremely English, if somewhat boring occurrence. However, it can be rather enlightening. While queuing in the Post Office, I Read more...

Fashion - Platform News By Bekki Stephenson
	From disco-inspired, glittering soles to five-inch wooden heels, platform shoes are destined to get you noticed. It is no surprise then that they were all over the catwalk this season. From post-war inspired cork soles to seventies inspired disco-classics, the runway was flooded with platform shoes this season. After so many seasons of flowing, dainty designs a shift towards a style less Read more...

Fashion - Fur Goodness Sake By Bekki Stephenson
	Supermodel Elle McPherson has backed out of a £1 million contract with luxury fur company Blackglama over fears that she will be targeted by anti-fur extremists. But should we really ban fur? Or are we being manipulated by anti-fur movements? I like fur. I don't wear it very often, partly due to the unforgiving looks of those from the I'd rather go naked Read more...

Fashion - Sharon's Fashion Page
	Yeah it's Sharon here, Sharon Saxby in fact, though with my special interest in jewellery I suppose I should be called Sharon Stone. That was a joke. Anyway. Here I am with my new exciting fashion page, featuring all the latest trends from our estate. I can guarantee you'll find something here that you wouldn't Read more...

Fashion - Revolver: When Mod meets Modification By Daniel Laney
	The new vintage clothing shop set to make a big impact in Hull city centre. Trinity Market, Hull (Opposite Trinity Church. Mon - Sat 9am-5pm) When the terms Retro or Vintage are linked with clothes, thoughts of over priced charity shop fabrics and the smell of musty damp cupboards rapidly come to mind. However, with Read more...

Fashion - Looking Good for a Makeover at Les Ciseaux
	by Cilla Les Ciseaux Salon is jointly owned and run by sisters Karen Grant and Cheryl Boulton, aided by Jeannie. Karen is a stylist with 19 years experience in the business and it was her job to make my hair look gorgeous! Cheryl, the salons resident beauty therapist was going to do her best with my face! Read more...

Fashion - Love From Holly by Cilla
	Some of Hulls local young talent showed what they were made of last Monday (4th August) in a bright and vibrant summertime bonanza at the Welly club, Beverley Road. The late-night fashion show was organised by young designer Holly Cryan, who also featured an original collection made under her own label, 'love from holly'. Also supporting the event were designer Emma Lou and with 2 of his current collections in the show, Phil from Rockerfellas Boutique in the Hepworth Arcade in Hull. Read more...