Wolverhampton's designers celebrated

It was hats off to shops in Wolverhampton as they showed off their best outfits for a fashion shoot at the city's racecourse.

Big hats, glamorous outfits and dazzling accessories were the order of the day as Wolverhampton Magazine staged the shoot ahead of the racecourse's Ladies Evening on September 3.

The magazine will feature the full set of pictures in its August edition along with an interview with the stylist, 23-year-old Vanessa Vernon from Wolverhampton, who has designs on being the country's next Gok Wan.

Vanessa says: "Because it is so fast paced you have to have a passion for fashion. It is about learning to express yourself through what you wear.

Shops that took part in the event were Grace & Glory, Eligere and The Loft in Tettenhall and Vanessa Clarke, Diffusion and Shalom in Wolverhampton city centre.

Ruby Camp, from Teddy's Hair Design, worked her magic on the models, capturing the essence of an evening at the races.

Vanessa, who lives in Penn, said she was delighted to find so many high-end fashion stores in the city.

"Often when people go shopping in Wolverhampton they stick to Dudley Street and the Wulfrun and Mander shopping centres," said the young stylist, who lives in Coalway Road.

"However, if you go off the beaten track there are shops stocking designer named brands at reasonable prices."

Models taking part in the event included Min Harike, 29, from Finchfield, who was British Asian Model of the Year 2002, and 23-year-old Natasha Price from Coven.

Min said: "It was a fantastic day and wonderful to see some of the great items that are out there this summer.

"By the end of day most of us working on the project had made a shopping list of some of their favourite items - it just shows what you can find when you start hunting around."