AS SHE UNVEILS HER LATEST FASHION COLLECTION LAURA WHITMORE ON STYLE INSPO AND THE JOY OF A MULTI-FACETED CAREER

Posing up a storm in our exclusive HELLO! photoshoot, Laura Whitmore is reminiscing about when she first discovered an interest in fashion growing up in Bray, Co. Wicklow.

- BECKY DONALDSON

"In my home town, there wasn't a lot of choice. So I worked in a secondhand store, mainly to get all the best stuff," laughs the presenter, who is just as smiley and engaging as she is on screen, whether as host of Love Island or her debut chat show, Laura Whitmore's Breakfast Show.

"I found some amazing pieces that never made it to the shop floor because I bought them before anyone else did," she adds. "Secondhand shops showed me more brands and styles. It was exciting." Fast-forward a few years and Laura is celebrating the launch of her third Love & Roses x Laura Whitmore collection, AW24, for which she worked closely with the design team on each detail to ensure the pieces reflected her personality.

TWIST IN THE TAILORING

Her influence is so deeply woven into the collection that this season features a brand-new print called Laura Leopard. "I always have to have an animal print in the collection, and now I have my own - it has pink, blues and purples in it," she tells us.

The star is also a big fan of tailoring, so a twopiece sparkly silver suit is another key look. "I like tailoring with a twist, so we've done this one in metallic," she says, stroking the fabric. "It feels really good against the skin. It's about trying to find those pieces you can still wear in years to come, but we're also still touching our current trends." Laura's love of clothes blossomed during her childhood, largely influenced by her older cousins. "I don't have sisters, so I used to have my cousins' hand-me-downs. I loved it. I'd see something they were wearing and think: 'In a few years' time, I'll get that.' I still have some of those pieces now." As she grew older and began flicking through fashion magazines and seeing celebrities on the red carpet, her appreciation for fashion grew.

LEOPARD LOVER