Today Ava Cassidy — one half of the Kate & Ava design duo (www.kateandava.ie) — talks to us about what she’s wearing

A silk dress and black jacket from the Kate and Ava collection with a Zara belt and boots from Brown Thomas.

How much did it cost?

The dress and jacket cost €315 and €325 respectively. I paid €20 for the belt and €200 for the boots.

What do you love most about it?

I like this print; it has warm tones and it is not too girly. It is a really comfortable outfit, but I can still wear for work or without the jacket for after work drinks.

Who is your fashion icon?

It changes a lot. At the moment I like Zoe Saldana’s style for red carpet events. There is a blogger called Kelly Framel (theglamourai.com) — I am quite drawn to her styling.

Which designers do you admire?

Azzaro, Rodarte, Philip Lim and so many more.

What is the last thing you bought?

These boots.

What was your biggest splurge?

A pair of Prada shoes which cost about €500. They were expensive, but I wore them a lot and they went with everything. Sadly I had to retire them as they eventually started to look a little shabby.

What is your best bargain buy?

I love shopping in general, but I don’t buy masses of things. I have a rule that if I wouldn’t pay full price for something than I don’t buy it in sale. That being said, I have bought a few good quality leather bags in discount stores in The States.

Where do you like to shop?

Mostly I shop in independent boutiques around the country. As I am checking in with boutiques who are selling Kate and Ava I generally end up buying something. Muse in Waterford is a great boutique as is Bella in Drogheda and Seagreen in Monkstown.

What has been your biggest fashion faux pas?

One of the most embarrassing is the dress I wore on my 21st birthday. I didn’t realise but it was very transparent in photographs.