STYLE NEWS / JAMELIA PUTS ON THE STYLE

More than 300 VIP guests – including soul singer Bryn Christopher and retail guru Mary Portas attended the red carpet evening at Birmingham Town Hall. Harvey Nichols walk away with two accolades for the second year in a row – Most Stylish Designer Retailer and Most Stylish Accessories - while Mailbox won Most Stylish Shopping Destination and Clements & Church was named Most Stylish Independent. Cat Deeley was voted Most Stylish Personality .

Other highlights included Aston Villa's Gareth Barry being awarded Most Stylish Sporting Personality, Cielo and Mechu being named Most Stylish Place to Eat and Drink, and Selfridges receiving the accolade for Most Stylish Department Store.

In the run-up to the gala evening, nearly 35,000 votes were cast in 15 categories by shoppers opting for their favourite designer retailers, high street stores, independents, bars, restaurants and hotels.

Organisers Retail Birmingham described the awards, now in their second year, as a "resounding success". "The run-up to the awards was nail-biting because votes continued to flood in right up until voting closed last week and the leaders of each category were changing almost daily.

"There was no guessing who was going to pick up the honours on the night, so there was real feeling of excitement as each category winner was announced."

One of the most hotly anticipated awards was Birmingham's Most Stylish Male and Female.  The winners were Kieran Tronson, aged 18, from Kings Norton, and Melissa Scott, aged 25, from Balsall Heath.

 "These awards have certainly staked their claim to being one of the most important events on the Birmingham fashion calendar," added Nigel Godfrey. "It really was a night to remember and we thank everyone who voted and send our congratulations to all the winners."