EVERY little girl loves to dress up and pose.

So it's a dream come true for young Ilarney McCracken to be chosen to model the latest fashions by a top High Street store.

The five-year-old can be seen wearing a nautical navy and white stripy dress and denim jacket on a giant poster in the window of Next shops up and down the country _ including the branch in the Four Seasons shopping centre in her home town of Mansfield.

"I'm really happy," said the youngster.

"I like the stripy dress and I like dressing up as a princess."

Out of 28,000 entries, Ilarney was named one of 10 runners up in Next's most successful competition ever to find new young talent.

Her prize was £100 shopping vouchers and a contract with leading junior model agency Urban Angels.

The past six weeks have been a whirlwind of assignments.

She spent two days in Birmingham for a Next photoshoot and catwalk show.

Then it was down to London to film three TV adverts for Ecover's environmentally-friendly washing products.

Ilarney has also been to castings in the capital and Manchester for Sony and CBeebies.

With her long blonde hair, blue eyes and natural desire to pose, Ilarney looks every inch a model.

And she's loving every minute of it, said her mum Gemma, 25, a part-time worker at Mansfield Building Society.

"There's quite a bit of travelling but it's very exciting.

"Ilarney is a very outgoing child and she is very much the poser."

Ever since she was tiny, people have complimented Ilarney on her photogenic looks.

"They said she should do modelling," said Gemma, who is expecting a baby next month.

When they spotted the competition, Gemma asked Ilarney if she wanted to enter "for a bit of fun".

More than one million votes were cast by the public to determine the top 100 boys and girls, who were invited to a final at Woburn Abbey.

Gemma and her husband Joe, 26, were delighted but they are not letting the attention go to Ilarney's head.

"We're a grounded family so that shouldn't be a problem," she said.

lynette.pinchess@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk