A Meeting With Me!

April 20, 2017Leave a comment

Recently I was asked some questions by a North East Paper regarding my work and goals for the future. I was honoured to be asked as this is feature is normally male dominated, I am proud to be considered as not only a representative of the North East but Business in the region. We posted this at Handbag Clinic on our Blog, (which I regularly write for), along side this being posted by the paper online and in print. Check it out below.

http://www.handbagclinic.co.uk/Head_of_Retail

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/business/business-news/meeting-with-charlotte-staerck-head-12821630

LFW Festival 17th- 21st February

March 4, 2017March 4, 2017Leave a comment

London Fashion Week Festival is the only way to get access to LFW shows and goodies unless you are Kate Moss or Fashion Editor for Grazia. Held this year at 180 The Strand the venue was perfect, with a full length runway, floors of stalls/shops and a Pommery champagne bar there was something for everyone.

The venue was packed with things to do if you love fashion then seeing Runway shows and experiencing talks from one of the many industry leaders was a must. If you weren’t interested in the serious stuff there was still loads to do with free manicures, make up top up’s by Maybelline, hair touch up’s by Toni and Guy and discount designer shopping. I will definitely be booking up for next year and hopefully booking in for more shows and talks, in fact I’ll just move in for the full festival.

I saw a Designer runway by Huishan Zhang which was filled with feathers, denim and a twist on the classic floral spring look. I also saw a Trend show from Avenue 32 showcasing the must have looks for spring.

Huishan Zhang

Avenue 32

How to Authenticate Mulberry

September 24, 2016February 6, 2017Leave a comment

Every month I write a blog for Handbag Clinic and am their in house expert for authentication. Mulberry is a regularly counterfeited brand but luckily I know exactly what to look for. For my full guide on how to authenticate Mulberry please visit

http://www.handbagclinic.co.uk/How_To_Authenticate_Mulberry.php

Love Lottie xxx

Celebrating The Life Of An Icon – Happy Birthday Co Co Chanel

August 19, 2016January 14, 2017Leave a comment

Today is the birthday of my favourite designer Co Co Chanel, she was sassy, fierce and in general a bad ass bitch. She made some fabulous clothes, timeless accessories and was all about girl power!

Last year i visited the Saatchi Gallery to see their exhibition all about Chanel and her life’s work titled Mademoiselle Privee. It was beautiful, insightful and only made me love her more. She is a true inspiration and achieved so much while remaining true to her vision and who she was every step of the way.

After starting as a hat designer she went on to change the fashion industry for the better and always looked to empower women with her fragrance’s, clothes and accessories. Today her bags remain my favourite and the day I wear a Classic Chanel Jacket with a Medium Double Flap 2.55 my life will be complete.

Here are some facts about the amazing Co Co Chanel in honour of her birthday.

She was born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel on August 19, 1883 in Saumur, France. CoCo regularly claimed she was actually born 10 years after that date.

Co Co Chanel’s life did not start out glamorous, after her mother’s death she was placed in an orphanage by her farther and raised by Nun’s who taught her to sew. This time in her life is part of the inspiration behind the iconic 2.55.

Chanel was a singer for a brief amount of time in Cafe’s. It is claimed her nick name was given to her by the soldiers she sang for because of two of the songs she regularly sang. Chanel claims that her nick name CoCo comes from a shortened version of “cocotte”, the French word for kept woman.

Although CoCo Chanel regularly had a man by her side she never married and was a fierce independent woman claiming “I never wanted to weigh more heavily on a man than a bird.” After meeting the duke of Westminster aboard his yacht around 1923, the two started a relationship that would last ten years. But in response to his marriage proposal, she is rumoured to have said “Everyone marries the Duke of Westminster. There are a lot of duchesses, but only one Coco Chanel!”

She loved to see women succeed in business and it is claimed she designed the famous ‘Chanel suit’ for women to encourage women to pursue their professional goals in style. In 1938 she retired from the fashion business with a string of success behind her. However, 16 years later she made a determined comeback. It is claimed she did this as she was “fed up” at seeing French fashion becoming dominated by men.

Not only did she create the ultimate women’s suit she also was the creator of the LBD in 1926, changing women’s fashion for ever.

Happy Birthday to this amazing woman!!!

Love Lottie xxx

5 Must Have Looks for Autumn 2016

August 16, 2016January 13, 20171 Comment

Winter is coming…and with it a whole new range to shop in every store! These are some of my favourite looks from the likes of Balenciaga, Prada, Celine and Gucci that are certain to be huge hits on the High Street and hopefully my wardrobe too!

Prada

Velvet Everything

A/W 2016 velvet will be huge! If like me you have had a velvet choker super glued to you for most of 2016 then Autumn will not disappoint. Whether its velvet and jewelled choker, a cute work pinafore or a flowing gown you need some velvet in your life next season.

Sparkles

Alexander McQueen has set the standard for the barely there sparkle dress but I’m sure the High Street will be quick to develop their own little gems. Nude, Black and Sparkle’s that resemble the Milky Way will be everything…and I cannot wait!

alexander-mcqueen-2016-fall-winter-runway35

1456092547-6d534352f8c17bdd7a2a839796ae9e81-1366x2271

(Yes that is an actual unicorn in the middle!)

A Sweet Heart Neckline

The most adorable of all the necklines will be back with a bang but not always on pretty a line dresses as you would expect. Sweet Hearts will be given an edge and layered with knitwear and outerwear. This Dior combo (left) is my personal favourite but Kenzo were a close second with this look below…maybe minus the boots.

anchor_ki_balenciaga_rf16_0211_-__w_760_

Luxe Sportswear

Even Balenciaga have joined in with this trend showing puffer jackets and wide collared sports coats. With this surge of Luxe Sportswear hitting the run way , Top Shop recently announcing their collaboration with Addidas and of course Beyoncé’s Ivy Park range; Will it soon be perfectly acceptable to go everywhere in leggings, a hoody and trainers? Pobably not, but I cetrtaintly will be making maximum use of this look when possible!

The Statement Mac

I don’t mean your average cream, beige or black mac, next season will all be about Mac’s in colours, textures and even animal print. River Island are already a head of the game with this Leopard Print Over Coat and I think the rest of the High Street Stores will be soon to follow.

Who else is kind of excited for the return of wearing black (even more), boots, jumpers and sparkles!!!??

Love Lottie xxx

The Best Swimwear and Cover Up’s

July 29, 2016January 13, 20171 Comment

Finally summer has arrived in full force and that means a trip to your local or hopefully not so local beach. Whether it’s the beach or a summer pool party I love to glam up swimwear with a flowing kaftan, body chain and I am a huge fan of a cut out swim suit. These are some of my favourite beach looks of the year so far.

Pink and Girly

This look went perfect staying in the Royal Hawaiian, Honolulu as it’s a huge pink palace but a cute pink bikini is perfect for any where!

Bikini – Victoria Secret

This bikini is one I bought in Vegas and isn’t available in the UK. If you can shop online on the US website they do have a few left in the sale so grab it quick!

Kaftan – River island – £35

This long kaftan is embellished with silver beads and lace detailing. I have loved River Island’s beach wear this year, its been my number one place for cover ups! They still have this long kaftan in stores and online for £35.

http://www.riverisland.com/women/swimwear–beachwear/kaftans–cover-ups/white-lace-maxi-kaftan-682503

Fringed and Fabulous

Every one needs a black bikini, they are always flattering and you can re style them over and over again. I teamed this fringed piece with a bold blue necklace and body chain for a day at Nikki Beach Marbella.

Bikini

This bikini was from Queen B’s range she did for H&M but you can pick up this almost identical one from Miss Guided for Just £22.

https://www.missguided.co.uk/fringe-triangle-bikini-black?gclid=CPfPiLfsmM4CFeoW0wodE2sIgg&dclid=CL_djrfsmM4CFch12wodqiEFig

Sparkles and Detailing

This look I wore in Vegas, perfect for an all day pool party. Wedges and a sparkly kaftan dress up any pool side outfit even a plain white bikini and some ripped denim shorts!

Bikini

This bikini was Topshop, I would always recommend spending a little extra on white swimwear to make sure its high quality and wont go see through. The Top was £16 and the bottoms £14 which is a bargain as you can re style this perfect basic over and over again.

http://www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/category/clothing-427/swimwear-beachwear-3163078

Kaftan

This kaftan was a show stopped from a local designer, you can follow her at @pinkcherrycouture on Instagram. This brand has been featured on TOWIE and she has several celebrity customers. Everyone commented on it, I picked this one pre made for £180 but she has a huge range and can make bespoke items.

Wedges

My Wedges are Jimmy Choo Portia 120’s, they are amazing in crackled gold and go with EVERYTHING!!! Michael Kors have totally surprised me this year with their amazing updated shoe line and had some great wedges that I would recommend checking out. If designer brands aren’t your thing New Look always have a great range of wedges at amazing prices and as the fashion season is changing you may grab some in the sale!

Asymmetric

I love the look of an asymmetric bikini but if you have a cup size over a C it can be a challenge to get one that you feel comfortable in. River Island brought out a great range of asymmetric bikini’s that had a large strap and one side but a thin strap keeping everything in place at the other. I teamed this with another River Island cover up and a must have floppy hat.

Bikini

This bikini was of course River Island and only £28 for the mix and match set. The large contrasting frill over the front made the whole set fun and flattering, the perfect bikini combo! You can still shop this bikini online at RI but hurry up as sizes are going fast.

http://www.riverisland.com/women/swimwear–beachwear/bikinis/bikini-tops/white-frilly-asymmetric-bikini-top-680994

Kaftan

I hunted this kaftan for weeks! First it sold out in my size on ASOS then on RI’s website but then one day browsing in store I found one lone Medium hidden behind a similar kaftan, there is no joy like it! This beautiful short Kaftan was £40 but they currently have this one which is just £35 and really similar.

http://www.riverisland.com/women/swimwear–beachwear/kaftans–cover-ups/white-embellished-sheer-kimono-676894

All Out

If you really want to go all out at a pool party you must get a swimsuit or bikini from Mode Mwah. They are a small boutique in Liverpool but have a huge following on their Instagram page @modemwah with many celebrity customers. Their swimsuits are flattering and make definitely an impact. Swimsuits and bikini’s range from £120 – £180 and can take up for 5 weeks to be made so you need to place an order in advance of jetting off to avoid disappointment. I wore my Twinkle Python Swimsuit with Tom Ford Sunglasses and my Jimmy Choo Wedges at the Wynn in Vegas.

Love Lottie xxx

How to Authenticate Chanel

July 11, 2016February 6, 20171 Comment

Every month I write a blog for Handbag Clinic, this month I have written a blog all about how to Authenticate Chanel. I started working at Handbag Clinic buying and authenticating all of their bags and am the in house expert for authentication. For my full guide please visit

http://www.handbagclinic.co.uk/Handbag_Clinic_Chanel_Guide

Love Lottie xxx

The Ultimate Summer Bag

July 5, 2016January 13, 2017Leave a comment

In my opinion whether you are jetting off on holiday, hitting a festival or just enjoying the sun in your local town the ultimate summer arm candy is the Louis Vuitton Neverfull.

Louis Vuitton has been making bags since 1892 and the brand is still creating some of the most popular bags to date, even though some of these bags have been around for since 1932. Louis Vuitton shows no signs of going out of fashion any time soon!

The Neverfull is available in several materials and colours. In my opinion if you are going to invest in a Louis Vuitton the Damier Ebene is the most versatile and durable. Working in a company that buys and restores handbags I see so many Neverfulls come through our office and the Damier Ebene is the easiest to keep looking new for longer.

The bag its self is versatile, it can be used as a beach bag, travel bag, day bag and the pochette inside can be used as a purse or even a clutch. It’s so many bags rolled into one! The sides of the bag can be pulled in giving the bag a whole new shape too, perfect for transforming your look and as the name suggest it is NEVER full!

Although you can pile this bag with all of your essentials make sure you look after your Neverfull and don’t over load it, a snapped handle hurts as much as a snapped heel, if not more!

The Neverfull comes in 3 sizes, GM, MM and PM. I would recommend the GM and the MM, the GM is huge, perfect for the beach but sometimes a little too big for every day. I’m currently considering getting the MM in Damier Ebene as it’s such a practical bag…you can never have too many Neverfull’s can you?!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I’ve worn my Louis Vuitton NeverFull GM in Damier Azur all around the world. Cannes, Hawaii, LA, Las Vegas, London and ofcourse Newcastle! It’s the perfect bag for every trip.

Louis Vuitton Neverfull current prices for Summer 2016:

PM – £ 750

MM – £795

GM – £835

Love Lottie xxx

All Hail Queen B!!! – The Formation Tour UK

June 30, 2016January 13, 2017Leave a comment

The UK leg of the Formation Tour has started with a bang and what better place to start than the North East of England! Like most girls born in the late 80’s and 90’s Beyoncé is my idol and when I managed to get Gold Circle 1 tickets I squealed, jumped and cartwheeled with excitement.

On Monday night I could barely sleep and jumped out of bed on Tuesday morning to panic buy a rain appropriate outfit. Yes, unfortunately in true North East style it was bucketing down with no signs of clearing up. After an hour of unsuccessful shopping I decided I would just own the rain, get wet and flick my hair around “Drunk In Love” style.

I wore some mega ripped Mom Jeans with a white crop, white Chuck Taylor’s and a silk bomber. I felt like I could of been in the background of one of the Grown Woman flashbacks!

I was heading to Bey with 4 of my best friends which is the only way to go! People scrambled for the plastic poncho’s but we marched through the crowd’s in the brightly coloured sunglasses that were being given out to the crowds, not letting anything rain on our parade. As we walked in we were handed goodie bags filled with a poncho, towel and sunglasses. We were then given VIP badges making us feel like Beyoncé herself.

DJ Khalid was the support and we danced in the rain waiting for Bey to grace us with her presence. She started with the girl anthem of 2016, Formation rocking that huge hat as the giant screen in the middle of the stage turned. We were then taken through ALL of the hits, all the way back to Destiny’s Child….but to everyone’s surprise there was no sign of Single Ladies! Maybe Lemonade and the revelations into Bey and Jay’s marriage that have been came from it has made the singer change her mind about encouraging girls to “put a ring on it” and would rather empower women to be strong, independent and show that girls really do run the world. (YASSS QUEEN)

It was an emotional rollercoaster, I’m not sure if that is because of the moving heartfelt lyrics of Lemonade or the atmosphere in the Golden Circle but as she belted out Freedom me and my Bestest belted it out too with tears streaming down our face. She closed with Halo turning everyone into emotional wrecks, even me, which I still cannot believe as I’m known as an Ice Queen (emotion isn’t really my thing). Beyoncé’s powerful presence clearly had an effect on me.

If you are going to a one of the Formation Tour dates, you are in for the best concert of your life. The staging, 36 song set list, dancers and overall show was phenomenal but for someone to sing, dance and perform like that all at once, (without breaking a sweat) is beyond amazing and something to be admired. All Hail Queen B!!!!!

Error

This video doesn’t exist

Love Lottie xxx

P.S. THAT ASS!!!!!!!

NYC Looks – Perfect Outfits for New York Pt 2

June 20, 2016January 13, 20171 Comment

I have loved planning my outfits for New York but have enjoyed scrapping my plans and throwing together things at the last minute more. These looks were the result of ditching my plans and experimenting with the two cases full of clothes I brought with me to New York. Never be afraid to experiment!

Tribeca Lunch Date – Tribeca is a super cool, trendy area of New York and home to Queen B herself. It’s like Soho but more residential with boutique style shops and Cafe’s rather than the big chain names.

Dress – Lindsey Sleeveless Midi Dress, Boohoo.com – £12

Waistcoat – Long Waistcoat, Zara – £29.99 (Sale Alert! was £39.99)

Shoes – Classic White Vans (back at it again with the white Vans) – £45

Sunglasses- Zara – £15

Bag Chanel – Chanel, Handbag Clinic – £2300

Drinks in the Meatpacking District – The Meatpacking District is a really cool area with secret cellar bars and roof top terraces, no need to get dressed up too much, everything goes!