Nothing Black about Charlene's mood when she is in her favourite dresses
Julie Kenwell • Published 2 Feb 2012 09:30
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Charlene Black bought her flapper dress for her own Hen Party.
IF you see fashion-forward Charlene Black wearing a pair of trousers, beware, she could be in a bad mood!
The Bellanaleck mother of one loves dresses, hates trousers and believes your clothes should be a reflection of what mood you are in each day.
"I think you should express yourself through your clothes," says Charlene, "So if I'm ever in a pair of trousers, it's usually because I'm in a bad mood or I'm tired!"
Originally from Aughnacloy, the Executive Secretary at the Fermanagh Trust moved to Bellanaleck after marrying husband, Richie.
And since settling in the County, they now have a 17-month-old son, Oscar, to keep them busy!
As this week's Lifestyle model, 29-year-old Charlene has a fetish for coats and hats and, as is clear from her outfits for the photoshoot, she doesn't shy away from a burst of colour either.
"I used to be completely dressed in black all the time," says Charlene, wearing a flamingo patterned dress from Primark.
"But a few years back a friend of mine commented on it -- she said I never wore colour at all. And ever since then I have never worn all-black. It's funny how someone saying something like that can stick with you!"
Super organised Charlene doesn't celebrate her birthday until November, but she is already putting plans in place for her big 30th this year.
It will be a struggle to try and top last year's celebrations though, when none other than fictional TV personality, Keith Lemon, sang Happy Birthday to her in Belfast whilst filming his new movie!
"I'm a real forward planner," she admits, "I love planning things and organising things. Last year for my birthday we went to Belfast, stayed in an apartment and went to Ollies. The next day we we were just walking around Belfast and saw a car with the number plate 'Lemon'. We stayed about for ages with the rest of the crowd that had gathered. When the filming stopped Keith Lemon came over to say hello to everyone and I told him it was my birthday. He got everyone in the crowd to sing to me and he gave me a kiss on the cheek!"
So what was it like being kissed by the Celebrity Juice star?
"It was okay!" says an unsure Charlene, "I would probably say it was a guilty pleasure!"
Her second look of the day is a print-tastic combination of a blue and white coat from Cuba in Dungannon and a leopard print hat from ASOS.
"I am mad about hats," she admits, "I have a lot of them at home. I usually buy them around winter time during the sales. I get a lot of use out of them living in Fermanagh anyway with the bad weather! I hate fighting with umbrellas and hoods so I just stick on a hat instead!"
Bubbly Charlene says that since little Oscar has come along, she has taken to internet shopping in a big way.
And admitting that she has a lot of clothes to her name and a "bit of a shopping addiction", she says she struggles to part with any of her older items.
But where does she keep them all?
"I have a lot of wardrobes! I keep stuff up in the attic as well. I always keep things just in case I might wear them again -- even if it is just to wear to a fancy dress party! In the past I have thrown things out and I have ended up regretting it somewhere down the line! My husband can't understand why I need to buy so many clothes so I have occasionally used the old trick, "Oh this old thing?!" when the labels are still on them!"
Her third wardrobe change is a purple structured skirt from ASOS, teamed with a body suit from River Island.
"I love buying clothes that are different," says Charlene, "I wouldn't tend to buy things that are on trend because I don't want them to go out of fashion quickly. And if I have something that I'm not particularly keen on anymore, I just add a nice belt or something new to it to give it a new lease of life.
"I never buy trousers -- I'm always in a dress. I just think they are a lot easier to wear. And I love patterned tights too -- the madder the better. I remember getting laughed at in the Diamond one day for wearing very mad tights. I just thought, 'Oh well, they're not going to be everyone's cup of tea, at least I like them!'."
Charlene's final look for the shoot is a brightly coloured flapper dress from TopShop which she wore for her hen do a few years back.
"This dress hides a multitude of sins!" she jokes.
In her spare time Charlene is enjoying motherhood, which, she says, is the only exercise she ever gets!
"I love spending as much time as I can with him. I think I have a good balance between work and home life at the minute. I love my job and when I'm finished and get home I love spending time with Oscar and my husband -- I couldn't ask for more. I think if I brought exercise into the equation it would just be another thing to worry about. I just love the way I have a relaxed lifestyle at the minute," she adds contentedly.
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 02 Feb 12
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