Chic Happens: The Chorley solicitor who quit to start a booming fashion business and worked with Gok Wan

A former lawyer and law lecturer, Claire - who went on to support Gok on the rest of his tour and even had a Chic Happens dress chosen for one of the fashion consultant's final makeovers - describes her legal career as 'dull'. It's a word which could not be further from the realities of her new life in fashion.

"I've always had a passion for fashion but it was never something I considered doing professionally," says Claire, 43. "At school, I was quite academic so it was either medicine or law and I hate blood, so law it was! I thought it would be quite fashionable and cool like Ally McBeal or L.A. Law - all sharp suits and kick-ass court scenes. Obviously, the day-to-day reality was very different.

"Once I'd had my three boys, it became increasingly hard to stay in the corporate world; I needed something flexible," adds Claire. "I was leaving the house before my sons were awake, getting in after they'd gone to bed, and I hadn't had children for that to be the case.

"My husband and friends had always said I should start my own business because I had the drive, but it was still quite a bold step to leave a career to do something completely different. My parents were slightly horrified when I told them I'd be leaving a well-paid career as a solicitor to set up a fashion business!"

Having originally dipped her toes into the world of fashion by trying her hand at jewellery sales, Claire quickly realised that women were far more interested and invested in clothes and so started Chic Happens 12 months ago, running the online fashion boutique from her home in Whittle-le-Woods.

Combining the services of a personal shopper, a stylist, and an online supply guru, Claire's business is there to serve busy women who have little time to trawl around shops but who still want to cultivate a personal style. Every Thursday evening, she holds live new style drops on her all-female Chic Happens closed Facebook group which has over 4,500 members and where her burgeoning community of 'Chicanistas' gather to rekindle their fashion sparks.

"There's been a sea-change in retail and a move away from bricks and mortar but as a woman buying clothes online, you can't tell how something feels, what the cut's like, or what figure it suits," explains Claire, who said starting the business went smoothly thanks to her savviness and penchant for hard work. "I wanted to fill a gap and be an online retailer who was also a personal shopper and stylist at the same time.

"Our online community allows me to be in people's lounges showing them what pieces look like, how it suits different body shapes, the cut, the fabric, and it's elevated us to a completely different business model," adds Claire, from Chorley. "I wanted to create a community where women feel safe and confident and I love having women of every size, shape, and age posting pictures and everyone engages and shows support."

Despite largely keeping her production line local - Claire curates clothes and outfits mostly from Manchester-based suppliers - Chic Happens is a truly global business and recently had two members sporting their gear at the World Health Organization.

"What you wear can really impact how you feel and how you project yourself, so it's about enabling women to be the best version of themselves," says Claire. "I've lost count of the number of lovely messages I've had from people saying they'd lost their confidence but who have now re-found their style mojo."