My Fabulous DIY Fashion Book Launch

My Newly published book

My friend , the fabulous Solo One

Me and my Dad

The superb Supper Club, with Jason Francis-Bryden, Dorota Beau-Ingle, Media Guru-Nathalie Barazetti-Harris, Heart Radio-Toby Anstis, Katy Corocan, Alisa Gough,
Claire Somerville, Graham Cairns and Ania Kozlowska.

I am still on cloud nine. I think I will be smiling like the cat that got the cream for many weeks to come.
I really don’t know where to start. We went down to the space Under the Westway in Portobello Green on Tuesday to decide how to organise the space. To everyone else, it does seem like a very strange venue to have a book launch, but for me, it was the ideal place. I have worked on Portobello Market since I was a child and to have come full circle and have my launch party there was the ultimate stanza. Portobello Market and Acklam Rd has taught me everything about buying, selling, negotiating and being thrifty. So, when Maurice Nixon offered me the space I was over the moon. I remember being there last year for the opening of Mutate Britain and saying to my friends how wonderful it would be to have my book launch here. So, you can imagine how I felt when I knew it was going to be a reality.
What made it even more incredible is that my wonderful friend Graffiti artist ‘Solo One’ came down to the Westway with ‘Liliwenn’ and ‘Traffik’ to give the space a feel that reflected my book. I was totally blown away by all of their art. They worked through the night to get the space just so, and continued to paint throughout the party so everyone was able to see them in action.
These guys are virtuosos of the graffiti world, so, to say I was humbled by their visions is restrained to say the least. On the opposite wall, where the stage lies, graffiti artist ‘Part2ism’ crafted the most beautiful African models, courtesy of Atom Rooms and arranged by my very good friend Nathalie Barrazetti-Harris.
Don’t get me started about Nathalie. I don’t think that she slept in the week leading up to the book launch, she coordinated, negotiated, orchestrated and pulled rabbits out of hats to make sure that everything ran smoothly.
Cut now to Thursday evening, after the trials and tribulations of the week. It all came together so beautifully. West London’s finest- DJ Billy Idle and ‘Freestyler’ Matt Cantor spun records all night whilst I (surreally) signed copies of my book and chatted to well wishers. The whole night felt like a crazy dream come true. All my close friends and family were there to support me and lots of other lovely people who created an atmosphere that was reminiscent of an evening at a very expensive art opening.It still feels like a dream.Tanya Sarne, founder of Ghost, came down and gave me the most beautiful orchid and congratulated me on the launch.

Thank you to Molson Coors’ Bittersweet Partnership, we had two fantastic new lagers, from the Alsace region of France called Kasteel Cru and Kasteel Cru Rosѐ. They were the most elegant beers that I have ever tasted, served in champagne flutes to give a very impressive drink an even more stylish feel. The Kasteel Cru is a crisp and zesty lager, elegantly crafted for a drier, sparkling finish. The Kasteel Cru Rose includes a hint of elderflower & elderberry. Kasteel Cru Rose is a fine, crisp lager with a distinct rose-like colour and a clean, sparkling taste. They were perfect the compliment to the evening.
The ‘Pussy’ natural energy drinks made having a soft drink exciting and naughty, as well as very tasty. Thank you Ali!
Simon, Helen, Peter and Laurence King of Laurence King were all there. Selling, promoting, chatting to my family and friends, but most of all supporting me. I cannot even beginning to explain how I felt, but tears (of joy) were being held back throughout the night. As they were packing up to leave Simon said to me that they had sold out of book, which has never happened at a Laurence King Book launch before. OMG, I was in seventh heaven. http://www.laurenceking.com/product/DIY+Fashion%3A+Customize+and+Personalize.htm

After my very mediocre speech we finished off the night with pictures of myself and the celebrities partied the night away at the beautiful and exclusive Supper Club, washed down with two bottles of Champagne.
Special thanks to these wonderful people who made the night go so smoothly.
Emma and Amy @ Believe Eve PR
Maurice Nixon
Tony Lovitt and Sean @ Westway Sounds
Carl and Jeff at Portobello Green for all their support
Nathalie Barrazetti-Harris for absolutely everything, without her, I would have fallen apart.
And a massive, massive thank you to my Husband Jason Francis-Bryden and my children Jack and Daisy who have grafted and put up with all the tantrums and tribulations over the last 12 months.
http://soloone.blogspot.com/
http://www.atomrooms.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Liliwenn/126575170693509

Material Bulimia

There is only so much that one can say about recycling.
I suppose that it is up to the individual to decide how much they want to change, save or delete. For me, it has always been a part of my life to use, recycle, reuse and then, finally, when it it is really badly broken beyond compare...tape it back together for one last round.
I grew up with a 'waste not want not' mentality and although I probably am very materialistic about 'stuff' and was quite spoilt as a child, I do value my objects and probably obsessively so. My father was quite an Eco genius from the get go, which is definitely down to a relatively poor up bringing in Jamaica where people just made do and got on with it. He was not 'potato sack for trousers' poor but, from what I can decipher from a million "I milked the cows every morning" stories, life was not that easy. I used to laugh (under my breath of course) when he used to tell me how grateful I should be and that "We never had television and video, fancy trainers and Designer clothes."
Now, twenty years on I find myself telling my children the same thing about ipods games consoles and mobile phones. We just have more to lose theses days. We worry about our children getting mugged for their Ipods and gadgets. When I was young(younger) it was jewellery and Naf Naf Puffas.
But I digress. We need to find a way to tune young people to a wave length where it is acceptable to wear secondhand clothes or to buy an old bike and put the hours in to do it up (or pimp it). Status seems to far out way any sense of morals and duty to our planet. I do not mean from a ozone layer, global warming sense, but, from a land fill, too much crap on our planet sense. I blame the Romans with their gluttonous ways.
We are material bulimics, throwing up everything that was great for a moment but out of vogue the next. Why do you need the latest mobile phone, laptop or outfit. Why do you want a new car every three years?
Life is too short to want so much stuff and spend sleepless nights worrying about how to pay for it and how to protect it. I overheard an elderly West Indian man in pub last week, talking to his friend he said "What is the point of being the richest man in the cemetery."
He has a point.

Recycling clothes and customising

I thought that it is time to tell all that I have written a book.
It is all about recycling clothing and personalising your outfits.
I believe that everybody can do it. It is a formula of sorts. If you can learn maths, science, a poem, a song, then you can learn how to customise. You do not have to be a fashionista or style savvy to learn the tricks that make you look cool. Some people are born cool and some people have to work at it. Watch how the experts do it and then find your own look. Cloning the famous only works if you can pull it off. The majority of us do not look or carry ourselves like film and pop stars (we also do not have their lifestyles) which is why they are famous and we are not and I am not talking about Big Brother celebs that are just Joe-public with a five minute window.
Chose aspirational stars that relate to yourself and adopt small pieces of their thang. Whether it is Victoria Beckham, Sarah Jessica Parker or Katie Price. Chose carefully or you could end up looking like a dogs dinner.
Stop shopping in the high street and go to car boot sales, charity shops and vintage clothing markets (Portobello on A SATURDAY is a good place to start). That is where the real funked up celebs shop. You find fab unique pieces. (avoid charity shops in central cities and try going further out)you can also use it for inspiration for your own outfits.

Regain the power of individualising yourself. Decide what suits YOU. Colours that are 'in vogue' are not always the colour that will compliment your skin, hair or eyes. I love orange but it makes me look washed out and dirty. So, ask real friends (not shop assistants) to be honest about your clothes. If you have a fetish for something -Butterflies, cameos or even snoopy- integrate it into your outfits to give themes to your style. Keep it subtle though, a bag, a bracelet, a charm or brooch. Co-ordinate. Not just bag and shoes. Hair accessories, bangles, maybe a neck scarf if appropriate for such an occasion, you could also tie a scarf to your bag to bring a colour match in. More about recycling in the next blog.
Come down to Portobello Market and get started.
Franny B

Sex and the City -The movie, my review

I don't really know what I was expecting when my husband suggested that he would take me to see it. I knew it was going to be long and I am not very good at sitting still for long periods of time (probably too much coffee). But, Oh my days! I was riveted to that seat for the full 145 mins. It was a roller coaster of emotions, the outfits were absolutely amazingly fabulous.Well Done Patricia! I love the Vivienne Westwood Dress. I want to remarry just to wear that! I won't spoil it by telling you any details, but, the scripts was well written and real. The acting was also exceedingly good. Sex and the City, for me was always great, but it always had a fantastical feel. Although we all related to a character, we knew that their pending suffering would end in a great HBO ending, But the film was exceptional. You really felt their pain and when they cried, I cried (and so did my husband)for friendships and lovers lost, for growing old and uncertainty. It was a great way to portray the girls in a time when life has seemingly lost it's joy and money is tight...blah blah petrol, fuel bills, food bills, mortgage rate...
But, it was not just a teary, ball of sadness unlike the hideous Bridget big knickers diary. It had so many laugh-out-loud points that a few times I forgot where I was. I will buy the film when it comes out on DVD and the sound track, but not the t-shirt. The only disappointment was that they did not have that lovely painted 'Franny B' fur coat in it that is on season 6. Oh well, I can't have it all. Well Done SATC.

Vintage will be a thing of the past

Whilst at Portobello on Saturday, I got talking to a group of young gals from the local area. They were not the usual street savy kids from the Ladbroke Grove end of the manor, they were from the more polite end of the market where the media gurus and celebrities hang out. In passing, I asked one of these young filles where she had purchased her lovely dress.... Well, you can imagine my horror when she piped up with 'It was a bargain in Primark! (the chilling music from pyscho floods through my head). Why? no? stop?

The future of vintage looks grim. There is only a certain amount of times that retro clothing can be worn, resold and worn again before it falls apart. Charity shops and car boot fayres will be full of cheap tacky mass produced rubbish, and rip off designer bags that are flooding the market. Surely, it would be much more satisfying to save up for nicer pieces. When you do eventually buy them you will appreciate them more and quality will again reign.
Recycle what you already own. Do not throw it away. If you do own lower quality items, redesign them in to something original and special. You will treasure it longer and save some cash. Never use your credit card to buy clothes. They do not increase in value and you end up paying back a fotune for something you may only wear a few times. If you can not afford it. Do not buy it. God Save the Green.

what happened to quality not quantity?

If you have ever been to a jumble sale, where ladies of a seasoned age elbow you out the way to nab a tablecloth or pillow case, you will understand my pure fear when my niece said "let's go to Harrow Primark". Clothes were thrown all over the floor in a tangled mess. Grabbing and shoving was reminiscent of scenes from the news of aid workers delivering food to starving nations. What is it all about?
We have become a nation of 'spoilt for choice' consumers. And Ironically, in this throw away (even if we have not worn it) society, we are desperate to strike up a relationship with the past and tirelessly search for vintage and antique items to fill our homes and worlds.
In the past few weeks I have spoken to furniture restorers and designers on just this subject. The main culprits in my rant are mass producing companies.
I can understand the need to buy inexpensive items as times are hard for most of us, but, where is the quality? With the exception of those pretentious furniture shops all over London that sell retro furniture for ridiculously over priced amounts, you can get really strong, hard wearing secondhand furniture for much cheaper than their modern, flimsy counterparts. The backs do not fall off and they don't wobble.
I bought a fabulous 1920's wardrobe for £20 at nine lives furniture shop in Rickmansworth. Car boot fairs are great and charity shops that specialize in furniture are also good for a bargain.

But I digress. Clothing is getting too cheap and readily available, sounds like a drug! Well it is.
In an article last year Vivienne Westwood spoke about the need to stop buying clothes and give fashion a chance to metaphorically collect it self. She is absolutely right. Too much choice is given and therefore we loose the essence of style and clarity. Diluted outfits that have trickled down from the high end fashion houses end up in Tescos? Why would you want to buy cashmere with your carrots?

A brief introduction

Alternative Fashion and Clothing Recycling Expert

by Franny B

Welcome to my world!

This, inevitably, will end up as a rant rather than a blog.

Recycling is the buzz word at present and everyone likes to think that they are doing their 'bit' for the world. Eco-friendly products and produce, fairtrade, reducing our carbon footprints, and my favourite...mend and make do. Clothing recycling and customization is simple and unique to it's wearer! And Everyone (yes everyone) can do it.
With Gordon Brown warning everyone to tighten their sparkling metaphoric Primark belts as we go through a year of economic strain we could save cash on expensive and inexpensive outfits by glamming up something that we already have. Vintage clothing is great, but, sizing, sourcing and finding good pieces is time consuming and can be expensive.


I want to walk down a high street and be curious about where clothing has been bought or made.

We are all becoming clones of each other and fashion has lost it's way. We are so conditioned into this consumer market that we just buy. There is no need, just desire, but the desire is because it is cheap and accessible, not individual and special. Did your life change when you bought that £6 handbag? Did it reduce your insecurities? I will campaign (but probably in a very low key way) to get the woman of Britain to individualise their lives. Mix old with new and mend and make do with a twist of style and charm.


I have worked in this field for over a decade from home and Portobello Market and have a wealth of experience. I am a mother of two, Jack and Daisy. I have had many celebrity clients and worked for and with (for television) Sex and the City, Footballers Wives, BBC's Spendaholics, Hollyoaks , to name but a few. I have also worked for Top Shop and as a commisioned artist with New look, , and Miss Selfridge online.
I'm off on the school run, so TTFN.