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Caryn Franklin has worked in fashion for twenty years. She started as fashion editor at i-D MAgazine and Üwent on to be a fashion presenter on television for many years.
Working on shows from the BBC's Clothes Show to Style Challenge to GMTV, she has reported from the fashion capitals of the world and interviewed everyone from Georgio Armani to Yves St Laurent.
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Author of several books, Caryn has not only written about fashion, but also about health and has co-chaired the award winning Fashion Targets Breast Cancer with British designer Amanda Wakeley for many years.
Recently, Caryn set up Brilliant Productions, a live events and video production company, with ex-Clothes Show Producer Jane Galpin, they have worked for many corporates and have created a web site www.howtolookgood.com
Caryn joined us for a CoffeeBreak...
 In your book Fashion UK (a fabulous handy-sized directory of shops that stand out from the crowd), you devote a section to Future Gazing. What do you see in your crystal ball?
  I see discerning consumers making confident choices because they have been given the product advice and styling knowledge to make those choices. Sales assistants who don't know about the products they are selling should not be tolerated by any of us. A Üsmall store operates this way out of survival, but big stores don't believe it is in their interests to care. Clothing especially is an emotional choice and a good sales assistant who can dispel our anxieties and help us make the right choice - will have us returning again and again.
Who in the fashion world do you admire most?
Vivienne Westwood is my favourite designer - although most of the stuff I own is now rather old. She is a woman of substance in so many ways. I also favour Issey Miyake who is an inventor much more than a designer.
Do you have a fashion tip for the coming season?
Buy for fit. Find a shop that delivers the fit you need. We are all very differently shaped but manufacturers have to standardise our bodies to sell clothes to us. One label is cut differently from another depending on the company customer profile. Trousers are a good indicator of whether a shop has your size mapped out correctly. Once you have found the brand or label that works for you stick to it because no matter how expensive something is, if it doesn't fit it looks bad. Cheap clothes can look fantastic when they fit the body. A tip that goes hand in hand with the above is celebrate your healthy body and honour it with the correct size. Don't buy something intending to diet in to it.
 Which are a couple of your favourite shops and why?
Favourite shops. I like Coco Ribbon, 21 Kensington Park Road W11 for interior indulgence. Purple Heart on Salusbury Rd NW6 where the girls spend their pocket money and Diverse on Upper Street N1 for grown up heaven. Charles Worthington on Percy Street W1 for grooming and ÜOranges, Lemons and Limes Üalso on Salusbury Rd for eating.
Do you have a favourite item of clothing in your wardrobe?
All my clothes are friends in the wardrobe. I have clothes I bought 20 years ago that I still wear like my studded leather jacket and my Vivienne Westward Ü'cowboys' T-shirt. ÜI use clothes as language. Sometimes I use them as a uniform. I have everything from 'glamorous celebrity compare' outfits to 'Mum' clothes. I make my clothes work for me and when they lose their currency, I give them to one of my three sisters.
What are you reading at the moment?
I read several books in one go so... Revenge of the Middle Aged Woman by Elizabeth Buchan, The Cranks Recipe Book ,No Logo by Naomi Klein and The woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets by Barbara G walker.
With your busy working schedule when do you find time to unwind - what helps you relax?
We're on the long haul at the moment because our youngest thinks sleep is totally unnecessary .... so I get up at 6 and go to bed at 10 having worked and parented end to end, but If I get the chance (well never say never) I would choose red wine, geranium and lavender scented candles and Brian Eno's Apollo - love track called ' always returning ' to relax by followed by a wonderful meal with friends that I haven't cooked and I don't have to wash up.
What is on your shopping list?
On my shopping list is a ticket to see League of Gentlemen in Art, a pair of Georgina Goodman shoes, some Forever Living Aloe Vera facial scrub and a copy of Depack Chopra's Ageless Body Timeless Mind.
Further information...
Find out more about Caryn Franklin's book Fashion UK. Read our review and buy your copy here
web: www.howtolookgood.com
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