Living Life the Essex Way

by Sam Faiers

  I’m also all for comfort over appearance when it comes to underwear – unless you are dressing for a boy obviously. If you could see under my clothes most days, you’d be shocked! Most of my underwear doesn’t match, and I go for wired, smooth T-shirt bras rather than the lacy ones. I hate thongs, so I always go for knickers, and the more girly the better. I have ones with Mr Men on, Batman, flowers, Snoopy . . . and you name a Disney character, I have a pair with them on. I work with the idea that it’s what’s on show that counts!

  As for shoes, I am hooked on this website called StylistPick. All their shoes are £39.95 when you are registered, and they have some good designer brands and loads of modern styles. They have teamed up with top stylists, who come up with the choices.

  I do think a good pair of shoes is really important, as is a good handbag – and I like expensive bags. A designer bag has always been my weakness – I can look at handbags for hours, especially Mulberry’s, and I have my one permanently stuck to my arm.

  When I was at school though, it was all about the Pringle bag – all my friends had one. But I remember Mum had a lovely Burberry rucksack, and I borrowed it one day and took it to school. I was so proud of it, but then we had break, and while everyone was queuing for the tuck shop and fighting to get served first, this boy pulled on the bag and broke the strap in his desperation to get to the front. I went mad; I had steam coming out of my ears! I started crying and demanded he pay for a new one, but he just laughed and he never did pay for a replacement. It still makes me mad, thinking about that!

  As far as other accessories go, I admit, I am really bad. Scarves, belts, hats, sunglasses . . . I tend to forget about them when I’m putting together an outfit. Or, if I do remember, I feel a bit silly – I’d love to be able to pull off hats, but I always feel a bit stupid in them.

  The ultimate Essex accessory though is a Rolex watch. Absolutely everyone who is anyone has one. I borrowed mine from one of my dad’s friends for a bit, and I liked it so much I decided to treat myself and bought it from him. My first watch was an Armani one with a black face that Mum and Dad gave me when I was 13. Billie was given the same one in silver.

  Billie loves her bling – the more glitz and sparkle, the happier she is. I like jewellery that is real though; costume jewellery irritates me. I wear diamond studs in my ears all the time, and I still wear the diamond ring Joey gave me. There is no emotional attachment to it any more, before you read anything into that, I just really like it. I’d never buy myself jewellery though – I think it should always be a gift.

  How to Dress if You Look Like Me

  • I’ve got a curvy hourglass figure, so it’s important to wear clothes that work for that. There is no point wearing something just because it’s in fashion – you have to think about whether it will suit you. I love things that show off my curves, like a pencil skirt or a fitted wrap dress.

  • I am very conscious of my thighs, which will never be thin, so while I’ll still wear little dresses, you will rarely catch me in anything too short or bum-skimming – it would do me no favours and I would just feel uncomfortable. I prefer to go for glam knee-length or long styles.

  • I love my boobs, but there is a limit to how much I’ll show off – an overflowing cleavage is never a good look. I hold my hands up, I have been guilty of this plenty of times, but I’ve regretted it when I’ve seen the pictures! Not going for very short dresses helps here though, as it means I am not breaking that all-important rule – never show too much cleavage and leg at the same time.

  • I don’t like the tops of my arms, so I’ll opt for a cap shoulder or three-quarter-length sleeve if I can – flimsy, strappy dresses do me no favours. My shoulders are quite broad, and combine that with boobs and strapless dresses are a nightmare. They make me look huge, so without exception they are a no-go.

  • As for colours, I love wearing creams and really rich colours. Creams are timeless and classy, but the downside is obviously keeping them clean. I also love blues and turquoise. Wishy-washy colours like lilac don’t go with my blonde hair, and nor do a lot of pink shades – unless I want to look like a Barbie doll.

  8

  MY BUSINESS MIND

  I am not the brainiest person on the planet, but I have always prided myself on being business-minded.

  Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t bottom of the class at school or anything, but nor was I a brain box. I was probably hovering around the middle most of the time. I wasn’t massive on studying, but I got away with it, and was just pretty average. I did love school, but it was more about the social aspects for me – the friends and the fun. Having said that, I was good at sport and art, and I liked science.

  But doing A-levels was never going to be an option for me. Billie had decided to stay on and do them, but I couldn’t wait to leave and go to work. I was ready to get out into the real world and earn money as soon as I hit 16.

  I think I was partly influenced by my boyfriend at the time, Frazer, who I mentioned earlier. He was 18 and had a car, and I loved the independence he had. As soon as I was old enough, I made sure I passed my test, and I got the money together to buy myself my first car – a Mini. That’s how I have always been. If I want something, I will work hard, save up, and make it happen.

  That way of thinking has always seemed pretty obvious to me. Money isn’t everything, but it makes things happen for you, and I realised that from a young age. We did have money as kids, but it wasn’t just handed to us to do what we liked with; we had to explain why we needed it. We weren’t spoilt – it was probably like £10–15 at a time – and as soon as we were old enough to have Saturday jobs, we earned a lot of our own pocket money. Other than the farm job which I mentioned in the last chapter, I worked behind the reception in my Aunt Libby’s beauty salon in Billericay for a bit. We also did chores for our parents if we wanted more. I would get a couple of quid at a time from Mum for doing the ironing, which I guess was the job she hated most!

  My first real job though was when I left school at 16. Looking back, I am really proud of myself – no one pushed me to do so, but I went out and got myself a job almost straightaway. It was at Connexions, an agency that helps young people with the basics in life, such as education, housing and money. My role was basically inputting data, but it was actually quite good fun. I had to ring everyone around my age in the area who had left school and find out if they had jobs, or if they wanted help with courses or apprenticeships. I felt really grown up doing it, and I ended up speaking to a lot of people from my own school and hearing all sorts of stories. That job taught me never to judge a book by its cover. These girls would be coming in with prams, and at first I expected them to just moan and ask for money. But then I realised that most of them were really nice, clever girls, and just wanted to provide for their kids. I was there six months and I feel that I learned a lot from the place – it provides a really important service.

  But although I loved it, I didn’t earn enough, as far as I was concerned. So I started applying for other jobs, got an interview at Lloyds TSB Bank, and was offered a job as customer assistant. I think Connexions were sorry to see me go, as I had been a proper hard worker – that is the Essex girl way, to work hard!

  That job was fine, but it wasn’t my long-term plan. Not that I had worked out exactly what that plan was, before TOWIE came along! I think if I hadn’t got on the show, I would probably have worked my way up through the bank and would hopefully be working somewhere in the City by now.

  But luckily TOWIE came up, and all the opportunities that came with it, and I have been sure to take advantage of as many of them as I can, as I know what a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity it is. I have loved being on the show, and realise that it has opened up so many doors for all the cast – then it is down to each of us how much advantage we take of that.

  Minnies Boutique came about after series one. People were constantly asking where I got my outfits from, and my family and I began to wonder if instead of promoting other people�
��s brands, there was a way to create our own brand. Then I would always be wearing clothes I loved, and I could also turn the interest in my fashion to my advantage financially.

  We had already discussed as a family how we wanted to open a joint business one day, although initially we thought it might be tea rooms or a posh café, because my family are really good cooks. Well, maybe not me, but my mum and nan are! But then we came up with the idea of opening our own boutique, so we approached the TOWIE producers and asked them what they thought about the idea and whether they would film it. And actually they loved the idea, and thought it would be an interesting new location to film in.

  The four directors of the shop are me, Billie, our mum and my Aunt Libby, Mum’s younger sister. She had just sold her house and put forward most of the money we needed to start the business, and I added what I had, and then we got on with finding the venue. We were looking for premises on Brentwood High Street at first, but the rates were really high for a start-up business. Also Brentwood is pretty busy at night, and we were worried about drunk people coming out of the bars and clubs and doing damage to the shop. Sadly I knew that my and Billie’s celebrity status could make the venue more of a target for people who had had a few drinks and wanted to show off, and we didn’t want to see our new business smashed up.

  Mark Wright had been involved in opening a bar called Deuces that had been firebombed just before we came up with our plan for Minnies, and people have asked if we were worried about the same thing happening to Minnies, but we weren’t. There aren’t the same issues with a shop as there can be with a bar, so we didn’t think it would be a problem in that way, but we still thought that a spot just off the high street would be better, so it was perfect when this venue in Ropers Yard came up. We instantly liked it, with the little cobbled street leading down to it, and a car park right next to it, which would make things easier for customers. It just felt right, so we decided we should go for it.

  The name Minnies came from my nickname as a kid. My dad and granddad still call me that today. I got the name for two reasons – partly because I used to have a squeaky voice like Minnie Mouse when I was a kid, and partly because I was obsessed with her. I had all the toys and a pair of ears that I used to wear all the time. We went to Disneyland one year and I was so happy when I met Minnie – Mum still teases me about that. It is so weird when you are a kid how you really think these characters are real, and when you meet them at Disneyland you totally believe you are meeting the actual character, not just someone dressed up as them. Oh for the days when life was simple, ha!

  So anyway, with a venue and a name, we got on with working out how the hell you actually source stock and run a shop. None of us had any experience before, beyond loving fashion. So we started the whole thing totally from scratch. Libby had worked in bookkeeping before, so she is good at making sure the accounts are in order. Mum is . . . well, she has a touch of OCD, so she keeps the shop itself in order! There is never a thing out of place on the shop floor when Mum is around! She also does the merchandising, which means making sure the clothes are displayed in the best way, that we have the right amount of each item of clothing ordered, that pricing is correct, and so on – all the stuff that sounds basic, but can make a huge difference to the appearance of the shop and to sales.

  My Aunt Sam – my mum’s older sister – also works with us in the shop. She isn’t a director, but she does a lot for us, like handling the shop’s blog, the PR and our Twitter account. She used to work as a radio plugger for a lot of the big music acts, and has had a great life travelling around the world, so she is good on the promotional side of things – like getting the shop coverage in the media and organising launch parties. So that left me and Billie to actually source the clothes – exactly the role we wanted to have! But we admit, we were starting out with very little knowledge other than our own fashion sense, and we weren’t too sure how to put that into practice.

  My friend Jeff, who I mentioned before and who works in the fashion industry, knew people to introduce us to and places to take us. So through that, we worked out quite quickly how to make things happen for us, and pretty rapidly we were at home in our roles.

  The only problem was, we did not exactly have long to open the shop. We figured the producers would be happy to film us building up to opening the shop throughout series two, with the actual opening right at the end. But no. They told us they wanted to show viewers the opening party in the first episode of the series. Hello?! We had found the venue in February and the series started in March! So it was heads down everyone, and we did the fittings, stocked it – although admittedly only with four brands, whereas now we have loads – and opened it as requested. Phew!

  You might remember the opening party on the show. It all looked relaxed on screen – apart from when Lydia’s pig Mr Darcy, peed on the floor of course – but the reality behind the scenes was a lot more stressful. We didn’t even have enough stock in on time, so we had the clothes really spread out, to try to make the shop look full. Other than that, I think it went fairly smoothly. Obviously we didn’t get everything totally right first go, as we had opened so fast, but it was the right thing to do really.

  And to be honest, the shop was closed a lot in March, as we were doing so much filming, and otherwise we’d never get to have a conversation without a customer interrupting. I guess that is an example of the compromises you have to make when filming a reality show. Usually there are hundreds of people in and out of Minnies every day, so while we try to keep as close to reality as possible when filming, sometimes the door really does have to be closed to the general public for practical reasons.

  So the opening on the show was like a soft launch, and then we did a proper big opening in April, when the show was over. It was manic as soon as we unlocked the door. That day we had 3,000 people queuing along the little cobbled street. Can you imagine that? It was exciting, but also worrying – what if no one had liked our clothes? But everyone was great, and we got really positive feedback. All the cast popped in – except Lauren Goodger of course – to wish us luck and check out the place, which was lovely of them.

  At the end of the day we had made £8,000 of sales, and every day for those first few weeks we took between £3,000 and £5,000, which is absolutely incredible for a boutique, as anyone in retail can tell you. A lot of places won’t even take that in a month. We were so happy. I’ve never been so proud as I was on that first day. We went to celebrate in a little terrace bar nearby – just close friends and family and people who work in the shop.

  Since then, Minnies has just kept growing and growing. We have all put so much into it, and have made a real effort to learn everything we can about the business.

  So much of it is about knowing your customer. In the beginning it was all young girls coming in, fans of the show, who had saved up their pocket money or wages to spend in the shop. They generally spend no more than £30–60 a visit, so at first there was no point stocking high-end designer clothes. I remember that first month we were selling mostly value-for-money jumpers, dresses and floral shirts – the simple, inexpensive stuff was just flying off the shelves.

  Now we also get older, richer clients, so we have expanded our range to include more expensive brands. We even get the odd grandmother popping in, although I am not sure if they are buying for themselves or their grandkids. My glamorous nan, Liz, always pops in for a few things for herself when she is in the area, which I think is great. She must be our oldest customer!

  As far as whether people are coming in because they like the shop or because they are TOWIE fans, I would honestly say about 70 per cent of our clients are there because of the show, and that is not something I have a problem with – I know the show has been a huge reason for the shop’s success, and I’m happy and grateful for that. Fans come in because they want to see me and Billie, and then they will often look for something to take away as a souvenir. I do think the shop would have done well regardless though – there are not many
shops like it on Brentwood High Street, and it is perfect for the local market.

  It is the hen parties that make me laugh most. These groups of girls will come from Cardiff or wherever and book in to a hotel in Brentwood, and then they will basically do their own TOWIE tour. They get straight off the train and come to Minnies to buy an outfit to wear that night. So they will turn up with their little cases in tow and pile into the shop. Then that night they are off to Sugar Hut. Not being big-headed, but they want to see me and Billie in the shop, or Kirk and Mick in the club, so if we are working it can properly make their weekend.

  When we are filming the show, we are not often in Minnies, but in the months in between, Billie and I make a real effort to be there as much as possible. It is our business after all. We will be there serving on the shop floor at least three or four days a week, particularly at weekends, as we know that is when most tourists come to the area to check it out because of TOWIE. Some days I think I spend more time standing around having my picture taken than serving! But it’s great, and I really enjoy it. Seriously, I never dreamed two years ago, as I headed off for another day behind the counter in the bank, that this was how I would be earning a living. It’s amazing!

  Profit-wise, people say it takes a year on average to earn back what you put into the business when you set up a shop. We did that within about two weeks – not bad, eh? But we haven’t been taking big wages – so far we have put most of the money back into Minnies, so we can improve and expand. The hard work is far from over.

  Once the store was up and running, the next big project for us was to get it online. Fans of the show from around the UK had been in touch asking how they could buy clothes without having to travel to Brentwood, so it seemed the obvious thing to do. But, wow, we hadn’t realised just how big a project it would be. It was more work than setting up the shop in the first place!