|
‘Brini’ is retro with a twist
By Maria Puente
Just what we need – another lifestyle matron to tell us how
to dress, decorate and clean scuff marks off the kitchen floor. But
Brini Maxwell is a domestic diva who just might have legs.
She certainly has long legs – possibly because she is really
a he, 34-year-old Ben Sander of New York. Brini, short for Sabrina
has been a cult favorite as the star of her own public access show.
Now she’s going national on cable’s Style network with
The Brini Maxwell Show (Jan. 23, 10:30 p.m. ET/PT), wherein our gal
dispenses her offbeat blend of advice on retro-chic design, thrifty
entertaining and helpful household tips.
The real draw is the madly charming Brini – her inviting purr,
those perfectly coifed Doris Day locks and a boldly colorful vintage
wardrobe that practically pops off the screen. She’s “uncompromising
fabulousness” in Pucci dress, her publicists say.
“My show is all about urban living and creating a gracious environment
on a budget,” Maxwell says. “It’s about presenting
the information in a way that is gently humorous.”
Five years ago, Maxwell was just another struggling fashion minion
in New York, living in a 12-by-12-foot Chelsea studio that she was
slowly turning into a shrine to retro design. Then she bought a $15
set of vintage Pyrex bowls at the Salvation Army. What a shame that
no one can see these marvelous bowls, she thought, and then it hit
her: “Why not do a cooking show on TV?” Soon, she was
on public access, using her own apartment as her set. Her fan base
grew quickly.
She’s still got the apartment, but E! Networks, which owns Style,
has moved her up to a studio set with better production values. Still,
half the furnishings on the new set were found on eBay.
“What we show is that gracious living is a state of mind,”
Maxwell says. “It’s not what you own or where you live;
it’s how you treat other people and how you care about your
environment.”
|
Back
To Press Index