Clements Ribeiro at The Edinburgh Fashion Festival

On Friday night the Edinburgh International Fashion Festival began with a bang. Fashion was only added to Edinburgh’s extensive portfolio of festivals last July, and after achieving great success it would seem that the fashion festival is around to stay. 

Clements Ribeiro, an acclaimed fashion duo and real life couple descended on Edinburgh to open this year’s fashion festival and to showcase their Autumn/ Winter collection. This was something not to be missed, so after scooping three tickets, Frankie, Jen and I got our glad rags on, and headed out to get our fix of fashion.

We started off by soaking up the last of the evening sun with a glass of vino in the garden. There was plenty of chatter, laughter and a little photo taking.

 

The show was held at Mansfield Traquair, an incredible converted church in Edinburgh’s city centre. With high ceilings and beautiful artwork, it really is one of Edinburgh’s most fabulous, and may I add undiscovered venues.

Everybody lined the runway in anticipation for the show to start.

 

The models all started doing their thang and boy did they look good. All of the models were rocking big, messy hair with dark, dramatic eye make up. It went well with the style of the collection and the punk twist that is present in all Clements Ribeiro fashion. 

 

There was plenty of floral pattern, lace and tartan, all of which are classic of Clements Ribeiro. They pride themselves on being a British brand which always remains at the heart of each of their collections. Thats not to say that they dont put their own quirky twist in their too.

 

 

 

  

This piece was my favourite of the entire collection. I've always been a sucker for a bit of sparkle, but i loved the floral collar that they had added to this piece. It really set this dress apart from your standard sparkly, sequin number, and just made it ever more eye catching. 

 

In no time it was over and the models were all filing out for the finale. Thats the thing with fashion shows. You really could blink and miss it.

 

After all of the excitement was over it was time to discuss the show over a cold glass of fizz. We nattered away for hours until it was time to call it a night. A good nights sleep was in order as we were heading to The Open Golf Championship the next day. Thats a story for tomorrow. 

All in all it was a great night and the perfect opening to The Fashion Festival. There is plenty of great things happening, and if you fancy getting involved you can find out all you need to know here. http://edinburghinternationalfashionfestival.com/

Feeling Twenty Two

Birthdays for me are for spending time with all the people who mean the most to you, and last night that was exactly what I did. In the words of Taylor Swift, I’m feeeeeling twenty twooooo, but I’m not too sure how I feel about it at all. The big birthdays of 18 and 21 have been and gone, and I cant help but find it daunting that the next 'big birthday' is the mighty 30th... However, after sharing this sentiment with my dad, he came up with some wise wise words. You may be older than you’ve ever been before, but you’re also younger than you’ll ever be again. I liked this a lot. Well done Dad!

Dad, Catherine and I started the evening in The Dome, which in my opinion is Edinburgh’s nicest bar. It’s perfect for a special occasion, with its grand entrance, beautiful architecture and stunning interior. It really is one of Edinburghs treasures.

At Christmas time they pop the most beautiful tree on top of the bar and wrap the pillars outside in Christmas cheer. However, obviously it’s not Christmas, and thankfully there wasn’t a tree in sight. Instead they had the most incredible lilies on each side of the bar, and after asking the waitress about them, I couldn't believe that they weren’t real!

You may have noticed a difference in my photos. The birthday elf was very nice to me this year! Say hello to my new baby!

 

We then headed for dinner at The Honours which is Martin Wisharts latest venture. His restaurant in Leith gave Edinburgh its first Michelin star, and since then his collection of eateries have gone from strength to strength. The Honours really is something special and I would definitely recommend it. The staff are lovely, the interior is chic and the food is to die for!

The interior was not at all what I had expected. From outside I had always thought it looked pretty dark, but it was full of light and very welcoming.  

I went for the duck and pork rillettes to start. I would describe this dish as a sort of Pate. Very, very yummy pate! Nothing but full marks for this creation.

For the main course I went for the Veal Sweetbreads. They were tender, juicy and cooked to utter perfection. The sauce was delicious, and it was certainly something I would have again. I ordered a cheeky side of fries as well. After all, it was my birthday, and you’re allowed to be a bit naughty.

My sister went for the Scallop and truffle tagliatelle. I had a taste and thought it was heavenly but very rich. She shared this opinion, and though it was scrumptious, she found that it became quite sickly.

Too full for dessert, we just sat and enjoyed the rest of our wine. The waitress had obviously over heard us chatting and picked up that it was my birthday. Big brownie points for her. A bowl of homemade toffees arrived with Happy Birthday written on the plate. They didnt last long.

Feeling fully satisfied, it was time to continue the celebrations with three of my best friends at Tiger Lily. Meet Bex, Emilie and Frankie: my soul sisters, sisters from other misters, partners in crime! Arent they just gorgeoooous!

 

Dad seemed to be enjoying himself!

A cute wee family snap minus the little brother (who isnt so little at all)! He's currently sunning himself in Cyprus with a group of friends, so his absence was allowed. 

There was plenty of bubbly,laughing and sillyness, and after a few drinks my sister had to shoot off back to Glasgow. 

My dad decided it was time for him to call it a day as well. Judging by this picture I think he made the right decision...Still just a big kid at heart.

For us four the night was still young, so we stayed on chatting, reminiscing and gossiping about everything and anything.

 The beautiful little Rebecca.

Time flies when your having fun, and it wasnt until we realised we were the only people left that we decided to call it a night. We all hopped into a cab and carried on giggling the whole way home. The perfect end to a perfect birthday.

 

Coming into Fashion

Last week The Edinburgh City Art Centre launched its newest exhibition, Coming into Fashion, showcasing a century of fashion photography from publishing giant Condé Nast. Much of the photography had graced the pages of the likes of Vogue and Harpers Bazaar, and had been taken by some of the world’s most renowned photographers. This is exactly my cup of tea, and I had been itching to go ever since it opened! Yesterday, I managed to get the troops rounded up, and we all popped down for a morning of culture.

The exhibition features the work of over 80 notable, and might I add, extremely talented fashion photographers, including Edward Steichen, Norman Parkinson and Albert Watson. There were some really fantastic photographs; it was really interesting to see how fashion photography has changed over the last century.

This one was by far my favourite. You certainly know your beautiful when you still look breathtaking dressed as a man!

It is well worth a visit, and at only £5, you can’t really go wrong!

After we left the exhibition it was still a little too early for lunch, so we passed the time by taking a stroll up Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. The sun was shining, showing Edinburgh off at its absolute best! 

We took a wander round St Giles Cathedral and were all blown away. Though I have lived in Edinburgh my entire life, I have to admit that I don't think I have ever been inside St Giles. I have definitely taken for granted what a beautiful city I live in, and it was so nice to stop for a second and appreciate what Edinburgh has to offer. 

Feeling like tourists, it was only right to pay the castle a little visit. We posed for a classic old sightseer’s photo, and then took some time admiring the castle in all its glory. We all agreed that we are so lucky to have such an incredible attraction in the middle of our city, and it is not difficult to understand why people flock to Edinburgh from all over the world!

This little guy messed with our minds!

Then it was lunch time. After umming and ahhing about what to have and where to go, we all decided that we would just wander and see what we found. We strolled down to the Grass market, an area of Edinburgh packed with little pubs and restaurants, so unsurprisingly we stumbled upon a winner pretty quickly! A little pub serving up stonking great platters of pub grub! Just what the doctor ordered!

We ordered a huge big platter of nachos, but these weren't any nachos. These were haggis nachos! The best combination that has probably ever graced the earth. They were loaded with topping and were absolutely to die for. When they were out down on the table we all pounced on them like vultures! To any onlookers it must have seemed like we hadn’t eaten in a week! If we could have licked the plate, we would have!

Feeling fully charged, it was time to go our separate ways. We all vowed to dedicate more time to exploring our incredible city, so there are plenty more Edinburgh adventures to come.

And finally, it’s the Little Things in Life, like taking a minute to appreciate the beautiful city you live in.