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.

 

Cannes Credentials

Another week, another red carpet for the stars! This week swarms of A-listers descended on the French Riviera for a 12 day cinematic bonanza, otherwise known as the Cannes Film Festival. There has been no shortage of scandal with a gun scare, a $1million jewellery theft and enough rain to float Noah’s Ark, but that certainly hasn’t taken the shine off the glitz and glamour of the red carpet. So let’s take a look at the line up of stylish stars, and see who really brought some sparkle to the south of France.

 

To kick it off it has to be none other than the Met Balls leading rock chick, Cara Delevigne. Her Burberry ensemble knocked it out at the park at the Met ball, and she certainly didn’t let her standards slip this time. Dressed in another beautiful Burberry gown with a plunging neckline and lace detailing, the British model looked truly amazing! Can she ever get it wrong?!

Next up is the beautiful Emma Watson in Chanel Couture. As one of my favourite young actresses, I always love to see what she will pull out when it comes to gracing the red carpet, and in this case she certainly did not disappoint! She couldn’t have looked better in her monochrome Chanel Gown, but then again, is it actually possible to look bad in Chanel!?

Another beauty flying the flag for British style was Cheryl Cole, dressed in a maroon Zuhair Murad creation. I would go as far to say that this is one of her best ever red carpet appearances to date! The dress is absolutely beautiful! From the detailing to the color, it is perfection! She looks like a true Hollywood A-lister, and my girl crush is continuing to grow!

Our final red carpet beauty for today has to be Dutch Model Doutzen Kroes. A far cry from her usual Victoria’s Secret get up, but absolutely breathtaking nonetheless! She hit the red carpet earlier in the week in a peachy Versace number, but she really knocked it out the Park in this stunning White Calvin Klein masterpiece! There really are no words for this except Wow!