Fashionably great

Weddings and fashion go hand in hand, as do the words “bridal” and “fair”. Edinburgh Wedding and fashion show on the other hand, has a nice little ring to it.

The Edinburgh Wedding & Fashion Show features an exclusive collection of Scotland’s leading bridal wear. Show casting the very best in bridal dresses, kilts, hair and makeup set in Edinburgh’s premier events venue Edinburgh Corn Exchange, the show boasts the east of Scotland’s largest Wedding event.

A fashion show with a virginal difference, The Edinburgh Wedding & Fashion Show celebrates all things white and lace by offering brides and grooms free entry when signing up on http://www.ece.uk.com/weddingform.php and completing the online form. Taking place on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th March, the glamorous event is a chance to discover the wedding world in a unique way through the catwalk show.

A glass on bubbly on arrival, mouth watering canapes to drool over and with over 80 exhibitors at the Corn Exchange event it’s betable every taste and need will be catered for, fashionably.
For non online form application ticket information call 0844 249 4529 or email amy@ece.uk.com tickets £5.00 pp on the door. 11 am 5 pm.

Photos via here

Perth does fashion

A ladies day fundraiser is showcasing a fashion show with Italian designers, striking Celtic designs, new spring collections not yet in stores and above all model talent from Mr Scotland.

Perth Rugby Club is bringing some glamour to Mothers day on Sunday 14th March hosting a benefit 2 course lunch with shopping opportunities, live entertainment and a fashion show.
All the clothes featured in the fashion show are of the new Spring / Summer 2010 lines. Local Perth Boutiques such as Indigo and Eva Lucia are also being celebrated at the event.

The professional models featured in the fashion show are of Scotland’s finest. Mr Scotland and Dave McCall from Glasgow Warriors Rugby Team will take to the catwalk on the day.
Stylish Italian designer jewellery from Migilo and Celtic designs from the award winning Slanj will be showcased to add an original zest to the day.

High energy live entertainment will be provided by a partnership from African Drummers and Scottish Pipers who join to play together.

The event will take place at The Hangar in Scone from 1 pm to 6 pm, proving to be one of the best ways to celebrate Mothers Day. Tickets cost £30 each, for more information please contact Jo Hood at jo@synergyeventsolutions.com.

"Hallo-wean"

Dramatic screaming, fake blood, masked faces and stuck on tails. The town is swarming in various Michael Jackson “tributes” and suddenly I feel even guiltier that my hatred for Halloween is so rife. Really, what is wrong with me?

There must be some fun in losing your identity for the evening? Countless trips to packed fancy dress shops in search of that “original” costume must be fun, right? As fun as walking into a pub and finding 5 other girls wearing your exact same outfit, and I’d imagine that sticking a tail to your backside and giving yourself a headache from tight bunny ears strapped onto your head isn’t quite what I’d have in mind in a quest of losing my identity for the night.

So what is this fascination with Halloween, is it simply a commercial filler in between the festive period, or should my cynical self expand my narrow mind for this fascinating festival?

Upon understanding the amazing history of this festival, girls dressed in pants in the cold winter night doesn’t seem so fitting. The festival dates back 2,000 years ago when the Celts (residents of Ireland, UK and Northern France) celebrated their new year at the start of November in the cold, dark winter at a time that was also associated with human death.

Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred.2,000 years on and scantily clad teenagers use the festival for their vision to get blurred.

All in all there are a few benefits. I enjoy the attractive Jack Sparrow pouring my “Halloween inspired” cocktail with cobwebs thrown in for good measure. There is also the appreciation of the “bob slayers” running down Sauchiehall Street with a shopping trolley as a bob slay substitute. Respect.





photo via here

Go to....

Holidays don't always mean a hop skip and a jump into the far unknown. Sometimes, a wee train equals a big delight. I present you Edinburgh.

You know that place 50 minutes on a train east? The one where they say “ken” and put sauce on their chips instead of vinegar? Seems so very foreign doesn't it? It's home to a thousand delights with wondrous bars and caves acting as nightclubs just waiting to be discovered by adventurers alike.

A five star hostel in the heart of the city is a far cry from squalor living. Playing host to students and travellers a far at just £19 a night, it's the perfect way to enjoy a central location whilst saving some pennies.

On the £15 a night saved by opting for a central hostel over a central hotel, Princess Street is a perfect place to splurge. Playing host to half a mile of shops, this unique shopping experience is not to be missed.

Educational and beautiful, Edinburgh Castle offers an interesting venue to learn all things Scottish. Avoid the gift shops selling ginger wigs for £15 and enjoy a 3 course meal and a drink for around £20 in The Basement on Broughton Street to rest your tired legs. With the waiters all fashioning hideous Hawaiian shifts, the food still manages to be the main attraction.
If you like your music live and raw, The Voodoo Rooms on West Chamber street offers a loud yet tranquil setting if you excuse the irony.

Dancing the night away in a cave doesn't have to mean travelling to Ibiza. Cabaret Voltaire nightclub features a cat walk in a stoned arching cave , Boyz Noize and Kate Nash have both made appearances over the years. The drink ain't bad either!So for a £2.20 return bus or a £11 return train ticket, explore Edinburgh. It's a bit like Glasgow, but with cobbly streets and a bit of a weird accent.

Photo via here

Fashion Lent

For some it’s chocolate. Others choose cigarettes. Many pledge to give up alcohol for the weeks of lent. Last year saw a rise in the number of self confessed social networking addicts promising to give up online sites such as facebook for their religious conscious. With the credit crunch still biting, many fashion obsessed ladies with expensive reading, dressing and socialising habits are saying goodbye to fashion.

Lent, this year starting on 17th February going right through until 3rd April, is a time for Prada purse strings to be pulled tighter as expensive magazines, shoes, nail and other beauty treatments are all giving the elbow in the name of religion. Miles more interesting than the common chocolate pledge that is likely to end up in 3am cravings and consumption of twice as much chocolate than one would usually consume.

A glossy magazine habit can set you back twenty odd quid a week, add in the weekly trips to the high street with all the new lines being pulled into the front of stores as Spring approaches and you have yourself a costly hobby. Surely 6 weeks in the year to de-cleanse yourself of Chanel cravings and comparing your size 12 frame to that off a fitness goddess in the glossy pages can only be a good thing?



These statement Chanel's can set you back more than a months rent!

The Glasgow Vintage Co

Space, amazing lighting features, suitcases and a vintage bike certainly can't be overlooked in the latest vintage shop in Glasgow's West End.

The Glasgow Vintage Co is giving the title "just another vintage shop" a right old beating with this one-of-a-kind, two floored vintage heaven.
Children, women and men are all fashionably catered for in spacious, authentically rustic surroundings.

From the owners of the popular West End vintage store Watermelon, The Glasgow Vintage Co really does have that special sparkle.

From furs to sequins, Barbours to Harringtons; Shop owner Gavin O'Brien and his wife Mari sure know the tastes of Glasgow's in crowd inside out. The shop enjoys the luxury of being a stone's throw away from Kelvinbridge Underground with a window display to ensure it stands out from the rest.

Dressed head to toe in 'melon inspired clobber, co-owner Gavin tells us: "There was a space in the West End for us. We started looking for a place about four months ago, and we really have opened in a fantastic location. We have some very good sources for filling the shop with our vintage offerings."

With fur coats for the wee ones and a floor dedicated to the girls, then the guys, The Glasgow Vintage Co is a quirky and different take on vintage shopping in Glasgow.

If you like authentic and enjoy ironic surroundings, then The Glasgow Vintage Co is ready to open its closet to you and is sure to be one of the best and most original vintage hunting grounds around.

Photo via Marina @ Style Scanner

Link to article from the skinny

The fashion playground

On the Saturday 27 February the St Andrews Charity Fashion Show (FS:X) will celebrate its 18th year in style, with around 1300 people set to attend the event. The 2010 show theme is the fashion playground, and will be housed in the Guardbridge Paper Mill on the outskirts of the historic sea side town. As well as the event itself, the creators tell us that the concept of the FS:X fashion playground extends to an online magazine and a playful lighthearted blog for the public to enjoy.

With a combination of garments selected from talented student designers and also bigger names such as Nicole Fahri, Luella and Bordelle; FS:X holds the title of the biggest fashion event of its type in the UK.

All the proceeds of the evening will go to the charity Watoto, an organisation set up to help orphaned children in Uganda. Through the dedication of everyone involved in the show, FS:X can potentially enable Watoto to achieve their aim of rescuing, housing and educating 10,000 children by 2023.

The St Andrews 18th Charity Fashion Show is set yet again to be a professional and entertaining event, whilst also making a substantial difference to the life of Ugandan children.

Photo via the skinny

Went to see Lily Allen's closet

Hair scraped back, glittering makeup and 3 outfit changes; Lilly Allen strutted across the stage at Glasgow’s SECC giggling and treating the crowd to pints of Guinness in between her swearing, sexual gestures and hits.

Opening up with “Everyone’s at it”, Lily looked amazing in a black and white leotard she’s been seen wearing at previous shows. 'Littlest Things' and 'He Wasn't There' were sang sweetly, embarking on irony.

With heals and legs to die for, the crowd were treated to a cover of The Kooks 'Naive' early on in her set, which also marked her first costume change of the night. Turning her sassy self into a romantic pixie in a bejewelled baby pink dress. Hair still disappointingly scraped back, face still glittering.

Covers of Kaiser Chiefs 'Oh My God' and Britney's 'Womanizer' were well received, while rapper Professor Green helped out on a version of 'Just Be Good To Me' as Lily illegally smoked a fag while laughing.

Smile was treated to a drum and base mix exciting the un-expecting crowd.

The final outfit was much like the first, figure hugging, sexy and leaving little to the imagination; Lily clearly felt the eyes on her bum as she told the crowd; “I don’t know how I feel about this outfit…. I just dunno!” Then laughing, “Does my bum look big in this?” as she began her number one hit “The Fear.”

'Fuck you very much' was interrupted by Lily shouting at boys in the crowd to stop pushing saying, “Stop fucking pushing her, boys don’t push girls, fucking stop it.” Lily waving her middle finger, and everyone in the crowd too, proving just what kind of role model Lily chooses to be. This was the only time in the gig she actually looked amused.

The lyrics of the encore 'Not fair' invited Lily to use the microphone to demonstrate “I’ve spent ages giving….” as she sang about an ex who wasn’t very good in bed. The crowd seemed to relate and she left the stage to cheers of thanks from the happy Glaswegians.

Alternative Contraception

Longer lasting contraception is reliable, convenient and above all raising in popularity in young adults thanks to a recent campaign to raise awareness. Young woman are changing their perceptions and opinions about alternative methods following the “Giving You More Choice” campaign that was launched on 19 July this year.

The campaign ‘Giving you more choice’ has the social marketing principle of behaviour change at its core. The campaign aims to; encourage woman aged 18 to 44 to explore their contraceptive options, promote the three most effective methods of longer-lasting contraception, improve the overall knowledge and awareness of longer-lasting methods and ultimately reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and repeat terminations.

Research conducted by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland into the needs and behaviors of sexually active woman found women wanted reliability, convenience and flexibility from their contraception. They wanted contraception that took care of itself. It was also important to have a measure of control over contraception. A main concern raised by women about contraception was whether it would affect their long-term fertility. With these longer-lasting methods, fertility returns a few days after removal.

Jane Hoeflich, Communications Manager from NHS Health Scotland told The Cardonald Courier: “The campaign promotes the convenience of longer-lasting contraception fitting into busy lifestyles while providing protection against pregnancy. Simply by exploring the other methods of contraception available women may find that longer-lasting contraception would suit them better.

“‘Giving you more choice’ aims to open the channels of communication between women and their contraception provider by raising awareness of the contraceptive choices available.”
With communication channels opened and information readily available, woman should be able to make informative decisions. However with migraines, nausea and depression all hefty side affects the up take may possibly be just as high as the removal. Lilly-Jane Scott from Pollockshaws spoke to The Courier about her experience:

“I had the implant fitted in August after being attracted to the idea from the posters dotted around bars and clubs in Glasgow.”

“I began suffering from migraines and was being sick. I got the implant removed last week. If I had known more about the side effects I wouldn’t have been so hasty in having it inserted. These alternative contraception’s are cheaper for the government, but girl’s health and wellbeing shouldn’t be affected at the cost of saving the government a few bob.”

The review of the success of the campaign at meeting their aims to improve the sexual health and wellbeing of woman in Scotland is currently underway. The results however, won’t be known until February next year.

With side affects sometimes taking a few months to rear their ugly head, anticipation into the results of the review is rife. Naive and haphazard decisions into the use of these alternative methods could result in less than positive findings.

Student festive safety

The party life style that many students embrace can have it's consequences.....

1 in 3 students become the victim of crime every single year, with burglaries, muggings and assault being rife against the student population. Ipods, vodka and halls of residence all play a hand at turning the student lifestyle into a risk fuelled nightmare.

Students widely suffer from the ill effects of alcohol and put themselves at greater risk of fire-related injuries and sexually transmitted infections from having unprotected sex. The festive period creates an increased risk of falling victim to crime.

There are some very simple steps you take can to help keep yourself safe in the winter months. Not using MP3 players late at night and getting your keys out your bag before you reach your door could help you avoid being another statistic.

Strathclyde Police is working closely with Glasgow Community and Safety Services (GCSS) as it gears up to extend the city’s “Nite Zone” services over the festive period.
Nite Zones, which operate around Central Station and Sauchiehall Street on Friday and Saturday nights, is a strategy led by GCSS and aims to reduce violence, disorder and antisocial behaviour. “Nite Zones” benefit from increased police patrols, lighting, taxi and bus marshals and, to date, the number of serious crimes - including robbery and serious assault incidents – in these areas have reduced.

Chief Superintendent Bernard Higgins for Glasgow City Centre and West Division said: ““By getting our safety message across by using the latest technology, and the more traditional methods like posters and radio adverts, we hope to encourage people to plan ahead for their nights out and show that by taking a few simple steps, they can stay safe and remember their time for all the right reasons.”

The student festival

February; still felt is the Christmas overload in our belt buckles and purse strings, but the sale of festival tickets opens up summer day dreaming of hippie tent times.

A festival no longer means getting muddy in a field for a weekend, the popularity in far-a-way events such as Exit and Bennicassim are on the rise offering sun and sea on top of festival fun.

Student friendly ticket prices, and free accommodation in the form of a tent means festivals and holidays can be combined to aid minimum impact on a students bank balance.

Typical sunny festivals would set you back £350 on a budget which includes flights, trains and ticket. Pricey it may be, but the experience is priceless.

If your more of a home bird, or if your passport is nonexistent our own festivals boast culture and adverse weather conditions in equal amounts.

Glastonbury opens up sale of the remainder of the unsold tickets this month, but registration on the Glastonbury website (www.glastonburyfestival.co.uk) is vital to secure a ticket. Hippie love and peace all around, Glastonbury is celebrating it’s 40th year with U2 already confirmed as headliners, this festival is not to be missed.

T in the Park won the “cleanest festival toilets” award last year which is an award to be proud of. Festival toilets are always the hardest to endure. The Scottish festival, held in Balerno, secures top headliners to bring in the hundreds of thousands, and almost always guarantees rain and puddles.

All in all, combining a festival and a holiday halves the costs, doubles the experience and uniquely includes communal fun. Wellies, a tent, some baby wipes and an open mind all that be required.

Life's not fair but my knicker are

The first fairtrade season of the new decade kicks off on 23 February for 2 weeks. Fairtrade Fortnight is the annual nationwide campaign to promote awareness of Fairtrade and encourage people to buy products which carry the Fairtrade Mark in order to help farmers in developing countries.

Getting involved in fairtrade in Glasgow is easy. Look out for fairtrade products in your local supermarket, cafes and high street shops. You can also go along to “The Fairtrade Experience” at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall where Hind Hashem El Arabi of the Palestinian Fair Trade Association joins the line-up of producers from India and Chile for the eighth Fairtrade fair in Glasgow. As well as stalls with free tastings and products to buy, there is live music, a VJ fashion show, theatre from Hopscotch, comedy from Tony Vino and children's craft activities from Woodcraft Folk all for the price of £1.

You can even get involved by wearing “Life’s not fair but my knickers are” knickers. Hannah Reed, Campaigns Managers for Fairtrade Towns at the Fairtrade Foundation is encouraging all kinds of swaps: We want everyone to get busy swapping for Fairtrade. Swap your usual bananas for Fairtrade bananas, your usual socks for Fairtrade socks and your usual cuppa for a Fairtrade cuppa. Each swap will help producers in the developing world to get a fairer deal. So, for Fairtrade Fortnight 2010, let’s get swapping.’

You can purchase Fairtrade fashion from http://www.asos.com/, http://www.topshop.com/ and Tesco’s.

The Power of The Glasgow Bloggers

A new digital journal age is upon us, creeping into our curiosity and becoming more powerful and localised by the day.

Blogs allow online access all areas and their popularity is rising as the curiosity in other people's worlds remains. A few clicks on a mouse allows a candid entry to others lives, and the power that bloggers have in influencing is becoming more and more baffling.

Glasgow bloggers are in their thousands, specialising in their niche and collecting regular readers by the day.

Fashion blogs are fast becoming friends with Vogue, securing front row seats at Fashion Shows and featuring in publications such as Elle and Cosmopolitan on a regular basis.

The Glasgow Night Bus blog turned into a bestselling book, with a weegie bus driver describing the frightening sights during his gruelling night shift through the buckfast city. The Courier spoke to Glasgow's finest in the digital world uncovering the mind of these influential bloggers.

Marina is a Glasgow designer and is the brains and creativity behind “Style Scanner” the Glasgow based fashion scanner. “Over the last few years, I’d see all these amazingly dressed people in Glasgow and always lamented not being able to record their “look”. I kind of wanted to say “Hey, world, Glasgow has cool people too!”, so a blog seemed worth a short. It’s a pretty time consuming hobby but it feels rewarding being able to share whatever interesting stuff comes into my radar.”

“I don’t know if anyone is quite able to quantify the power bloggers have in influencing the public, however a bloggers self portrait is typically more naturally posed than the usual fashion industry image and my be perceived to be more authentic and less cynical. I’ve recently seen press packs from designers with models striking very similar poses to those of some well known fashion bloggers!”

“I choose reading blogs over buying magazines now, a magazine is perhaps perceived to require more commitment. I don’t think it’s the end of print journalism but bloggers, some of whom can write pretty well, are tweeting from the front row of Chanel, while magazine journalists have to endure a lead time of up to 6 months.”

More accessible, candid and couldn’t be further from bias, blogs are saved in the internet favourites of people all over the world. Just another branch of the internet’s diverse and interactive community. Long may the growth in these diverse internet blogs continue.

Disney Inspirations

Bright hair colours, long flowing dresses and men to die for; The Disney characters we grew up with are embedded in our fashion souls forever without us even realising it.

At the age of 5 we are terrible little souls. I remember screaming and having a tantrum Super Nanny would cringe at because my mum refused to by me another pair of plastic shoes that had glitter and jewels on them and ripped your feet apart. I couldn’t see her point back then, I thought she was nasty and didn’t want me to wear nicer shoes than her. I now see that these Cinderella inspired plastic slippers were an embarrassment for my mother and a health risk for her five year old.

“Snow White would wear this dress” and “Eric would love this skirt” flows through the mind of a 5 year old when dressing. The glamorous, beautiful images of Disney characters really are more perfect than the celebrities that you see today. No spots or cellulite. Their husbands don’t cheat on them with Essex girls. Nor are their dresses available from Topshop. Mice and birds make their outfits.

Kirsty Gallagher, 19 from Glasgow is an online fashion blogger. She studies fashion textiles and her inspiration comes solely from Disney girls, “I think the magical world of Disney is a perfect place to take fashion inspiration from. The morals and values of Disney girls is a stark contrast to that of the celebrity world many other young women idolise. Girls falling out of night clubs in scantily clad clobber is less desirable than a Disney princess.”

So if you really had to go into the deepest core of your mind and ask yourself who you really would love to look like, I think we can all agree that Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Pocahontas would win over Cheryl Cole every time.