The idea of Edinburgh being a stylish city would not always occur to those of us lucky enough to enjoy daily the sight of its magnificently craggy castle and glorious Georgian New Town.
It is the “other place” in Scotland that in recent years has successfully used its vibrant music and arts scene to market itself as a fashionable weekend destination with the slogan “Glasgow: Scotland with Style”.
Followers of fashion certainly have plenty to enjoy in Edinburgh. The city’s National Museum of Scotland is home to an exhibition, Jean Muir: A Fashion Icon, which was opened by the actress Joanna Lumley, who used to model the designer’s work in the 1960s.
Muir began her life in fashion in 1950 when she joined Liberty of London as a 22-year-old junior stockroom assistant. After designing for Jaeger and then the Jane and Jane label, she established her own label in 1966 with her husband, Harry Leuckert, and remained at the forefront of fashion until her death in 1995.
Proud of her Scottish heritage, Muir used Scottish craftspeople throughout her career and was a long-term supporter of the National Museum of Scotland. In recognition of these close links, Leuckert donated more than 18,000 items from the Jean Muir archive to the museum in 2005.
Although the current exhibition is small, the quality of the clothes is outstanding and they include a variety of Muir’s classic “little black dresses” that are timeless in their sophistication and appeal.
And it is Edinburgh – not Glasgow – that has become the first place in the UK after London to be the subject of a city guide branded by Wallpaper*, a magazine and website much favoured by the style conscious.
 |
| The view of Edinburgh Castle from George Street |
The good news is that quality boutiques have located themselves one block behind in George Street, the elegant link between the two main open spaces in the New Town, Charlotte Square and St Andrew Square.
This concentration makes a compact and happy hunting ground for upmarket shoppers, and some more mature fashion lovers from Glasgow admit to finding Edinburgh a more civilised destination.
Lovers of retro styles should head for Armstrongs Vintage Emporium, located in the shadow of the castle in the Grassmarket, one of Edinburgh’s oldest streets. The store is packed with antique uniforms, vintage handbags and hats and clothes from every decade back to Victorian costume.
It is, however, in selling food that the Scottish capital really can make a claim for distinctiveness. Edinburgh Farmers Market, held at the foot of the castle every Saturday, has won awards for being the best in Britain.
More than 70 specialist producers attend the market, most growing what they sell.
Edinburgh’s traditional professions have long been medicine, the law and finance – even if the bankers are keeping a low profile in these troubled times. But the city also has an admirable record of producing people who take a pride in retailing.
The city’s most famous foodie destination is Valvona & Crolla, Scotland’s oldest Italian delicatessen and wine merchant, a five-minute stroll from the east end of Princes Street. Go through its modest entrance and you find a long, fragrant cavern with cured meats hanging from the ceiling and cabinets packed with cheese and olives.
At the back is a wine department, which features vintages specially bottled for the shop, and a café bar that offers delicious meals, as well as the best coffee and pastries in Edinburgh.
Valvona & Crolla has recently taken over the food hall of Jenners, Edinburgh’s most famous Princes Street department store, which is now owned by House of Fraser. The plan is for the Jenners outlet to focus on more international products, so the original store will focus even more on distinctive Italian products and wines.
Another local hero on the food front is Ian Mellis, acknowledged as Scotland’s finest cheesemonger. His Victoria Street shop is an excellent place to sample Lanarkshire Blue, the cheese often described as Scotland’s Roquefort. Foodies interested in how local chefs can combine these ingredients should head for Edinburgh’s formerly very gritty port area of Leith, which has been extensively redeveloped in recent years.
Restaurant Martin Wishart is located close to the old docks area, but step inside and all is calm and sophistication. Wishart, who worked under Albert Roux and Marco Pierre White, opened the restaurant in 1999 and gained his Michelin star two years later. He applies classic and modern French techniques to mainly Scottish ingredients that reflect the changing seasons.
A short stroll away is another outstanding restaurant, The Kitchin, whose founder Tom Kitchin, last year became the youngest Scottish chef – aged just 29 – to win a Michelin star, and that within six months of opening.
Edinburgh is also pitching to attract a hip – and hardy – crowd to its Hogmanay celebrations, a four-day festival of events that starts on December 29 with a torchlight procession through the city centre.
Many Scots believe partying out of doors on New Year’s Eve is an intrinsically daft idea, and previous Hogmanay parties on Princes Street have had to be cancelled because of poor weather. But in spite of a slow start to ticket sales, the organisers hope this year to attract big crowds of revellers to watch high-profile acts such as Paolo Nutini, Groove Armada and Glasvegas.
January sees the start of the Scottish government’s Year of Homecoming, a programme of events across the country to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of the poet Robert Burns that aims to attract visitors with Scottish connections from all over the world.
A ceilidh in Princes Street Gardens will see the ice rink converted for the night into a dance floor with live music. For those who do not wish to risk exposure, a safer bet is The Hoog, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay’s indoor ceilidh party, which is held at the George Street Assembly Rooms.
Andrew Bolger is the FT’s correspondent in Edinburgh
.............
Details
‘Jean Muir: A Fashion Icon’, exhibition runs until March 15 2009
www.nms.ac.uk
