17/10/2010

Edinburgh Vintage

Despite the economic downturn, there is an abundance of unusual shops in Edinburgh, and since it's apparently 69 sleeps until Christmas, it might be time to start the list for Santa.


  • Arkangel & Felon just popped up this year. It's pretty expensive, not really suited to the average student budget, but they have lovely labels like Anonymous by Ross & Bute, and the vegan shoe brand Beyond Skin, and the vintage interior of the shop is so pretty it's worth peering in just to admire.
  • Iconic, on the other hand, has been around forever. I like to think of the shop as where all the really good stuff from charity shops end up, although they have a reasonable collection of local crafts, crockery and collectibles with four-figure price tags for the mega-minted.
  • Bra Bohag - used to be Retrospective & The Bicycle thieves, which was a cracking little vintage shop - now the owner has now turned to mid-century furniture. It's not a student shop, most furniture is into the hundreds, but it's worth the wander over just to have a drool and picture the Ercol dining chairs replacing your Ikea Ivar wobblers.
  • The Red Door Gallery sells a lot of the art students' creations, and put on some proper weird and wonderful exhibitions. Almost everything is affordable (I make art sound like such an consumable thing?) so it's a great way to treat yourself before loan day.
  • Godiva have been in Edinburgh for years, and I'm actually more of a fan of the menswear, the womenswear can be a bit too twee (but there are gems). The vintage Disney T-shirts are super trendy and a steal at £12.50. 

Not a shop, but an event coming to Edinburgh soon is the 2010 Fiddle Festival. It's got a super line-up of gigs, ceilidhs and workshops, running on the 12th - 14th November. Check it out!

C x