Press Release: Fashioning a Reign

Exhibition opens at the Palace of Holyroodhouse on Her Majesty The Queen's 90th birthday The first of three special exhibitions, Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style from The Queen's Wardrobe, is now open at the Palace of Holyroodhouse on the 90th birthday of Her Majesty The Queen.

The group of outfits, which chart Her Majesty's life and reign from childhood to the present day, and represent family, official and ceremonial occasions, is the largest display of The Queen's dress ever shown in Scotland.

For public appearances during childhood, Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret often wore formal dress, such as the pink, princess-line coats and matching bonnets in the exhibition. These outfits were worn by the Princesses, aged nine and five respectively, for a Service of Thanksgiving for the Silver Jubilee of their grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary, at St Paul's Cathedral on 6 May 1935. Princess Elizabeth also wore the coat for an official visit to the Palace of Holyroodhouse with their parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937.

The British couturier Norman Hartnell, who was knighted for his services to the Royal Household in 1997, first began designing for the then Princess Elizabeth in the 1940s. For a State Banquet at the Royal Palace of Bangkok, during Her Majesty's State Visit to Thailand in February 1972, he created a silk-cotton evening gown for The Queen, encrusted with crystals, sequins, beads and diamantes. The panels of rich golden fabric in the skirt and the coordinating jewelled embroidery are in the colours of the highest order of chivalry in Thailand, the Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri.

The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is second only in precedence to the Order of the Garter and represents the highest honour in Scotland. As Sovereign Head of the Order, Her Majesty wears the mantle, hat and insignia of the Order on ceremonial occasions, such as the installation of a Knight of the Order at the Thistle Chapel at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh. The mantle, on display for the first time, is of dark-green velvet, lined with white, and is embroidered with a representation of the Star of the Order. The hat of black velvet has a plume of white ostrich feathers and an embroidered badge of a thistle, surrounded by the motto of the Order 'Nemo me impune lacessit' (No one harms me with impunity).

A ruby, gold and diamond brooch, presented to The Queen by The Duke of Edinburgh in 1966, was designed by Andrew Grima and is an example of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh's patronage of British design. Grima was the only jewellery designer to be awarded The Duke of Edinburgh Prize for Elegant Design, which was established in 1959 and given to a designer of 'a contemporary design in current production distinguished by its elegance'.  Grima, who trained as an engineer, was subsequently awarded The Queen's Award for Industry and the Royal Warrant.

The exhibition at the Palace of Holyroodhouse will be followed by exhibitions at the Summer Opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace from 23 July 2016 and at Windsor Castle from 17 September 2016. In total, around 150 outfits worn by The Queen will be presented across the three Palaces, many chosen because of their close association with the location.

Press release: Edinburgh Fashion Week 2016

Edinburgh Fashion Week to Make a Stylish Return to the Capital

Tickets on sale now for award winning event

Now in its second year, Edinburgh Fashion Week (EFW)is making a highly anticipated return to the city next month to inspire Scottish shoppers and style connoisseurs. Hosted from Saturday 5th – Sunday 13thMarch, the must-attend annual event will showcase the hottest Spring/Summer looks, emerging designers and top retailers from across the city centre.

The launch weekend on the 5th and 6th March will see The Mound transformed into a buzzing, indoor style hub, which will feature a packed schedule of cutting edge catwalk shows, pop up workshops with industry insiders and exclusive exhibits. Shows will incorporate Princes Street and George Street favourites including River Island, Gap, LK Bennett, Jigsaw and John Lewis as well as collaborations from Thistle Street and West End retailers. Postgraduate designers from Edinburgh College of Art will close the launch weekend on Sunday with a creative collective. Show attendees can preview the 2016 collections from over 25 high street heroes and chic boutiques and take advantage of an exclusive EFWdiscount card to help them re-create their favourite looks. 

This year, the event will partner will breast cancer charity Walk the Walk to host a one-of-a-kind Moonwalk show on Saturday 5th March. An array of Scottish celebrities, sports personalities and designers will be involved in the extravaganza which will culminate in an exciting live auction. Other collaborators include iconic Edinburgh blogger Satisfashion and fashion movement Scot Street Style amongst others.

Following the weekend launch, participating retailers willbe running exclusive promotions across the city and the event will close with the Edinburgh Charity Fashion Show on Friday 11th & Saturday 12th of March in The Biscuit Factory.

Hosted by Essential Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fashion Week was launched in 2015 to bring families and shoppers into the city centre, to celebrate the capital’s creativity and style. 

Roddy Smith, Chief Executive of Essential Edinburgh – the company behind Edinburgh Fashion Week and EdinEvents – said:

“Edinburgh Fashion Week is a wonderful opportunity for diverse city centre fashion retailers to come together and showcase their offerings this Spring. The mix of High Street favourites, chic boutiques and new up and coming design talent will surely offer trends for everyone’s tastes. 

“Coming into the beautiful city centre, whether to shop, eat, drink or be entertained is a wonderful experience and our five annual events help to encourage residents and locals to re-discover what they love about Edinburgh. It is no wonder that towards the end of 2015 Edinburgh was voted the top city to live in the UK- jumping 97 places in the rankings since 2013.”

Alan Thomlinson, Store Manager of Jenners/House of Fraser says: “We’re delighted to be involved once again in Edinburgh Fashion Week.  There’s a fantastic mix of retailers taking part and we’re really looking forward to showing visitors what Edinburgh has to offer in terms of style.  With catwalk shows, pop-up tutorials and week-long promotions, there is something for everyone at this year’s event.”

Sara Morris, Press Assistant at Oliver Bonas says: “Edinburgh Fashion Week provides the perfect platform for passionate, creative independent retailers like our self to showcase their latest collections.  The city has such a strong style scene and we can’t wait for the buzz around the capital during the event.”

Retailers taking part include Jenners/House of Fraser, ANTA, John Lewis, Gap, Next, Debenhams, Pretty Green, River Island, French Connection, LK Bennett, Jigsaw, Oliver Bonas, Kakao by K, ALC, Covet, BISCUIT, 21st Century Kilts, Just G Boutique, Marina Rinaldi, Sam Brown Boutique, Odyssey Boutique and Jojo Maman Bebe.  Refreshments will be provided by Tigerlily.

Tickets to Edinburgh Fashion Week go on sale today (8thFebruary) on the Essential Edinburgh website www.edinevents.com, with single show and VIP packages available.  Prices range from free - £25 and early bird tickets will be available from 8th – 19th February.

TICKET TYPE	COST
Kid’s Fashion Show (unreserved seating)	Free booking
General admission to one show	£11.50
Early Bird ticket to one show (running from 8th – 19th February)	£8
ANTA VIP ticket (not included in Early Bird)	£22
The Moonwalk Charity Show (not included in Early Bird, all proceeds go to MoonWalk)	£25
Edinburgh College of Art Postgraduate Collective	£11.50
Let’s Talk Fashion panel discussion	£5
John Lewis Presentation	£5

SHOW SCHEDULE CONFIRMED TO DATE

SATURDAY 5TH MARCH
TIME	SHOW
12 noon	Kid’s fashion show
1.30pm	House of Frasers/Jenners
3.00pm	George Street
4.30pm	West End
6.30pm	The Moonwalk Charity Auction
SUNDAY 6TH MARCH
12 noon	Kid’s Fashion Show
1.00pm	Princes Street
2.00pm	John Lewis Presentation
3.00pm	Thistle Street
4.30pm	Edinburgh Collective
5.30pm	Let’s Talk Fashion Panel Discussion
6.30pm	Edinburgh College of Art Postgraduate Collective

#EdFashionWeek #EdinEvents

PRESS RELEASE: Designer Paul Smith Opens Exhibition in Glasgow

PRESS RELEASE

Designer Paul Smith opens exhibition in Glasgow

World famous designer Paul Smith was in Glasgow (20^th January) opening the Hello, My Name is Paul Smith exhibition at The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Design and Architecture, open to the public 21 January until 20 March.

Debuted at the Design Museum in London in 2013 and touring in 2015 to Modemuseum Hasselt in Belgium, Hello, My Name is Paul Smith invites you into Paul Smith’s world; a world of fashion, creation, inspiration, collaboration, wit and beauty. The exhibition is supported by Sony and The Herald, Creative Scotland and Glasgow City Council.

It draws on Paul's personal archive, from the company's beginnings in Nottingham to its international prominence today. The exhibition will explore how the designer's unique creative intuition, together with an understanding of the roles of designer and retailer, have laid the foundations for the company's lasting success and offer a unique insight into the magnificent mind of Paul Smith.

6 highlights include:

• A recreation of Paul Smith’s first shop in Byard Lane, Nottingham, which measured 3m x 3m
• A recreation of Paul’s personal office, containing a myriad of books and objects that are a continual source of inspiration
•  A recreation of Paul’s Parisian hotel suite where he sold his first collection in 1976
• The original Paul Smith multi-stripe Mini
• A Day in The Life of a Fashion Show, shot in 4K  – technology provided by Sony
• Footage of runway shows of latest collections

Paul Smith, designer, said: “I've always had an affection for Glasgow based on the city's strong art heritage and its wonderful link with creativity. Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the School of Art and just the whole atmosphere of the place is fantastic and so I'm delighted to be taking the exhibition to The Lighthouse, Scotland's Centre for Design and Architecture."

From humble beginnings in a Paris hotel suite in 1976, the company now shows seasonally at London and Paris fashion weeks and is sold in over 265 stores across 83 countries worldwide.

Councillor George Redmond, Executive Member for Jobs, Business and Investment at Glasgow City Council, said: “Paul Smith is a legendary name in fashion and design and is a fantastic fit for The Lighthouse, so we are delighted to welcome this exhibition to the city.  The unique content will illustrate the impact of Paul Smith on the world of design over the past four decades.”

Donna Loveday, head of curatorial, Design Museum finished: “The Design Museum and The Lighthouse have a longstanding relationship and the opportunity to present Hello, My Name is Paul Smith at The Lighthouse was a perfect fit. Since we announced the exhibition was coming to Scotland last year, excitement has been building!

“The exhibition had the highest visitor figures for an exhibition in the Design Museum's history; when it opens in Glasgow I’m certain it will receive an equally positive response.”

Welcome to the world of Paul Smith.

Tickets are £6 adults and £4 child/concession via thelighthouse.co.uk/hellopaulsmith.

Press Release: Mamma’s Pizza Celebrates 30 Years’ Star Wars Style

Mamma’s Pizza Celebrates 30 Years’ Star Wars Style

Former Star Wars actor and original owner of Mamma’s Pizza, Angus MacInnes, joins 30^th birthday celebrations

Sign up for your free ticket!!

Edinburgh’s Mamma’s Pizza, the Greater Grassmarket’s award-winning American pizza and panzerotti restaurant, celebrates 30 years’ this December with the launch of a special Star Wars themed menu and FREE birthday party event on Tuesday 8^th December. Celebrations will be joined by original owner and Star Wars actor, Angus MacInnes.

Angus, who played Gold Leader in the first movie, is also Mamma’s Pizza’s original owner, first opening the restaurant in 1985. Guests will have the chance to meet Angus and find out what it was like to act in one of the world’s best known sci-fi movies. There will also be complimentary Star Wars inspired pizza, blind pizza tasting competitions, cooking demonstrations and Star Wars themed activities for kids.

To celebrate turning 30, Mamma’s Pizza has also created a unique Star Wars menu which will run from 8^th December to 31^st January, and includes pizza specials such as ‘Ham Solo’, ‘Cheese-3-PO’, ‘BBQ-D-2’, ‘Boba Feta’ and ‘Darth Veggie’. Anyone who dines at Mamma’s Pizza in December or January after watching the new Star Wars movie* or who dresses up in Star Wars costume will also receive a Star Wars treat.

Paul Duncan, owner of Mamma’s Pizza, says: “We are really excited to welcome Angus back to Mamma’s Pizza, 30 years after he originally opened the restaurant!

“It’s not every day you have a Star Wars actor visiting your restaurant. So, we thought we would celebrate in style by launching our Star Wars themed menus and character-inspired pizzas to welcome the return of the Gold Leader.”

Tickets for Mamma’s Pizza’s 30^th birthday party are free and available from: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/celebrate-mammas-pizza-30th-birthday-star-wars-style-tickets-19704666187

* Simply show your cinema ticket at the time of dining.

PRESS RELEASE: BUCCLEUCH ARMS EMBRACES CHRISTMAS WITH FINE FESTIVE DINING

BUCCLEUCH ARMS EMBRACES CHRISTMAS WITH FINE FESTIVE DINING

An award-winning Inn in the Scottish borders is inviting people from throughout Scotland and the North of England with a love of good food to embrace the magic of Christmas with a spectacular programme of events taking place over the Christmas and New Year period.

From 2-24 December, the historic Buccleuch Arms in St. Boswells will be offering a scrumptious three course Christmas lunch menu priced at £19, and a show stopping three course dinner for just £21.50. This delicious menu will be followed by an equally sumptuous New Year selection of local produce, accompanied by dancing and a piper.

The festive menu will showcase some of the best local food and drink from the Scottish borders, including baked breast of partridge with smoked bacon bubble and squeak, and roasted turkey with herb potatoes, parsnips and chantenay carrots.

Those looking to add a little sparkle to their festive celebrations could opt for one of The Buccleuch Arms’ renowned Christmas party nights, taking place every Friday and Saturday throughout December.

Guests can travel to The Buccleuch Arms by train, alighting at Tweedbank which is only a few miles away, or by car. Those who aren’t keen on driving home or who have travelled from a distance, can book one of the 19 comfortable yet contemporary rooms and enjoy the treat of dinner and an overnight stay.

Billy Hamilton, owner of The Buccleuch Arms said:

“Christmas is a fantastic time of year at The Buccleuch Arms and it’s always wonderful to see our guests and staff embrace the festive spirit together. Our Christmas party nights, which offer a complimentary cocktail on arrival and a delicious three course festive dinner, are incredibly popular, and they give party goers the perfect opportunity to get their glad rags on and party the night away.”

To round off 2015 in style, The Buccleuch Arms will also host a Scottish Hogmanay dinner, featuring a menu that will take guests on a culinary journey of the Borders and Scotland. Courses include Ettrick Valley hot smoked salmon mousse, Westruther roe venison loin wellington and Hot Chainbridge honey and lemon curd soufflé.

Billy continued:

“We know how to throw a good party at The Buccleuch Arms and we look forward to welcoming our guests and bringing in 2016 in style. Those staying the night in one of our 19 guest bedrooms will be able to rest assured that 2016 will get off to a flying start with our delicious New Year brunch menu. With everything from a full Scottish breakfast to Arbroath smokies to eggs benedict with smoked salmon, there’s something to suit every palette.”

For more information, visit www.buccleucharms.com
Follow us on Twitter @buccleucharms
And on Facebook – Buccleuch Arms

PRESS RELEASE: Corn Exchange Wedding Fair 2015

Plan your dream wedding at the 25^th Edinburgh Wedding Fair

SATURDAY 07 – SUNDAY 08 NOVEMBER 2015
11AM – 4:30PM
THE EDINBURGH CORN EXCHANGE

Advance tickets: £5
On the day: £7
Click here to register

Blushing brides and nervous grooms, if you’re feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of planning what’s meant to be the greatest day of your life, don’t worry. Forget endless nights scanning the internet for suppliers and wasted weekends travelling to look at yet another wedding venue. Everything you need to create your perfect day is under one roof at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange, hosts of the Edinburgh Wedding Fair.

Taking place 07 – 08 November 2015, the Edinburgh Wedding Fair will celebrate its 25^th show with dresses to die for, creative cakes and fabulous flowers, as well as venues, stationery, jewellery and more. Plus, it could all be yours for free. One lucky visitor will win the lot in the Win My Wish Listcompetition.

There’ll be plenty of exclusive show discounts to take advantage of; the Edinburgh Corn Exchange itself will be offering up to 20% off wedding receptions booked at the show.

No matter what stage you're at - whether you're newly engaged and just starting to plan, or you're looking for the last few finishing touches as your big day fast approaches - the day you've been waiting a lifetime for can be arranged in one hassle-free weekend at the Edinburgh Wedding Fair.

PRESS Release: City bakery goes Cuckoo for Halloween

City bakery goes Cuckoo for Halloween

Cuckoo’s Bakery launches gruesome Halloween range

Cuckoo’s Bakery launches its macabre range of Halloween cakes, based on a Cuckoo tale of a Professor who once experimented with the Plague above the Dundas Street bakery.

Cupcakes include the bloody raspberry and dark chocolate ‘Trouble and Squeak’, the vanilla and strawberry ‘Eye Witness’, gluten free carrot and orange ‘Something Earie’, lemon and white chocolate cheesecake ‘Bursting Boil’, rhubarb and vanilla ‘’Snot Your Business’and lemon and raspberry ‘Pane-ful Death’. The cupcakes have been created based on the tale of Professor Rothesay whose grotesque experiments left behind an ear, eyeball, dead mouse, runny nose, shard of glass and an infected foot above the Dundas Street bakery in the 19^th Century. Cupcakes are priced at £3 each and will run from Friday 23^rd October until Sunday 1^st November. Gift sets start at £18 and come with a copy of ‘The Cuckoo Tale’. Their Halloween range also includes a gory lemon and raspberry eyeball decorated layer cake.

Cuckoo’s Bakery is owned by Graham Savage and Vidya Sarjoo. Graham says: “We are excited to bring a Cuckoo Halloween to Edinburgh with our spooky range of unique cakes. Our customers love our seasonal cakes and this year we wanted to push the boundaries and create something unusual and gory.”

Vidya says: “Halloween is a fun time of year where we can experiment, which is why we decided to give each cake a backstory and create our own haunting ‘Cuckoo Tale’.

PRESS RELEASE: Story is part of themission

Edinburgh Based Creative Agency Story Creates Brrr…acing Sponsorship and Brrr..anding for the New Year’s Day Stoats Loony Dook

Story, the UK’s best-selling agency, has delivered a creative campaign to support the Stoats Loony Dook on 1^st January 2016.

Story’s client, Stoats, has secured sponsorship of this annual event, which sees around 1,500 people brave the Firth of Forth just outside Edinburgh on 1^st January to welcome in the New Year.

Story were briefed to come up with a creative platform to promote the association between the icy waters of the Firth of Forth and the energising warmth of Stoats porridge.

Inspired by the language of cold, they developed a strong campaign incorporating words beginning with ‘brrr’. The partnership was announced as ‘The Stoats Loony Dook, brrrought to you by the Porridge Pioneers.’ The rallying cry throughout is to ‘Brrring on the porridge!’

Working closely with Stoats and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, Story’s campaign supports pre-event sign up as well as on-the-day branding. The concept is carried across a suite of marketing comms, from online and CRM messaging, to on pack promotion across 50,000 multipacks; trade and consumer advertising; and partnering with South Queensferry’s local retailer Scotmid to create an in store display. For the day itself, Story will produce branded swimming caps and swim arm bands, to banner flags, waterproof picture frames and a photo stage.

Sheryl Newsome, Story’s Deputy Creative Director, commented:

“The Loony Dook is a fantastic local event for Stoats to be sponsoring. With this campaign we wanted to keep things relevant, simple and fun. In other words, leave dookers and their supporters with a warm feeling towards the Stoats brand.”

Tony Stone, co-founder of Stoats Porridge, said:

“Although we like to be perceived as a healthy product, we don’t like to take ourselves too seriously and Story are able to capture this perfectly. We are very excited to see the Stoats name associated with this amazing event and can’t wait to see the campaign come to life over the next few months.”