Life & style

Reasons why Edinburgh is resplendent (and Glasgow is radge)

17 Mar 2010

So, Edinburgh's better than Glasgow, right? Better arts venues, better eating & drinking, better architecture, more civilised residents, why would you ever want to get on the train to Queen Street? We want to hear your reasons why Edinburgh is miles…

The Coveted Mag guide to Glasgow fashion

4 Mar 2010

Our indispensable guide brings you the treats, the trends and the stomping grounds you can’t afford to miss – from vintage fashion dens to cutting-edge Scottish designers. First up, Sarah Graham, editor in chief of online fashion bible Coveted Mag…

International Women’s Day

4 Mar 2010

‘IT’S really about stepping back and understanding someone else’s plight,’ explains Edinburgh IWD organiser Jenna Sapiano, as she describes the aim of the capital’s contribution to International Women’s Day, taking place in the city this month. Now…

The fashion trends coming your way in 2010

4 Mar 2010

As London and New York catwalks roll out the good, the bad and the strange, we bring you some of the looks – and the look-the-other-ways – for the coming season Knee high socks Yeah, yeah we know: you aren’t five anymore and the pigtails are long…

Fashion forward

4 Mar 2010

When Carrie Bradshaw is donning your wares in Sex and the City, it’s fair to assume you’re on your way. For Holly Fulton the rise and rise of her fashion fortunes seemed inevitable. A darling of the Scottish fashion scene, last year saw the former ECA…

Why the return of corsets marks the return of the significant figure

4 Mar 2010

Anyone who saw Christina Hendricks sizzle off the page, bosom heaving, on the cover of New Yorker magazine recently, should not be surprised to hear that corsets are back in vogue. Once firmly ensconced in the realms of burlesque fashion, they are…

Family Fun

4 Mar 2010

With Easter just around the corner, thoughts turn to escaping into the Great Outdoors and making the most of the lengthening days. That’s when parents begin their search for inspiration, seeking something new or different to do with the kids.

Why Edinburgh design duo Soda Kitsch are ones to watch

4 Mar 2010

Taking their inspiration from vintage wallpaper and 60s and 70s fashion, design duo Soda Kitsch – aka Edinburgh-based designers Ashley Jessiman and Ian Dunlop – are making their mark accessorising with style. We meet them

Golf

4 Mar 2010

With spring fast approaching, thoughts turn to dusting off the clubs and getting back out into the Great Outdoors and enjoying the ‘white sights’ and fresh air of the fairways.

Outdoor Activities

4 Mar 2010

Are you looking for inspiration and awesome scenery in the Great Outdoors, but don’t know what to do or where to go?

Wildlife

4 Mar 2010

Scotland is home to a wonderfully diverse range of fascinating winter white wildlife. And one of the best ways to see them up close and in their own habitat is on a guided wildlife watching walk, cruise or trip.

Glasgow T-shirt designer Thomas Wilson

4 Mar 2010

If fortune does favour the brave, then 2010 might just be T-shirt designer and newbie Glasgow entrepreneur Thomas Wilson’s year

Four To Buy: Scottish T-Shirts

4 Mar 2010

Gillian Kyle Who would have thought that a loaf of Scottish Pride would be a fashion statement? You could opt for one of her lovely Tunnocks teacake tote bags, but in terms of impact, it has to be the bread every time. £22 from…

Food news March 2010: A wee jaunt out of town

2 Mar 2010

With so much going on in the Glasgow and Edinburgh dining scene it’s easy to ignore the rest of Scotland – at least until the ‘summer’ season begins or the snow gates are opened, whichever is the earlier. But there have been some intriguing developments…

Valentine's Day: Restaurants

18 Feb 2010

Love is a many-flavoured thing, and not all couples are looking for the same Valentine’s experience. Donald Reid suggests a handful of choice tables for lovers of all persuasions...

First Word - Tom Conti interview

18 Feb 2010

First record you ever bought Stokowski conducting Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, which featured in a movie I had just seen called A Hundred Men and a Girl. Last time you were chatted up Last week, in a bookshop. (40, gorgeous, shapely, dark…

Food Inc addresses western diet debate

18 Feb 2010

A feast for the eyes with new food flicks and local beer makes a comeback. The eye-opening US documentary Food, Inc. opens in the UK on Friday 12 February, with a week-long run at the Filmhouse in Edinburgh and three days at the GFT. Feature-length…

The best Wi-Fi cafés in Edinburgh and Glasgow

The Wi-Fi try guy

17 Feb 2010

Wi-Fi connectivity has become a staple feature of many handheld and portable gadgets, so you would think that the companies making them would have perfected it by now. Well, of course they haven’t, but is the technology good enough to at least beat the…

Why there's life in the book trade yet

Reading and righting

17 Feb 2010

Between the bankruptcy of Borders before Christmas and the oncoming onslaught of cheeky upstarts like the Kindle and the iPad, popular wisdom would have it that things are looking a little gloomy in the world of book selling. It’s certainly a…

East Lothian company Chocolate Tree make moves into Edinburgh

17 Feb 2010

Lovers of real, hand-made chocolate will delight at the arrival of another chocolaterie in Bruntsfield. Alastair Gower and Friederike Matthis’ Chocolate Tree started out in East Lothian, where they perfected an organic chocolate recipe that mixed food…

Oxfam DIY shop to open in Glasgow

17 Feb 2010

In Glasgow, the Oxfam clothes store at 231 Byres Road (just opposite Hillhead Underground Station) is undergoing something of a major makeover. In order to complement the Byres Road Oxfam book and record stores, as well as compete with the increasingly…

Independent brewers reappearing in Edinburgh and Glasgow

17 Feb 2010

You may have noticed around town that local beers are reappearing. Not Tennent’s (owned by Irish C&C group) or McEwan’s (Dutch-owned) but ales from the WEST brewery at Glasgow Green and Stewart Brewing of Loanhead, just south of Edinburgh. Recent…

Glasgow Guerrilla Supper Club

17 Feb 2010

Local guerrilla gardeners have been leaving messages as well as planting seed bombs in recent weeks, so the time is clearly ripe for some guerilla eating. Based at a large Victorian villa in Pollokshields, artist Hilary Nicoll is running the Glasgow…

Big Man Tea brings quality brew to Glasgow

17 Feb 2010

Hoi. Big man. Like specialised Japanese tea? Like Glasgow? Then boy, have we got the right product for you. We’re always suckers for a quirky, locally run wee business, and Big Man Tea, producing fine Japanese teas (white, green, black and blue, of all…

Possible formation of Scottish Small Brewers Association

17 Feb 2010

Petra Wetzel, Managing Director of WEST, is sufficiently encouraged by the growing profile of local breweries in Scotland to suggest the formation of a Scottish Small Brewers Association. She managed to get representatives from around 45 breweries to…

Louise Gray, Holly Fulton and Jonathan Saunders in new ASOS collaboration

17 Feb 2010

Thanks to local fashion experts The Coveted Mag (whoworewhatwhen.typepad.co.uk) for alerting us to a new ASOS collaboration with some of our favourite emergent Scottish designers. The designs are, in true ASOS style, cheap, bright and on-trend: we…

Doodles Ceramics marks tenth birthday with some cracking offers

17 Feb 2010

Finally, Edinburgh make-your-own-pottery institution Doodles Ceramics has turned ten this year, and they’re celebrating with a bargain-barmy load of offers. As well as specialised half-term workshops (running until Fri 19 Feb) and activities around…

Valentine's Day: Love letters to Glasgow

3 Feb 2010

Dear Glasgow. We love you. We sincerely do. You’ve given so much to us over the years, we felt we just had to say something – as did some of your more well known inhabitants. Here, an assortment of Glasgow's finest list the people, places and things…

Valentine's Day: Gifts

3 Feb 2010

Finding the right gift for your Valentine is a fraught, potentially dangerous experience. Fortunately, The List’s own shopping agony auntie Kirstin Innes is here to help you cut through all the heart-shaped dross and find personalised presents Your…

Valentine's Day: Love letters to Edinburgh

3 Feb 2010

Dear Edinburgh. We love you. We sincerely do. You’ve given so much to us over the years, we felt we just had to say something – as did some of your more well known inhabitants. Here, an assortment of Edinburgh’s finest list the people, places and things…

We Saw You

3 Feb 2010

I Saw You List reader, sending your I Saw Yous into the magazine for 15 years, and making an institution of our ‘missed connections’ service. From the truly foul, to the achingly romantic, to the depressingly desperate there’s a lot of Glasgow and…

Karen’s Unicorn, Metropolitain and Mimi’s Kitchen amongst recent Glasgow and Edinburgh restaurant openings

3 Feb 2010

Karen’s Unicorn 8b Abercromby Place, New Town, 0131 476 2602, £13 (lunch/dinner) Having taken over the running of the long-standing Unicorn Inn at the quieter end of St Stephen Street, Karen’s Unicorn opened a second venue in late 2009 in the prominent…

Valentine's Day: A night at One Devonshire Gardens

3 Feb 2010

I’ve always been suspicious of Valentine’s Day. It’s not that I’m not romantic, I just object to being told how, with what colours, and on what day I ought to be expressing my love. All that pink. All that expense. All that expectation. While I can see…

Valentine's Day: Holidays from home

3 Feb 2010

Enjoy some Valentine’s Day decadence without being too irresponsible: book yourself into a central city hotel and you’ll still make it into the office the next morning. We round up some of the V-Day packages on offer The upper-class love in Howard…

Creative hub Central Station stage Dundee Pop-Up event

3 Feb 2010

Central Station is fast garnering a reputation as the essential online hub for artists, designers and filmmakers to share their work and forge creative partnerships. Now this artistic melting pot is putting together a special one-day event to the City…

Glasgow wedding boutique Melle Cloche aims for tasteful end of the market

Some sweet alternatives to the big knitted toilet-roll holder look

1 Feb 2010

Once the big question has been popped, a wedding outfit needs thought out. Anna Burnside discovers some sweet alternatives to the big knitted toilet-roll holder look

Nice Buns: Hamburger Heaven

1 Feb 2010

Blue Moon Café on Broughton Street has a new sidekick, Hamburger Heaven. Donald Reid visited the celestial venture. The latest twist in the varied career of the ‘back room’ of Barony Street’s Blue Moon Café – a space that happens to enjoy prime…

Coatbridge fish and chip shop voted best in UK

Scottish chippy makes a splash and batters the competition

21 Jan 2010

A family-run fish and chip shop in Coatbridge, near Glasgow, has won a UK-wide fish and chip shop competition. Atlantic Fast Food was announced as the winner of the National Fish & Chip Shop of the Year awards.

More for less: Deals on meals

21 Jan 2010

With restaurants, a bargain can be anything from £25 for a meal that should cost twice that much, or £6.90 for a three-course lunch. Niki Boyle and Donald Reid present 30 of the best value-for-money deals on offer this month Smart tables You don’t…

2010 preview: Fashion

20 Jan 2010

Fashion, with its strictly observed seasons marked by the various equinoxes of London/New York/Paris/Milan Fashion Weeks, is a cyclical beast. It likes to understand a decade as a fixed unit of time with a distinctive identity, defined sharply against…

More for less: Smart shopping

20 Jan 2010

There’s a line of impeccable logic that applies whether you’re rich as Croesus, as poor as a church mouse, or somewhere in the middle. We all have to feed ourselves to stay upright. Eating food involves getting hold of it and preparing it. The more…

More for less: Clothes swapping

20 Jan 2010

Swapping, swishing, switching and bitching, wardrobe editing; call it whatever you like. Gathering up a bin bag full of leftovers from your clothes rail (the too-small jeans, the dress bought in a sale that never quite ended up being ‘customised’ as…

More for less: Health, exercise and beauty

20 Jan 2010

Looking great doesn’t mean shedding vital pounds from your purse – Niki Boyle offers some sneaky hints on budget beauty Being a hairdresser’s ‘model’ can sometimes be a daunting prospect, but you can get a quality trainee cut at Rainbow Rooms in…

Why independent shopping is cheaper than the high street

20 Jan 2010

Small, local independent shops are just as keen to reward regular customers for loyalty as their big-corp bretheren, and none of the offers below will leave you with the anticlimax of realising your three years’ worth of Boots points only entitle you to…

More for less: Blog blags

20 Jan 2010

Alice White runs the Edinburgh-based style and travel blog Bon-Voy-Go-There! She runs down her best freebie handbags and holidays, and suggests how to get started blagging on your own blog Blogging is the most arrogant, self-indulgent thing I’ve…

News from the shop front - January 2010

20 Jan 2010

We usually concentrate on independent shops here at List Towers, but we’re genuinely saddened to hear that Borders UK are going into administration. The Glasgow store in particular has been a real gem, with a dedicated and knowledgeable staff always…

More for less: Car boot sales

20 Jan 2010

At the sound of the klaxon, hundreds of boots pop open. We’ve been in position for a good hour already, sipping coffee from a thermos and recovering from the shock of leaving bed at a very ungodly 6.30am on a Sunday. ‘Booters’, like Sunday joggers – and…

More for less: Online trading

20 Jan 2010

Carine Seitz tests out the online marketplace to try and bag a bargain. Who wants their manor to resemble the pages of a generic interiors catalogue? Not discerning List readers. You’re a savvy and stylish bunch who want your homes to reflect your…

More for less: Attractions

20 Jan 2010

Attractions If you’ve exhausted the National Galleries or the National Museum of Scotland and you’re jonesing for new exhibits The Edinburgh Museums Collections Centre offers something a little bit different. A self-described ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of…

How to celebrate Burns night in Edinburgh

20 Jan 2010

The whisky industry estimates that we sink around two million extra drams on the night of 25 January, toasting Rabbie’s birthday (his 251st this year). Various bars around Edinburgh, including the World’s End, Henricks and the Waterline in Leith, are…