A few weekends ago I flew up to Glasgow with a handful of lovely bloggers for the annual Scottish Style Awards. We arrived Saturday morning and were staying at the cool, minimal Citizen M hotel in the city centre where we dropped our bags and wandered out to explore. First things first, brunch.
After a couple of hours of eating, drinking and getting to know the girls, we wandered over the road to The Italian Centre to meet the city's finest milliner, William Chambers, and browse the beautiful handmade designs in his studio. With clients all over the country and stockists like Harrods and Fenwick, if you're looking for a stylish wedding hat, bespoke bridal or races headpiece, William's your man.
We were booked in for a blow dry at the Rainbow Room salon on George Square, where the lovely stylist turned my messy wavy hair into big glossy curls before we hopped in taxis back to the hotel to get ready. I wore a beautiful grosgrain red dress from Phase Eight to the awards ceremony, but more on that later.
The next day we had a buffet breakfast at CanteenM with a couple of rounds of barista-brewed coffee and pastries before walking up to the Glasgow School of Art for a walking tour. The GSA architects developed their own radical style at a time of huge growth and change for the industrial city. We were shown an eclectic mix of key buildings from the Victorian greats to Charles Rennie Mackintosh's work and his contemporaries in the Glasgow Style of Art Nouveau, including the Mackintosh-designed Willow Tearooms, the central train station and, my favourite, the Venetian-inspired Ca' D'Oro Building at the corner of Union Street and Gordon Street (pictured at the top).
We warmed up in the Cambridge Satchel Company store to see some of the exclusive tartan designs and were kindly given a luggage tag personalised at the in-store embossing machine. After a coffee stop and quick taxi ride to the West End, we visited the Trakke studio housed in the hipster non-profit, multi-disciplinary arts space and warehouse SWG3. Trakke is an awesome outdoors accessories brand founded in 2010 by ex-GSA student Alec Farmer. Made in the studio using British materials from waxed cotton to Harris tweed and leather finishings, the bags are simple, understated and functional for the everyday adventurer. I love brands which manufacture in the UK so it was great to meet the founder, see where the products are made and hear about their story so far.
love these vintage travel poster-inspired illustrations
the Scout Findo rucksack (perfect for cycling) and my mum's matching vintage blazer
Our final stop of our weekend was a Champagne lunch at The Gannet, a restaurant in a 108 year old Grade II listed building which offers simple fine dining, sustainable ingredients and delicious seasonal food. It's been awarded AA Scottish restaurant of the year, a Michelin Bib Gourmand and two thumbs up from me.
It was the first time I'd stayed in a Citizen M hotel but I'd definitely recommend it for affordable luxury. There are 198 rooms in the Glasgow one - they're small and basic but with king sized comfy beds, modern decor, ambient lighting and wall-to-wall windows, plus it's in a great location in the heart of the city. Thanks for having me Glasgow, haste ye back!
