Five SS13 Menswear Staples
Men’s SS13 Fashion Trend: Statement Tailoring
Men’s Sunglasses & Face Shapes Guide
Men's Short Hairstyles
Men's Mid-length Hairstyles
Men's Long Hairstyles
Men's Curly Hairstyles
Men's Black & Afro Hairstyles
Celebrity Hairstyles
Introduction
The second of our City of Style Guides takes us across the Irish Sea to the Scottish Capital, Edinburgh. Famed for its imposing Castle, Fringe Comedy festival, tartan and lousy weather, I took the arduous train journey myself, finding that this city has much more to offer.
I immediately found that Edinburgh can occasionally have sunny weather, and so I explored the capital at its best. What can immediately be noticed is that Edinburgh – unlike any city I have been in or know of – is built on a mountain, in a mountain, surrounded by mountains. I was surprised when I first saw Edinburgh’s most famous mountain, Arthur’s Seat, from an inner city pavement between two buildings, close enough to see people at its peak, overlooking the city.
It’s only when you are walking the steady path up Arthur’s Seat that you can see how much country is around Edinburgh. The sea doesn’t look far to the north from the view at Arthur’s Seat and neither does the rolling hills to the south, and in the centre is busy Edinburgh. It’s wonderful to have the option of venturing to the country, but first there’s so much to do in the city itself.
Although you decide to go further into the city, the hills follow you in. Similar to Paris, Edinburgh’s streets are often sloping downward gradually or posing a tough, upward challenge. The streets are mostly a wonderful cobble and help create Edinburgh’s distinctive, old look. Unaffected by the bombing of WW2, Edinburgh is a mixture of spires and grand buildings, a real feast for the eyes.
Edinburgh is a city of layers. I got caught out many times looking at a map and finding that my destination is on the bridge above me. Once you discover the city some more, the passage ways from one level to another will become apparent – making it easier to get about. However, expect some tough walking if you want to see the whole city.
What to wear to make your trip easier
This could create some sartorial problems, asking for hardy footwear doesn’t always mean looking one’s best. Three key styles are available this year though in order to see you through such situations. The ever present and timeless Chelsea boot, the on trend fashion hiking boot, and finally, the sartorial pick of the bunch – the brogue boot. Hopefully all these below will go some way to tick both the hardy and fashionable boxes:
For any shopping needs, Edinburgh’s main street, Princes Street, is the port of call. Nicely central, Princes Street has the big high street names of Urban Outfitters, River Island and Topman along with Edinburgh’s answer to Selfridges and Harrods – Jenners. Now owned by The House of Fraser, the big, grand building stocks big fashion and cosmetic names in a more comfortable environment than that of London’s Harrods.
Some Must Do’s in Edinburgh
Before you go – The Illusionist
French lord of the movies, Jacques Tati takes to Edinburgh in wonderful form in his film, The Illusionist. A charming animated film, Edinburgh is brought to artistic life. The characters are dressed very nicely too.
Comedy and Drama Lovers – The Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Dating back to 1947, The Edinburgh Fringe is enjoyed for three weeks every August where it takes over every aspect of the city. A festival of comedy and drama, there are hundreds of shows happening all over the city – all day – ranging from free shows to the big names of comedy. The Fringe is a celebration and elevation of Edinburgh, bringing the best from its every corner. I found myself watching a comedy duo upstairs in a nightclub and a drama about the Great Storm of 1987 in a church!
Music Lovers – Avalanche Records, Grassmarket
Nestled into Grassmarket, an area of wonderful independent stores, Avalanche Records have an excellent store for all music lovers. Selling CDs, records and posters, the selection is massive but organised excellently to ensure some wonderful finds. Especially worth note for selling records by contemporary artists.
What to wear to make your trip easier
I visited Edinburgh at the height of the Fringe and was granted glorious sunshine for taking the 7 hour train journey challenge – as such, I saw Edinburgh at its best. However, even those who haven’t visited the city know of the reliability of its heavy rainfall. Be a prepared tourist and invest in some FashionBeans approved rain defence.
This is where the trench coat can really make your day. Lightweight but offering great weather protection, the trench coat is perfect for staying dry from both the elements and any unwanted sweat that could arise from wearing a bigger coat.
Autumn/Winter Mini Trend: Tartan & Plaid
Due to be covered in depth on FashionBeans in the coming weeks, it would be inappropriate to not mention tartan and plaid whilst discussing a Scottish style destination. Tartan and plaid was seen all over the catwalks during the autumn/winter 2011 previews, and it looks set to make a mark on the high street as well this season. We are not talking about traditional Scottish kilts here, but using it as an injection of pattern into your outfits – showing some individuality, and in some cases, pride for your home country.
Fitting neatly into the heritage trend, tartan and plaid give off an outdoors aesthetic which will suit being layered underneath or alongside tweed, cord and earth tones. Pick a vibrant piece of tartan knitwear or even jacket for those wishing to make a statement, whilst others looking for subtlety can opt for an easy to wear plaid shirt or simple tartan/plaid detailing on elbow patches, collar linings and the like.
Conclusion
Edinburgh is a place that makes you feel stylish. It offers something to everyone from the reserved art lover to the boisterous partygoer. It’s the sort of city that will offer a party the art lover will love and art to the everyday partygoer. As you discover Edinburgh you can discover new loves for yourself. I hope you enjoyed the article, I hope you enjoy Edinburgh.
Let us know in the comments below what you think of Edinburgh – what are your favourite destinations, memories and things to do?
Men’s Fashion Debate: The High Street or Online Shopping?
Interview With Alex Gaulton – New Look Style The Nation Finalist
The Next Must Have Fashion Accessory? Steamers
Men’s Watches Introduction
Back To Top
SORRY – BUT WORST ARTICLE I’VE SEEN ON HERE. IS THIS A FASHION WEBSITE OR A TRAVEL BLOG? NOBODY IS INTERESTED IN YOUR HOLIDAY PICTURES.
Pete, You are entitled to your opinion but we are looking at branching FashionBeans out into some lifestyle stories as well as covering all the latest fashion trends, looks etc.
With us providing content on a daily basis for free, hopefully there will be something for everyone – whether you like a particular day’s article or not. We also have other features like street style (the next batch goes live today as well) so hopefully things like this can tide you over until tomorrow when we will be back with another fashion article.
As a follow up to this. I understand that our readers are looking for true fashion advice and as such I have moved our schedule around so you get an addition article today on fashion from yours truly at 10:30am GMT.
Hopefully then we can begin to expand our content range without alienating any readers.
i’m gonna back you up pete old boy. i was expecting an article on what the fashion boys in edinburgh rock, which, as an idea, was as laughable as the fashion in dublin.
suggesting what to wear seems like you are running out of what to write on what is usually a good website.
I’m not normally much of a commentator but I will in this case to let you guys know how well varied your articles are. The cities of style series is a welcome mix-up from your regular topics and It’s a great inspiration for weekend visits to see great sights I’d have otherwise missed and also to shopping trends in a selection of shops. Keep up the good work
I don’t understand F and Pete’s problem. If they did a new fashion article everyday, they would have nothing interesting to say by the end of the year.
This article was more interesting than most of them I think, I really like the city guides. Adding your city’s tradition and heritage (I.E Tartan) into your style is a great idea.
Coming from Scotland myself, it’s not really a great place to look for stylish people. Everyone either laughs at people who aren’t wearing jeans and t-shirts, or think they are stylish when in fact, they are all walking topman models (which is currently beige drop crotch chinos and low cut t shirts). This is probably the case with a lot of the UK, and if it is, then i am very thankful for the city guides. Not only would it give general fashion advice, it gives the people in this case Edinburgh/all of Scotland in general a good foundation for at least delving out of the topman generation a little.
Hope to see more of these, with a good insight into the fashion heritage of some other great cities!
Thank you both Daniel and Stephen for your comments. I agree that if we just wrote about fashion every single day we would eventually just run out of things to say and be covering the same topics over and over again. Something I definitely do not want to endorse.
The FashionBeans ethos has evolved over the last 4 years, and now we focus on teaching you how to become a well rounded individual; meaning we want to educate you on all aspects of style – taking in culture, expanding your horizons, teaching you how to build a timeless wardrobe and even etiquette lessons – as being a well dressed and stylish male is much more than just the clothes you wear.
Personally, I do like the amount of variation we provide and it is good to see readers enjoying and giving feedback on the new features, otherwise we never know whether to continue with them or drop them for other topics.
I do however see people’s point of view that in the past, we have always been strictly fashion – so they want something to do with it every single day.
With this in mind, if we are varying the content, we will provide a follow up fashion article as well the same day.
Please continue to give feedback, especially if you do like the new features on the site, as then we get an insight into our readers tastes.
Personally, I’m in full support of articles like this and I think – particularly when the forum is up and running – you’ll start seeing more comments from people of the same opinion if FB continues its evolution.
Perhaps the name “FashionBeans” could be slightly misleading now that the site is starting to cover more tangetial topics but the emphasis has always been on style, and style covers more than strictly attire. The way we dress is more than just being about how we like to look; it tends to be influenced by the places we go, the music we listen to and the people that we respect. “Fashion” itself is one element of style, however “style” is far more representative of a person’s nature.
I consider that an aim of FB is to encourage its audience to understand some traits that contribute to a ‘refined individual’ but, in concentrating solely on fashion, this purpose would be severely limited.
In preventing its content from stagnating, FashionBeans is a progressive source of information on style and, frankly, I welcome its efforts.
Thank you for your comments Col, and I can tell you have fully grasped the FashionBeans mantra. The brand name is probably a bit too specific now for what we have evolved into, but over the next 6 months you will see us go through a re-branding (not the name, but general aesthetic) and some other exciting developments which should wholly represent exactly what our company and readership is about.
apologies if my earlier comment came across as rude.
i appreciate the challenge of trying to come up with a new and interesting fashion piece every day (i’m sure last week there were 2 articles on rollnecks).
i like the idea of going in the direction of varied output and becoming more of a “lifestyle” site rather than strictly fashion, but not at one article per day!
if people go three or four days without reading anything that interests or inspires them they may not visit as regularly.
fully support your attempts at educating young british males and look forward to the forums going live!
As a non Scottish resident moved up to Edinburgh and a long time reader and follower of the site, I’d like to congratulate you on an insightful, forward thinking and practical article.
Jenners went under my radar up until recently where I discovered the suits basement and purchased two very slim fitting suits. Alterations free, and my decisions based off of two articles on Fashionbeans, navy suits & the hurts fashion. So you see this has definitely has relevance and scope.
I liked the way you gave insight and related style to the city’s geography and climate, and you could’ve have even elaborated futher on the arts/music/nightlife. There are a number of wonderful tailors and heritage /suit specialists offering bespoke service also. With this in mind Edinburgh is great place to visit not just for festival. Although i’d recommend in the spring/summer months!
To be exact, Edinburgh Castle is built on a volcanic plug. And Arthur’s Seat is a hill.
Arthur’s Seat is an extinct volcano too! Aside from this, you don’t really need hiking boots for Edinburgh. I’ve lived here all my life and I manage just fine in all different types of footwear (although this is maybe because I’ve lived here all my life!). Although, if you’re going up Arthur’s Seat, maybe a pair of boots then would be advisable, even then it’s not too difficult, only about a 20 minute climb.
This aside, great article, thanks for being kind to my home-town! Although you missed out mentioning leith & stockbridge, these areas have great independent boutiques which sell some fantastic wears!
Similar to what someone said earlier I’m usually content to observe but I felt inclined to comment. It wasn’t really a celebration of Edinburgh’s style (apart from architecture and hills) and became stretched in places due to it trying to fit the title. I feel a guide to any city’s style should be more akin to your ‘streetstyle’ posts, with photos of us, the residents sharing local wisdom and tips (assuming you’d like my style and would listen to my advice…). Of course this makes things a little harder and more time consuming not to mention undertaking the monumental task of finding the 5 or 6 of us up here that aren’t wearing Topmans ‘drop-crotch chinos and low cut t-shirts’ (indeed, a sad truth).
Now, why I really felt compelled to write – the bit about tartan. You wrote it would be inappropriate to not mention tartan, however I think the opposite applies. I understand why you did it and the way it was tied in with the Autumn/Winter catwalk was nice, but you have to be careful. It’s ultimately a stereotype. It’s just a little boring and almost lazy. There is a lot more to Scotland than tartan, but it fits in comfortably with everyones notion of the Scottish (whisky, haggis, Nessie etc etc). A true celebration of Edinburgh’s style should be an account of its modernity and culture, something which seemed lacking. It all comes across as a little…irrelevant I suppose.
My apologies if this seems negative but I felt I had to share my thoughts.