#GodivaEdinburgh: our first blogger party!

A couple of weeks ago we invited some of our favourite Scottish fashion and lifestyle bloggers over to Godiva for a little party. It was the first time we'd done anything like this, and we wanted to show off the shop and our designers (as well as some other local businesses!) the best we could. This was also the first time I'd planned an event, so I was more than a little nervous to see how things would go... but I think everyone enjoyed themselves!

As the bloggers arrived I was finishing off the goodie bags downstairs, but Fleur and Edel did a fantastic job of welcoming them and making sure everyone was kept topped up with Pimm's! We had some delicious non-alcoholic juices on offer courtsey of Hula at the other end of the Grassmarket, and some very Instagram-worthy cakes and brownies from Lovecrumbs further up the West Port. Mary from Mary's Milk Bar just across the street from us came over with a tray full of hazelnut pralines - I couldn't resist sneaking back and gobbling up as many as I could!

Some of our designers came into the shop to chat with the bloggers, too. Laura from Prints of Paradise and Edinburgh illustrator Gen Ryan came through, and so did Rowan, fresh from her new studio over at Hill Street! Luis and Poppy from Runaway Fox brought along a rather disconcerting suitcase marked 'HUMAN TAXIDERMY' and gave a little talk and demonstration about their latest venture, life-casting. Four of our lucky guests were chosen to have their finger cast and made into a necklace - talk about unique! Runaway Fox have moved into the Hill Street Design House alongside Rowan; make sure to pay them a visit if you're interested in having yourself cast!

While this was all going on in the designer room, we had a customisation station set up in the vintage room. There were plates, bowls and baskets full of fabric, ribbon, sequins, jewels, charms, appliqués and more! Leyah customised her stripey satchel with a piece of contrasting floral material (love florals and stripes!), Paula went wild with the lace and bows, and Elaine revamped a vintage bag with some sweet birdies and green jewels. I also showed some of the girls how to make a camera strap out of a vintage scarf and found some adorable elephant charms that I couldn't resist adding to my own version.

And there was more! And Mary kindly donated a brilliant prize of a bangle, earrings and a necklace, which was won by Leyah - and Laura won a Godiva gift voucher! A huge thanks to all the designers and local businesses who helped us out with the event, and for the bloggers for coming along and taking so many beautiful pictures and writing so many beautiful words about Godiva!

Don't forget to check out the bloggers' posts about the event for more photos!:

Paula from The Brantastic Life
Laura from The Likely Lady
Gillian from Elevatormusik
Lynsay from Miss West End Girl
Farah from Faz Fashion Diary
Louise from Love From Lou Lou
Leyah from I Am Leyah Shanks
Kayleigh from Wonderchebs

And Lynne from Cocktails and Daydreams made a vlog about the event too!

New in at Godiva this fortnight

We've had such a variety of new items in the shop over the past couple of weeks: jewellery, clothing, postcards as well as an amazing vintage delivery. It would be impossible to show you everything, so I've taken some snaps of my favourite pieces and you'll just have to pop into the shop to see the rest!

We're getting very excited about Jenny's new venture, the Hill Street Design House, especially since some of our favourite designers will be based there! Rowanjoy popped in with some beautiful new dresses and skirts, the first pieces made for us from her new light and airy studio over at Hill Street; we've also had some fab scarves from Karen Mabon - did you spot Asta rocking the 'Robbery in a Sweet Shop' style as a turban on our Instagram over the weekend?

 

Karen Mabon silk scarves

 

Rowanjoy dresses and skirts

Rebecca Jane has treated us with so many new designs! We know you're big fans of her multiway bags (all made from recycled leather and vintage fabrics, the design means you can wear it in a tonne of different ways!) and we've got some new colourways in stock, as well as new clutch bag styles and iPad cases. 

 

Rebecca Jane multiway bag, £120

 

  We've also got lots of new stock from Mollie Brown: floral skirts and matching collared tops (wear as a set or mix and match!), collared vest tops and these beautiful floral cotton dresses. They're elasticated at the waist (perfect for those big dinners!) and look great cinched in with a coordinating belt.

 

Mollie Brown dress

Laura from Prints of Paradise came along to our blogger party (more on that later this week!) and brought some lovely new t-shirt designs with her - I've already snapped up one of the flamingo print ones! Genevieve Ryan was at the party too, and her new illustrated Edinburgh cards and postcards are proving very popular with both tourists and Edinburghers!

 

Prints of Paradise tees, £30; Genevieve Ryan postcards, £1.50

All of us here at Godiva have been cooing over the new And Mary delivery - who could resist an adorable porcelain giraffe? I already have the kissing flamingos necklace (sensing a theme here...), but am eyeing up the hummingbird one too. Or maybe the zebra! We've had some new little birdie necklaces and earrings from Alexis Southam, too. Can you believe they're all hand-drawn, then shrunk down to make these precious pieces? Adorable!

 

And Mary jewellery

 

Alexis Southam jewellery

And I couldn't leave without showing you these sweet teddy bears...!

If you'd like to purchase any of the items featured in this post that aren't available on our online store, leave a comment or contact us via social media and we'll be in touch!

3 ways to wear a Rowanjoy top

This delicate floral top is one of my favourite Rowanjoy pieces. The low-cut, crossover back and lightweight fabric makes it perfect for any summer outfit, but it could serve you equally as well right through until winter: here are some outfit ideas to style the top for three different occasions.

 

This outfit would be perfect for a late summer festival. I love the tie dye effect and friendship bracelet-style trim on these Bellfield shorts (also available in a blue colour), and this Gladstone bag by Yoshi can fit all your essentials, and then some. This vintage booties are amazing, and lined with super soft fur to keep your toes warm as the cooler nights draw in - I only wish my feet would squeeze into them!

 

I love this outfit for a summer garden party or date night! Each piece (apart from the Rowanjoy top) is vintage: the gorgeous pale pink heels, sparkly gold evening bag and delicate pearls all add a touch of elegance. The skirt is actually a petticoat found in one of our big purple bargain bins, tucked up at the waist to make it a more flattering knee length. I love the shape of the skirt, and the pretty detailing at the hem!

 

This final outfit is perfectly autumnal, or even for the colder, wetter weather we've been experiencing recently! There are lots of vintage items here too: the leather skirt (love the asymmetric zip!), amazing patchwork leather boots, elegant handbag and amazing tweed jacket. We love a bit of pattern mixing here at Godiva, so I couldn't resist adding one of Naromode's gorgeous scarves - and a cream beret to top it all off!

DIY Project: vintage fringe tee

If you haven't had a rifle through our big purple bargain bins for some vintage goodies then you're missing out! Each item in the bins - dresses, shirts, wooly jumpers, you name it - is priced at just £5, and while some things might not be wearable straight away, with a little creativity they can be turned into something unique!

Last week I spotted this bright pink tee in one of the bargain bins. I loved the cut-out detailing and cute little buttons around the neckline, but the rest of it was just a pretty standard t-shirt. So I decided to break out the scissors and get crafty...

Difficulty: easy - no sewing required
Time taken: one episode of The Great British Bake Off

1. Cut the t-shirt into an even number of strips, each the same length and width, from the hem to about waist-length.

2. Take two strips and tie them together in a single knot; repeat until all the strips have been knotted.

3. Take one strip from each knot, and tie them together in a double knot; repeat all the way around the tee.

4. Repeat for as many rows as you like! I made three rows so there was still some fringeing dangling down.

New in at Godiva this fortnight

Rowan had a hectic few days in the studio downstairs making some beautiful new pieces in double-quick time before she moved to her new, natural light-filled studio. Don't worry, she's not moved far, and we'll still be stocking all her designs!

We had deliveries from two Edinburgh jewellers: more of the adorable Queen's head stud earrings by By Jove (made from stamps!) and a huge delivery of necklaces, lockets, earrings and brooches from Silk Purse Sow's Ear! The thistle lockets have been going down a storm, but my favourites are these kitsch orange and lemon tree earrings. I'm thinking about getting my ears pierced so I can justify buying a pair (or two)!

 

We've also had some earrings from a brand new designer to the shop, A Ring To It; you might recognise them, as well as these tops and dresses by Hannah and Margot Molyneux if you went to the South African Market event at the Edinburgh International Fashion Festival a couple of weeks ago. We love the easy, relaxed style of these pieces, perfect for dressing up or down!

 

And finally, some old favourites back in stock. We love Yoshi's satchels (all real leather, designed and manufacturered in the UK), especially the adorable black and white house print! We're also big fans of The Style London's affordable, on-trend designs, and this floral dress is just perfect for the muggy summer weather we've been suffering lately in Edinburgh.

Godiva Picks: What's on in Edinburgh in August

Edinburgh's festival season is well and truly upon us! We don't know how we've done it, but we've somehow managed to whittle down the thousands of gigs, exhibitions, shows, opening nights and closing parties on offer in the city this August to just five not-to-be-missed events. We'll see you there!

Broken Records (2nd August)
Broken Records play a special homecoming show in celebration of the release of their third LP, Weights & Pulleys. With special guests Kid Canaveral and Book Group.

Dinosaur Zoo (30th July - 25th August)
Ever wanted to meet a dinosaur? Now you can! Observe and interact with lifelike dinosaurs in this unique live show, brought to the Edinburgh Festival all the way from Australia.

David O'Doherty Has Checked Everything (30th July - 11th August)
The comedian and songster presents his latest solo show for an hour of talking and music, armed with just his tiny keyboard and his wit.

Bianco (31st July - 25th August)No Fit State Circus are back for a death-defying, heart-stopping performance that defies description, moving between wild moments of dance and comedy to delicate, fragile rope-work.

Sh*t-Faced Shakespeare (30th July - 25th August)
A classically trained cast with a randomly assigned drunk - this is the most raucous Shakespearean performance you'll ever see.