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FEATURE 1 BRIAGH GARDNER

FASHIONNECKPIECE

PHOTO SPREADLES CHEVEAUX NOIR

FEATURE 2 STEPHEN BAXTER

COVER STORY STREET STYLEFRAMEWORK

FASHIONCAN YOU VAN

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hey’re paid to sit in the front row wearing free design-er clothes in return for tweets. Meet the new breed of style stars ruling Fashion Week.

Fashion bloggers are quickly becoming the new ‘it’ girls. Piles of designer goodies are sent their way in exchange

with him which made it even better! I also have had com-ments from some smaller clothing lines which is great too. I’ve still not reached the stage of being sent anything for free, but i'll get there someday

I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED FASHION.

IT TRULY IS AN ADDICTION.

for a kind write up that will be seen by thousand of their followers. Designers are now using bloggers as advertisements. Having your designs worn and raved about by girls sitting in front of their computers is a much cheaper alternative, and is now the new way to get something out there.

I met up with Briagh Gardner, 19, a fashion blogger from Glasgow who is studying fashion management in Aberdeen. She has been blogging for just over 6 months and has already gained thousands of follow-ers and pageviews on her blog, Viral Vintage. She has also been retweeted by many a famous designer after she blogged a sparkling review of their latest designs.

WHY DID YOU BEGIN BLOGGING?

Well I have always loved fashion and I needed to get my opinion out there somehow. I always have some-thing to say and I like to let people know. It took me a while to get into it at first as I wasn't used to the blogging world or blogging lingo. Im addicted now and can write thousands of words on just one dress, it tru-ly is an addiction.

WHAT IS YOUR TOP TIP FOR GETTING YOUR BLOG NOTICED?

I always share my blog to twitter, facebook and insta-gram. It’s important to let everyone know that your blog is there. Alot of my friends and family share my blog on facebook so that it is seen by a wider au-dience. I also tweet the designer I am writing about with a link to my post and if im lucky they will retweet it!

WHO IS THE MOST FAMOUS PERSON TO RETWEET YOU?

Dougie, one of the boys from McFly retweeted me once after I wrote a piece featuring Saint Kidd which is his clothing line. I was starstruck and I am in love

DO YOU PLAN ON CONTINUING YOUR BLOG FOR THE FORSEEABLE FUTURE?

I dont plan on stopping unless I run out of time for some reason. I literally love it. I love clothes and what better way to share it than with all my followers who will always listen to me without complaints.

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couple of gold and silver necklaces and you are sorted for three or four events. Noone will ever know you are wearing a repeat outfit as the accessories will do all the talking. For a cheaper option Primark has plen-ty of styles in at the moment, some are just as nice as those in Topshop. Or, if you have extra cash to splurge this Christmas, try out Nocturne at Harvey Nichols. They have a huge selection of gorgeous embellished necklaces with bracelets to match if you feel you need that extra accessory. Silver accessories are also mak-ing a huge comeback. Accessorize have just released their statement necklace (right) for the season which is covered in studs and jewels and priced at just £12 you cannot go wrong.

Tops

hop £4

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Noctu

rne £

160

Tops

hop £

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Necklaces have come back into fashion with a bang. No outfit is complete without a statement bit of bling. Tucked under a collar or worn alone, necklaces are your new best friend. Luckily, the high street has caught onto this trend and you are spoilt for choice. Topshop and Accssorize top the league tables with a whole array of styles. From col-ourful jewelled ethnic style pieces to delicate pendants, there really is something for everyone. With the Christmas months coming up it’s hard to have a new outfit for every event. Buy a plain black peter pan collar dress and a

ACCESSORIZE £12 MISS SELFRIDGE £8

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TOP ZARA £12, JUMPER H&M £20, JEANS H&M £30, BOOTS PRIMARK £18, BAG H&M £12

Les Cheveaux NoirStyling BRIAGH GARDNER

Photography EMILY GILLModel TORI GILL

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GILET ZARA £40, TROUSERS RIVER ISLAND £40, BOOTS AS BEFORE, JEWELLERY MODELS OWN

HAT CARHARTT £20, JACKET VINTAGE, NECKLACE MISS SEL-FRIDGE £8

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OUTFIT AS BEFORE

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Stephen Baxter’s obsession with shoes started off when he joined the shoe trade. From there on, his addiction spurred out of control. Emily Gill found out more when she visited him at his home.

Wearing nothing but a pair of black-strapped stilettos the woman in the painting seductively glances over her left naked shoulder down at her foot out-stretched behind her. Black straps begin at her ankle and wrap half way up her leg. Next to her, in a gold ornate frame, there is a photograph of a young girl leaning against a wall yawning. A photograph of two glossy red platform heels lie in the next frame. The entire wall is covered from floor to ceiling in paintings and photographs of family members, ex-pensive famed artwork and shoes. Pho-tographs, paintings, sketches, prints of woman’s heeled shoes dominate Stephen Baxter’s living room wall without a gap between them. “I see you have noticed my collection.” Stephen says waving an arm proudly at the wall. “I have a real thing for art. I like to source out the best of the best and after all these years I figured they look best presented together. There are a few family photos in amongst them, too. If you hadn’t noticed this is the only wall with paintings on it. I think it makes the room a bit quirky. It’s a nice open plan plain room if you are standing with your back to this, but if you turn around then the collection is so in your face. It’s a bit like me really.”

*

The room is painted bottle green and is dominated by a tremendous open fire-place. A humongous gilt framed mirror balances on top of mantel, a bronze Ga-nesha statue sits in front of it. Two black leather chesterfield sofas sprawl on either side of the fire. He sits down and lights an incense stick placing it carefully on the dark chestnut coffee table in front of him. “I am a very calm man when I have candles or nice smelly things burning. I like a bit of ambience, you know? I just can’t stand a smelly room. I remember your Dad was the same. How is he? It’s been years since I last saw him.” Stephen leans back on the sofa, “You know, I done everything myself in here. From sanding those floorboards you’re standing on to

fitting that light on the ceiling. I like it to be done my way. Once I start something I need to finish it and it has to be done right. I’ll show you my latest invention.” Stephen springs off the sofa and scuttles over to the wall of frames once again. Pointing at a black frame, which appears to have nothing but a black piece of card in it, he bends down and flicks a switch. The blackness suddenly lights up. The square is filled with tiny dotted lights in the shape of a high heel. “I made that. Wicked isn’t it? Took me a few hours. Had to measure every single hole and drill it then I glued a pack of fairy lights through the holes. I like shoes, can you tell? Nightmare if one of the lights happens to go out. I used to work in a garage, that’s where I found my talent for making things. Then I worked in the shoe trade here and there for about ten years, and that is where I fell in love with shoes.”

*

Stephen opens the wooden door into a pitch-black room. He flicks the light on. The white walls merge into white painted floorboards. The room is almost empty apart from sliding mirrored wardrobes. Stephen walks over to them, the floor-boards creaking, and slides one side open. Hundreds of rectangular shoeboxes are stacked on top of each other filling the entire space. “These are my baby’s. Been collecting them for 20 years now. There’s not a pair I don’t love. They each have a story. Take these brogues,” Stephen reaches to a dark blue shiny box, sliding it out of the pile effortlessly and opened it. “These cost me an arm and a leg, but they never date do they? Absolutely timeless. They’ve almost seen their day though, but I have taken good care of them. I’m the same with my clothes, I teach my daughter, Mia, to shop like me. You buy a classic piece and you can wear it over and over.”Stephen handles the shoe like a precious stone. It appears unworn. He holds it in the air in front of him with pride. He re-minds me of Rafiki holding Simba in the air in The Lion King. The shoe truly is

his baby.“Wicked piece of kit. Tan leather, perfo-rated finish. Classic eh? I bought these on a trip to New Zealand. I found them in a boutique with my mate, Kevin. He has a thing for shoes too, but he likes train-ers. We make quite the team when we go shopping. Let me show you some crack-ers. These were from my days as a punk.” Stephen scans the rows of boxes and pulls out a plain cardboard box enclosing white and black platform creeper shoes.Stephen cackles and grins, “Crackers. They’re bloody brilliant. I’m quite small; I wish I could get away with these nowa-days because they give me a bit of height. Mia would go insane if she seen me wear-ing these. I’m a cool guy though I think I could pull them off. I hear 50 is the new 30 though.

I was in a band when I bought these. I was the drummer, it never went any-where but we thought we were the next Rolling Stones. I met my ex-wife back then. You know all about that though, it never ended well. Evil woman. I’ve got to say she gave me a brilliant daughter but the woman is a cow. Don’t tell her I said that.” He slides the mirror back over.

* “Can I have at look at your shoes?” Ste-phen asks me as we sit down back in the living room.

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He takes my black canvas authentic Van plimsoll and inspects it. “Classic shoe. It’s a bit of a boys shoe.” He bends my shoe like a bendy ruler. “This will fall apart though, the glue around he sole bonds better to man made materials though. Yes, this will be dead in a few months.”He grabs another mint from his pocket and sucks on it. “Women should wear classic shoes. I’ll never forget a pair I bought for my ex wife. A pair of black pony skin Gucci platforms. Stunning. They were a piece of art. Mind you, they were 6 inches high so I looked like a wee boy next to her. Dead sexy though. In fact, what is even sexier is a red-soled pair. Christian Louboutin, the man is an artist. He knows how to make a shoe. You know, if I woke up and I was a woman tomorrow I would love it. You would never see me in anything other than a black patent Louboutin court heel.”

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F R A M E W O R KS T R E E T S T Y L E

LANA, 21IBIZA

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ASH AND LAURIE, BOTH 19EDINBURGH

BETH, 24LONDON

BETH, 24LONDON

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CAN YOU VAN?AUTHENTIC VAN. ONCE A SKATE SHOE. NOW YOU

CANNOT WALK DOWN THE STREET WITHOUT SEEING A FLASH OF THE BRIGHT RED LOGO. THEY ARE WORN BY ALL GENERATIONS. SO WHAT MAKES THEM SO

SPECIAL?

“THEY ARE CLASSIC.”

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“THE SCRUFFIER THE BETTER.”

“They are just so easy to wear with everything. They’re comfortable, practical and nice to look at. What more could you want with a shoe? I have literally worn all mine to death but I grudge buying a new pair, I think they look good worn. The scruffier the better infact. Gone are the days of having perfect-ly clean shoes. Dirt is in.”

ZOE, 19, STUDENTINVERNESS

“I used to laugh at them beacuse they were skate shoes and that is completetly opposite to me, but to be honest they have grown on me. I went on holiday to Spain recently and everyone had them on and thats when I decided I needed a pair. Then another. I even bought a pair for my little boy, they look so cute!”

FRANCES, 26, OFFICE WORKERNEWCASTLE

“THEY ARE CLASSIC.”

“You cannot go wrong with a pair of vans. They are timeless, classic and cool. Guys and girls can wear them, too. I’d definitely go as far to say they are the new converse in my eyes. For guys they can be worn cas-ually or even with a suit or some-thing to make it look quirky. Then the same applies for girls - they can wear them with a dress and that can be quite a cool look. Definite must have in everyone’s wardrobe whether you’re old or young.”

LEWIS, 21, DELI OWNERGLASGOW