Life, Travel | Miss V Viola

Best Vintage Shops in Aberdeen

May 31, 2016 missV 1 Comment

If you’re a big fan of vintage and are visiting Aberdeen any time soon, I have written a blog post that will be right up your street! After doing a little research before my travels, and painstakingly visiting all the shops I found (wink wink), I’ve selected my favourite 3 vintage shops that you simply cannot miss!! In the interest of having something for everyone, I’ve picked out a shop that’s really cheap and full of fun, a shop that is middle priced and has some real gems inside and a shop that’s on the higher end of the scale, but a must see for all you vintage brides out there. Ready to get excited and spend some money? ME TOO!

The Closet – mid range shop full of wonders (this one is my absolute fave!)

Imagine The Cave Of Wonders where Aladdin found his lamp, only picture it full of vintage clothes instead of gold and vintage handbags instead of lamps, and you’ve basically stepped into The Closet…
And let me be the first to say it: if being in the closet was this good, you’d never be able to get me out of it!!

Not only does this place look amazing inside, it’s totally stuffed to the gunwales with all kinds of vintage treasures. There’s a great range of 50s – 80s shirts, skirts, lingerie and dresses as well as a great selection of jewellery, accessories, shoes, bags, hats and small suitcases to boot. I love that there’s lots of lovely home wear sprinkled around the shop too – literally everything you see is available for sale which is incredible because often you’ll find a lot of amazing stuff in these kinds of shops which are for display purposes only. I know this for fact because I bought a vintage hat box from here which I’ve been after for the past year but it’s been impossible to talk anyone into selling before because they look so great on show!

It’s my top pick for mid priced shopping, but there is defo some beautiful items to invest in. Failing that there’s a few wonderful pieces available to rent for occasions so every girl gets the chance to be Cinderella for just one night, which is perfect for those who feel like taking the plunge into the world of vintage will leave then looking like a pumpkin after midnight 😉

thecloset.co.uk

Encore Dress & Vintage Agency – high end boutique perfect for special occasions!

Be still my heart. This darling vintage shop based in Fettercairn and it has stolen my soul! From vintage Hermes scarves to beautiful 1950s matching twin sets, this little haven is a must for anyone road tripping up to Aberdeen or looking to buy something a little bit special. It might be a little bit out of the city, but it is truly worth the ride!

Housing a wide variety of more modern dresses to classic 1940/50s women’s clothing, hats and accessories, this place is perfect for anyone looking to get all dolled up for a special occasion. It is more expensive than the usual vintage places I review, but I have to admit that they have earned it. They have a main room full of dresses, an accessories room and two rooms set aside for wedding outfits – both for brides and for very stylish guests (and mothers!) It may be niche, but gosh darn they have totally nailed it!

I ended up purchasing my first ever vintage hat here – a ridiculously beautiful powder pink 1940s fascinator complete with the fluffiest ostrich feather I have ever laid eyes on. It’s in extremely good condition (to the point I’m certain it’s only been worn once or twice and it has been living in a very well to do hat box for the past 70 years) and I was thrilled to bits to learn that was made in bonny Fife! For those of you who are wondering, a treasure like this only cost me £38, but I guess I’m one of the few people who would dare to go out to dinner in one of these still 😉

Just like The Closet, Encore has dresses AND HATS for hire, which pretty much made me do one of those 1980’s jumps that stop mid air. You know I might just rent one to take photos in – being a clumsy cathy I know I’d get hot sauce all over myself should I have it any longer just because I knew I couldn’t afford to keep it!

encoredressagency.co.uk

Retrospect – best vintage shop for budget buys!

This is a great little boutique that has an amazing collection of vintage shirts and dresses, mainly 70s style up, but if you have a good rummage there are a few older treasures hidden in those rails too. Let me tell you now, putting your time in here is 100% worth the effort; I snagged a beautiful green 1950s twin set for £25 and a gorgeous little 50s summer dress for £18 which are both a LUDICROUSLY great price, so I’d be coming in all the time for bargains like these if I were local!!

This shop also has a cracking men’s section (the best I’ve seen in Aberdeen thus far) There’s also a brilliant jewellery and accessories to complete the look, and a few bits and pieces for the home which is a nice edition.

Aaaaand! If spend £30+ and you get to choose a free gift too! Ended up getting a lovely retro gold sequinned purse to go with my new dresses which was fab! If you love a bargain, you can’t visit the city without popping in here!!

retrovintageclothing.co.uk

So there you have it! I hope you get the chance to visit sometime soon, but if not you should defo check out their websites or get in touch if you’re looking to sell / have something specific you’re trying to find. The people that work there / own the shops were all absolutely lovely and incredibly friendly so don’t be shy!

I’ll be sharing photos of my finds very soon – here’s hoping for a sunny day for a good photo shoot!

Top 10 Tips for a Magical Adventure in Disneyland Paris

March 17, 2016 missV Leave a Comment

You know one thing happens for sure when I find out I’m going away on holiday… I start planning my outfits straight away! And when I started planning for an extra special trip for Disneyland Paris, I decided to go all out and get a twin set made by my favourite Edinburgh based seamstress, RowanJoy. I’ve never had a dress made especially for me before, but I am totally dying over how freaking awesome it is. Not to mention how perfect it was for the Spring Fling parade they threw! I literally had heart shaped eyes just like my favourite emoji. You can see why, right?! Hooray for planning in advance!

When I was posing for these photos in front of the castle, I literally had a French dude shout ‘Oooh La La’ from the sidelines. I have absolutely no shame in admitting that this made me super happy; I didn’t realise this was an actual thing that happened! Waaay more flattering than the British alternative, which would sound a lot more like ‘Whit tae woo hen’ I suppose… or something way more offensive than is suitable for a blog post about Disneyland!

As cheesy as it sounds, Disney has always had a special place in my heart. I was extremely fortunate in that I spent a lot of summers hanging out with my cousins in Florida park, and I still get as giddy over the sight of the castle now as I did when I was a wee raggamuffin. Although I’m an adult, there is still something extremely magical about this place, and when we decided to take my best friend here for her 30th birthday, I knew it was going to be one of the best trips ever; she’d never been, I’m going with a girl gang and I know all the tips and tricks!

They only thing that didn’t go to plan on this holiday was the weather, hence my bowling shoes. It rained and snowed during our trip. But as you can see that didn’t stop me from dressing up and having all the fun!

So, if you’re planning to go soon, here are my top 10 tips for Disneyland Paris:

If you can’t afford to stay in one of the Disney hotels, be sure to check out their sister hotels. We booked the Magic Circus Hotel for 4 people over a couple of nights and it worked out at £92 TOTAL. That’s crazy good pricing! The hotel was fantastic (bonus: there were no creepy clowns!) and had a brilliant breakfast available, including made to order crepes (!!) which was all included in the price. There is a super frequent free bus that takes you to the parks too, so once you get there, you don’t have to worry about a thing.
As soon as you get in the parks, FastPass the most popular rides to avoid the queues. Biggest lines can be found at: the Ratatouille ride, Crush’s Coaster, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Buzz Lightyear’s Laser Blast, Tower of Terror and Peter Pan’s Flight. Be sure to check what rides are closed when you’re planning to visit; March is a really cheap month to go because a few of the bigger rides are closed for general maintenance. You can find this info in Disneyland Paris’s website here
The kid’s meals come in a super cute Micky lunchbox, and I would say it was a decent amount of food for an adult. SO! Be like me and order the kids meal with a diet coke and get a beer on the side. Why? Because in Disneyland Paris, you can have a kids meal and drink beer, that’s why.
If you go to the Blue Lagoon restaurant, you can have lunch and watch people sail by on the Pirates of Caribbean ride. Dinner and a show heehee!
If you go to Ratatouille restaurant, keep an eye out for Remy, who has been known for hanging out in the desert cart. This is a great place for kids, and big kids like me.
Book Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show for dinner. You get a 3 course meal, it’s vegetarian friendly, and it’s a great show. There is also beer included in the price, served direct at your table. To make sure it get’s filled up each time, make sure you finish your pint before the server comes around. I’m not an alcoholic, but I do like free beer!
If you’re into collecting pins, you can trade anything you have for anything you see on the lanyards the Disney staff wear. You can start off with a really crap one that cost you buttons and end up with something really special at the end of the day. This is a fun way to keep kids entertained without spending too much money. Just encourage them to ask the staff to trade, they’ll never say no!
Keep your eye out for the dragon under the castle, and remember you can go UPSTAIRS and check out the amazing Sleeping Beauty stained glass windows inside. When you exit, you get to walk outside the back of the castle too, which gives a great view of the park!
The best view for the firework display is in front of the Lion King floral sculptures at the end of Main Street. I know this because I asked a lot of Disney staff (I’m a keen bean and have no shame!)
First visit? Getting married? Pop into the Town Hall, right at the start of Main Street to get your free badge. This is also a great place to chat to the staff if you have any questions. I found out a bunch of park secrets that totally dropped my jaw – but I’ll save that for another day 😉

One last thing, there is no WiFi in the Disneyland Paris parks. Our hotel did have free wifi for guests though, so I could still instagram the crap outta the place at the end of the day. This was annoying at first, but quickly became my favourite thing. Who needs instagram when you can live it!

*Bonus Fact* You can get your haircut at Dapper Dan’s, which is just off Mainstreet. How freaking cool is that!!

So there you have it! I hope you found my tips helpful and I hope you have a super magical trip. If you have any secrets you wish to share, please comment with them on this blog post 🙂

Outfit: If you would like to read all about my amazing housewife-on-acid twin set outfit, check out the blog post I wrote about my experience with RowanJoy on the Hill Street Design House blog My glasses are from Bon Look (review here) and the bowling shoes are genuine… that’s all I’m going to say!

PS! Dapper Day in Disneyland Paris is on 16th April… and they used this picture of me in Rowan’s dress on instagram to share the news <3 Best day ever!!

Things to see and do in Copenhagen

January 29, 2016 missV 1 Comment

I’ve been away from the blog for a little while, but that’s because I’ve been going on some super fun adventures! I took a lovely trip over to Copenhagen, which is a place I’ve wanted to visit for so many years, mainly because of my Little Mermaid obsession. It’s always struck me as such a beautiful place to visit, but a little on the expensive side. Fortunately I managed to score me some return flights for only £50, so I basically couldn’t say no this time!

If you’re planning a wee trip there yourself, here are my top picks, but my advice is to expect spending more money than you think; food and drink in Denmark is very expensive ( it cost me £2 for a glass of tap water!!), so defo save your pennies before you go. If you’re visiting for more than a couple of days, a great way to save is to invest in a Copenhagen City Card – it not only covers transport tickets, but lets you into a crazy amount of attractions, tourist hotspots and museums too. Worth every penny!!

Tivoli Gardens is a great little fun fair right in the centre of Copenhagen. There’s rides, fun fair games, shows, lots of little shops and about a million places to eat. I visited here in the evening a few times because it looks particularly beautiful lit up at night and a great way to end the day. If you’re into all things kitsch and a little bit on the tacky side you will not be disappointed. My top recommendation for all you retro pin up gals is to hitch a ride on Hans Christian Anderson’s ‘Storybook Adventure’. It’s pretty slow, but if you love the Mary Blair design of ‘It’s A Small World’ in Disney, you’re gonna LOVE this. I actually ended up sweet talking the gentleman running it to let me go around a second time. Make of that what you will!!

Den Bla Planet is the best aquarium I’ve been to in years. They have a humongous tank full of sharks, stingrays and fishies which was totally incredible. It’s like standing in front of a giant screen saver! This has to be my favourite place to chill out and get some peace and quiet at. The blue glow is super calming, they have a great tunnel to wander through and be surrounded by sea life, plus they have a touch tank where you can hold starfish (YAY!) You can easily spend a great day here, but if you had to, even popping in for a couple of hours will be worth the trip.

Design Museum If you’re as fascinated by vintage design as much as me, visiting the Design Museum is a great way to get yourself some home and outfit inspiration! Currently they have an amazing Japanese exhibition, a totally brilliant fashion and textiles exhibition that spans many decades and does the 1950’s some true justice, and let’s not forget the most perfect design and crafts exhibition too. It’s bustin’ full of awesome chairs, genius light fixtures and some absolutely mesmerising posters and prints. It’s not possible to visit here and not want to refresh your digs as soon as you get home!

If you’ve got the time, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is completely worth the train ride out of town. You’ll need the whole day to do this trip properly though; it may look small from the outside but it’s like a Tardis inside – it goes on for forever!! Being the main gallery space there is a great amount of permanent artworks, but check out who’s got a big show on before you get there. I was extremely lucky to see Yayoi Kusama’s retrospective, which has to be one of the greatest show’s I’ve ever been to. If you love polka dots, you’ll want to see my next fashion blog post because this is where I shot it! Just so you’re aware, they have an amazing cafe and a seriously good gift shop, so you’ll have no problems filling the day there if you get tired feet.

Last, but certainly not least, if you’re going all the way to Copenhagen, visiting our pal the Little Mermaid is simply a must. The locals are not so hot about this Hans Christian Andersen tribute; most people I spoke to were like ‘Oh really? You want to see that?’ like there is something wrong with it. They have a bit of an issue with her size, which I think is terrible – because at 5ft, she’s the same height as me!! But what do I know – in Edinburgh we have a very famous statue of a small dog that we always go on about. Maybe we just appreciate the little things a lot more! You can walk from the city centre to see her, but it’s much easier to hop on a bus and walk through the park to find her. She’s remarkably close to the shore line, so on a still day you could venture right up to her if you were feeling brave enough. Try going on a clear day – it was a little overcast for my big moment, but as you can tell from the first snap I genuinely didn’t even care. I’m just so happy I finally got out to visit her!!

Overall, I had a total blast on my trip, and I can honestly tell you I’d go back to Denmark (and especially Copenhagen!) in a heartbeat. But for those of you wondering what my top 3 worst things to do were (because we all want to know the downsides to any place!), then I’m not going to let you down! Should be lucky enough to visit, here are thing’s I suggest giving a swerve; they were a bit of a disappointment in my eyes, and I certainly wouldn’t rate them to my besties. This is just my opinion based on my experiences – that doesn’t mean everyone would agree of course!

1. The Boat Trip Around The City. Any boat trip. Ok, this would have been a lot better had we actually been able to do half of the trip. Due to high waters and low bridges, ours got cut dramatically short. Check with the box office if the weather is good before you do this. And for the love of God, don’t pay attention to anyone who tells you that you can ‘Totally see the little mermaid doing that!’ because in a nutshell, no you can’t. You can see her butt from a distance. No way worth it if it’s a murky day!

2. The Planetarium. I have no shame in sharing that I am a space nut. The idea of seeing how the Danish did this seemed like a good shout, but it was the most run down and disappointing experience ever. Even though they have an IMAX! I know. Let’s put it this way, if Poundland (or, dear American friends, Dollar General) opened a planetarium, this is basically be what they came up with. Only less fun.

3. Ok, ok, I take it back. THE WORST THING TO DO IN COPENHAGEN: The World of Hans Christian Anderson. It is so many levels of embarrassingly bad that I don’t even know where to start. It’s cheap, it’s cheesy, and you don’t really learn anything about Han’s or his stories worthwhile at all… I find it funny that the locals are so anti the mermaid statue, but have left this sorry sight open to the public! I can’t even compare it to something funny, it’s just crap. Save your money and have a second go on that ride at Tivoli, then buy yourself a beer. You’re welcome.

But let’s leave on a high note (because although these things were awful, we sure did have a laugh at how awful they were!) One last recommendation for your trip: MY FAVOURITE SHOP! that’s right, if I could only pick one store to visit in the city, it would be Akimbo, home to all great things kitsch and wonderful, and the best place in town to by Kewpie dolls and Sonny Angel’s. If I could live in here I would!! It’s just so happy!

If you’ve already visited Copenhagen and have some other suggestions for readers please leave them a note with your tips and tricks!

Happy travels

xox

Afternoon Tea in Sketch London

October 12, 2015 missV 1 Comment

I’ve always dreamed that one day in my life I’d stumble upon a beautiful place and live out some kind of deliciously over indulgent scenario. I’d blame it on too many Wes Anderson movies, if such a thing could ever exist. These dreams always include opulence, pastel colours, and some kind of matchy matchy outfit… Clearly Wes gets his ideas from somewhere! Surely, by now, someone has taken inspiration from The Grand Budapest Hotel and made it into some kind of tangible experience?

And then I discovered Sketch.

Clearly I have died and gone to heaven!

Can you believe such a magical place exists? And it’s in London? I KNOW! Hidden just off Oxford Street in Mayfair, this slice of happiness is part of a converted 18th century building which have been transformed into several different dining rooms and bars. Each one is busting full of cool art and beautiful interiors that you could easily spend days in exploring.

When your favourite sarcy artist from Glasgow gets involved in decorating the china, you know you’re in the right place. David Shrigley knows exactly what I need in my life right now; a combination of dirt, dust and nothing. My god, I want these shakers, they are too good!

Phenomenal, right? But there is one catch for whiling away the hours here; you can only dine in this beautiful room if you order Afternoon Tea… which will cost you 42 fine English Pounds for the experience. Per Person. Pretty darn lavish, right? Who spends that kind of money on tea and cakes? Well, I’m not ashamed to admit the candy pinkness of the room seemed to have seeped into my brain and rotted it a little, because we ended up ordering Afternoon Tea. This is hands down the craziest thing I’ve ever blown money on, but it’s my birthday month and all; in for a penny, in for a pound. But I bet you’re all wondering . . . was it worth it?

Well, in a nutshell, no. That is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on tea and cake! But to be honest, I was spending the money on feeling like a princess for an afternoon, knowing I was going home to being a pauper for at least a month. The sandwiches, cakes and tea are very nice and all, but they’re not really anything particularly special. When you’re forking out that kind of cash, you should be getting insanely good stuff, you know? I think the only thing that I was interested in was the tiny speckles of caviar on the quails egg sandwich, because I don’t normally eat that sort of stuff (FYI, we actually ordered the VEGETARIAN platter and caviar was still served, good one Sketch!), but for goodness sake, if you’re ever going to try a tiny bit of caviar, it’s going to be in Mayfair dah-ling. Needless to say it didn’t taste of anything really, and the sandwich itself was pretty run of the mill despite the fancy filling. It all looks wonderful sitting on those David Shrigley cake stands, but if you did one of those blind fold comparison tests, Marks and Spencers would have probably won if pitched against it…

NOW DONT GET ME WRONG, I had a totally great time, Sketch is an amazing place and I am so so glad that I got the chance to go, but I see so many people blog about these awesome things and when you experience them in reality they can be a bit of a let down. I am under no circumstances bitter about the experience, quite the opposite actually, I’d just rather give you my honest feedback. Sketch is beautiful and 100% worth the visit, but don’t feel like you’re missing out on the afternoon tea if you can’t afford it. Our waitress was a little on the snooty side and kept trying to take our plates away whilst we were still eating and we were too frightened to ask for some water for the table because there were no prices on anything. While the manager did kindly let us split two afternoon tea’s between the three of us, it was clear we were already out on a limb with our financial status. I thought the whole thing was spectacularly entertaining, but the faint hearted would probably find it a little uncomfortable.

BUT LOOK AT HOW PRETTY IT IS!

Overall, I did have a great time here, but it really made me realise how grateful I am for the life that I have. I’m so fortunate even without these things! Although it was lovely to dip my toe into the land of the rich, I’m pleased to say that I now know for sure I’m not missing out on anything. Money can’t buy you happiness, although it can buy you beautiful surroundings.

Oh, and pods for toilets. HAHA!

So next time you’re popping into your local bakery for a cupcake that costs less than a bus fare, daydreaming about what you’d be doing if you were rich, you can rest assured that you would be doing the exact same thing, only you would be doing it riding a horse made of gold, because clearly that is a better way to spend your hard earned pennies. haha!

In summery, you can’t indulge in a Wes Anderson moment without falling in love and getting in over your head; this was perfection.

Check out my previous blog post for my outfit info and more pictures of Sketch.

Vicky xox

Cerial Killer Cafe

October 8, 2015 missV Leave a Comment

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. You probably don’t know (actually, if you follow me on instagram, you definitely will know!) that I am absolutely obsessed with brightly coloured trash cereal. I’ve had a really great longterm relationship with Trix, Lucky Charms and Fruitloops thanks to many trips to the states over my youth. Not only do the sugar and e numbers keep me buzzing, but there is nothing more beautiful than consuming an entire rainbow for breakfast. You can’t have a bad day when your tummy is full of happy colours! So, when I read about the Cereal Killer Cafe opening in London a few months back, it was top of my ‘Places to Visit’ list. How fun can a cereal cafe be Vicky? THEBESTFUNEVER!

So many cereals, such little time! Not only is this place a great for filling you up for the day, it’s a real feast for the eyes too. With Rocko’s Modern Life on the TV, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle lamps on the tables, corn curtains a la The Simpsons and every toy from the late 80’s early 90’s I ever wanted, a visit here is a truly tantalising time warp.

Contained behind a glass is the Holy Grail of retro cereal; Bill & Ted’s! Adams Family! Cat In The Hat! Ahhhhaha! USA, you’re so crazy, you’re the best!

Clearly the sugar content from my Unicorn Poop Cereal is starting to kick in here. Wide eyed and blurry from joy, that’s is how I want to start every day!

So, if you’re hanging around London anytime soon and your looking for a hardcore nostalgia trip with a heavy side of sweetness, you gotta pop into my favourite cafe. There really is something for everyone and you’ll totally have the most productively messy day ever 😀

Yours sweetly!

Vicky xox