Style
October 12, 2009 § 3 Comments
The Scottish Style Awards 2009 will take place amid the quixotic surrounds of the The Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow’s Merchant City, on the evening of Saturday 31st October.
Established as Scotland’s foremost celebration of creative endeavour, the Scottish Style Awards salute inspirational individuals and enterprises that enrich society through their distinguished activities in fashion, music, the arts, stage, screen, retailing and hospitality.
Award categories, assessed by a panel of, apparently, illustrious judges, range from Scotland’s most stylish Male, Female and Band or Musician to Fashion Designer of the Year. Tastemaker of the Year, the penultimate accolade of the ceremony salutes those Scots whose creative endeavours have impacted on our cultural life and defined or redefined our understanding of style and creativity. Scotland’s most stylish Boutique and High Street retailer are named along with the cream of the hospitality industry via the most stylish Bar, Restaurant, Hotel and Entertainment Venue.
Finally the ceremony culminates in a very special award honouring an individual or enterprise that has made an outstanding and enduring contribution to Scottish style.
This year, I’m happy to say , this award just happens to go to Harris Tweed Hebrides.
In a similar vein I’m happy to see a friend of mine Michelle Haswell, otherwise known as one of the Queenies over at Kingdom of Style, up for Most Stylish Female. Well done Meesh!
Other nominees I’ll be rooting for include:
Most Stylish Bar: r Bar @ Rocpool Reserve, Inverness for their great cocktails.
Most Stylish Restaurant: Chez Roux, Inverness. Again at Rocpool. Best French cooking I’ve had in Scotland.
Most Stylish Hotel: Sorry Hotel Hebrides but Blythswood Square with Jim Hamilton @ Graven’s use of Harris Tweed gets the Croft’s vote.
Most Stylish Entertainment Venue: Stornoway’s not entirely unstylish An Lanntair is up so it’s gotta get rooted for.
Most Stylish Male: While once again I appear to have been studiously overlooked it seems my editor at Clash Magazine is up so he gets the nod.
Good luck to you all!
About 200 years ago I used to work in the Rally Bar at the SRAC in Blythswood Sq when I was a student. It was a very formal sort of place – ‘sir’ and ‘modom’ – and the decor very clubby in a bad way – not cigar smoked leather, more pale green dralon. I always felt that the beautifully proportioned rooms could be, and perhaps once were, a great party house. I’m really pleased that it has now been given a chance to shake down and allow the possibilites to unfold… I too love the Graven Images designs. They have an early sixties feel which is very Mad Men, sexy and classy. From Shawbost – smaoinich!
But I’m really rooting for Hotel Hebrides here in Tarbert. It is beautiful, comfortable, has a restrained style which is welcoming and not alienating for a wide range of guests and yet it is a local, much loved island hotel.
The dining room is just lovely and I would defy anyone not to enjoy the ambience, the attention to detail, the wonderful paintings. I think it is a great design in that it is true to itself and has a real personality. A bonus is that occasionally the MV Hebrides will sweep up to the pier about 20 yards from your table – now you don’t get that in Blyhswood Square!
I’m slightly gobsmacked they’ve taken on James Stocks as their chef however. Not only are his CV and professional “connections” basically fraudulent but he ran out on his last venture leaving a mountain of debt behind. Not convinced either that Tarbert is the place for that style of Michelin star aspiration food either. Regardless, if he managed to eke a 10/10 from Joanna Blythman I guess he might be able to walk the walk. Prices seem good too so will be checking it out next time I’m heading over.
Would be interested to hear your thoughts. There’s more of a bistro menu in the bar which I also like.