Totty Rocks (Edinburgh, UK)

So these last few days my Internet connection at home has decided to die, then live again, then die and now it's alternating between the two in 5-20 min intervals. Which is highly annoying if you're trying to do anything online, so apologies if it takes a while to get back to your comments and blogs. In any case, I hope it gets fixed this week and until it does, I'll just keep distracting myself by thinking about some of the pretty shops I've visited recently. One such store is the cutely named Totty Rocks (see here, for a definition of the first word) in Edinburgh, situated on the busy Victoria St. not too far from Armstrongs. When I first walked by, I paused at the windows, admiring the dresses on display, and was fascinated by the cosy-looking store interior. But for some reason I figured this place to be too touristy and kept walking. Thankfully I decided to go in on my way back and I'm really glad I did.

Looks from the SS09 campaign (images: Totty Rocks).

What I realized once I entered the store and read some of the descriptions of the collections, was that Totty Rocks wasn't a multi-brand shop, as I had previously thought, but a Scottish label run by two independent designers, Lynsey Miller and Holly Mitchell. They formed the brand in 2004 after having graduated from the Edinburgh College of Arts and following various stints at other design companies. The label has since been nominated as Scottish Designer of the year at the Scottish Style Awards and in 2006 this store, which had formerly housed a 300 year old brush shop, opened to the public. This probably explains why the interior and especially the cash desk area had a bit of a nostalgic feel.

A selection of clothes (left) and one of the many props (right).

I think the best word to sum up both the boutique and the clothes in it is 'charming'. Everything is very feminine but without being too girly, in a frilly pink way. Like the store, the items have a vintage look to them. Many of the dresses seem to have been inspired by the 50s or previous eras. Most pieces feature prints, whether it's floral, stripes or polka dots. The cut of the garments is meant to flatter a woman's body - the majority accentuate the waist, such as the cinched dresses or the high-waisted trousers.

Loved the old-fashioned cases behind the cash desk (left). Jewelry, hair accessories and belts (right).

And while the store itself was quite small, I didn't get the feeling it was particularly cramped or crowded. All the clothes were neatly placed on racks (some sale items were still available). There were interesting props, such as the ceramic horse head, the outstretched plastic hands attached to the walls or the various trinkets in the cabinets behind the cash counter.

Left: Some items were still on sale. Right: Colorful jewelry.

Left: The metal cabinet housed knickers, which I assume were for sale and not a decoration. More jewelry hanging from the 'hands' on the wall. Right: Pins, brooches and credit card holders.

Almost as much of my time went into looking at the smaller accessories, such as the jewelry, which could be found in glass cases or little bowls. Shelves were stocked with hats, ties, scarves and anything else you could need to spice up an outfit. Totty Rocks also designs bags, of which I only saw one during my visit and in addition, men's clothing and children's wear are available too, though I didn't see any of these pieces this time around.

Right: More clothes, incl. FW09 pieces and accessories. Left: Close-up of the silk tie-scarves.

A back area, with its traditional stone walls resembling those of an old castle, is where I found the changing room and a tall glass case with more jewelry. The one SA who was present, was friendly and helpful, but allowed you to browse without hounding you, so the experience as a whole was quite pleasant. The pricing is of course higher than what you can find on the high street (after all, this is still designer and everything is made in Scotland), but nowhere near as high as luxury pricing.

The back area.

Though the brand has been hyped a little in the media in the past years and also happens to be one of the places Kate Moss visited on her last trip to the city, it's still a fairly low-key label that can't be found in many stores. But fear not, they have an online shop which delivers worldwide, so take a look if you have time. It's almost as good as being in the actual boutique.

Address: 40 Victoria St., Edinburgh EH1 3JW
Opening Hrs: Mon-Fri: 11:00-18:00, Sat: 10:00-18:00
Sun: 12:00-17:00
Totty Rocks Homepage & Online Shop