An Edinburgh Institution like no other: There’s the Castle, there’s Calton Hill and then there’s CORNICHE.
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing | The famous Corniche window with its ever-enticing selection of goodies
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing @trippen.official | Metro grey/blue print open toe boot by Trippen, with historic Calton Hill in the background
Should you find yourself in Edinburgh’s ancient Old Town with its labyrinth of cobblestones and winding closes and you keep meandering past tartan shops and kiltmakers and milliners and jewelers, you’re bound to stumble upon a very special jewel in Edinburgh’s fashion crown, arguably just as precious as those once worn by Mary Queen of Scots: Corniche, the brainchild of one of the most fashion-forward persons I have the honour to call my friend.
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing | Alexandr Manamis suit as pictured on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh’s Old Town, with St Giles Cathedral in the background
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing @tatlermagazine @perryogden @jamesbrownagency | Ash Holden’s green velvet full length coat
Image Credit Corniche | The Corniche matriarch and family: Nina Grant, Ian Moutter, Lorna Turnbull and Zac The Dog
Image Credit Corniche | Nina Grant has been dressing Edinburgh’s Who’s Who since 1975 (and David Bowie since the Sixties)
The inimitable and infinitely stylish Nina Grant is synonymous with the spirit of avant-garde that she has, single-handedly, been flying the flag for in Scotland for over four decades. A serene beauty, more often than not dressed in her trademark top-to-bottom understated black, Nina is one of those Edinburgh characters who have become the stuff of urban legend whenever she steps out of her Old Town oasis. A self-proclaimed non-shopper, this doesn’t happen frequently. Nina once confessed to me, with a sardonic smirk and a twinkle in the eye, that Corniche is indeed a little oasis in the desert. Now, this is perhaps not the most appropriate analogy for oftentimes dreich (Old Scots for dull or gloomy) Edinburgh, I grant you that, but one gets her drift. One inevitably racks your brain to conceive of a concept store that compares in stature and richness to the enigmatic Corniche, and the only possible contender – albeit a polar opposite – that springs to mind is Sixties icon Biba. Back in the day Nina did indeed make psychedelic costumes for the likes of David Bowie and Lindsay Kemp, but she soon became enamoured with the haiku-like monochromatic aesthetic of the Japanese designers. This infatuation – no, full-blown love-affair – with black and the enduring simplicity of line, shape and form has lasted a lifetime. Lucky Edinburgh, lucky Scotland! Unsurprisingly Corniche was the very first Scottish store to stock legendary Japanese designers Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons, who Nina calls friends after all these years. Unlike Biba whose fame and demise were equally fleeting, the proverbial flash in the pan, Corniche is still there, still sitting pretty on quaint Jeffrey Street 46 years later, still displaying a mouth-watering window week after week. That is some testimony to one woman’s unwavering vision and her conviction that clothes have the power to transform, if you ask me.
Image Credit Corniche | Nina is accosted by the paparazzi on a buying trip in Paris
Image Credit Corniche | Nina at the Rundholz showroom on a buying trip
Image Credit Corniche | Nina and friend sitting on the famous red carpet at Corniche
Nina has always stubbornly stuck to her design convictions. She has invariably and exclusively chosen the experimental, the innovative, the off-beat and the deconstructivist over the predictable, the conventional and the universally pleasing. This high-risk strategy has paid off. Together with the Japanese designers, European brands like Moschino and Gaultier have been some of the heavyweights who have, over the decades, graced Corniche together with tartan and Harris Tweed-adoring Brits Vivienne Westwood, Katherine Hamnett and Betty Jackson, ethereal brand Ghost and l’enfant terrible Alexander McQueen.
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing @andreweijin | A furry Rundholz coat makes al fresco in Edinburgh very cosy indeed!
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing | An Ash Holden chartreuse suit fit for the theatrics of the Old Town
Image Credit Corniche @corniche_clothing Styling @mairiguild Model @christyguildModel @bob_zillaaa | Heading up a close while keeping both cosy and ultra-fashionable in Edinburgh’s Old Town
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing | Fifties-style black felt hat by Kloshar
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing | A Rundholz Mainline ‘Marone’ jacket
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing | Aleksandr Manamis layered black dress with immaculate detailing and exquisite craftsmanship
Image Credit Cécile Paul | Cécile Paul’s knitwear and tailoring historically stocked by Corniche
I’m immensely proud to say that my own little clothing ranges had been rubbing shoulders
with these powerful fashion forces over many seasons in Nina’s beautiful emporium. I will never forget what it felt like to see my name stenciled between that of Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons in Corniche’s famous window! For that is another one of the many great strings to the inimitable Nina’s bow: the ability to spot, fiercely believe in and encourage local talent, more so than any of her compatriots in high fashion who choose to stick only with the tried-and-tested.
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing Styling @mairiguild Model @bob_zillaaa | Vivienne Westwood mainline asymmetric unisex shirt and drop printed trousers look dandy layered with a Nigel Cabourn Harris tweed waist coat and Kloshar ADCO+ hat
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing | An inspired ensemble: Barbara Bologna oversized green corduroy coat and matching bag paired with Rundholz check overall, Alexandr Manamis black waistcoat and Kloshar Clifford hat photographed on Waverley Bridge, with the Scott Monument in the background
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing Styling @mairiguild Model @christyguildd | A chic ensemble in front of Edinburgh Castle: Rundholz Mainline jacket and Paddy print trousers, limited edition Onix frames and Kloshar Terence hat
Corniche has a fiercely loyal following both locally and internationally. It’s undoubtedly the first and foremost boutique I would, without fail, direct my foreign fashion-conscious visitors to, upon arriving in Edinburgh (and they would never leave without having acquired something really special). No wonder Drapers Awards named Corniche UK Boutique of the Year in 2000 and in a recent Maxim Magazine survey Corniche was voted No.19 of all shops worldwide. No surprises there.
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing | Magnolia Pearl Clothing – every piece is lovingly handcrafted
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing | Vivienne Westwood’s ‘Court Coat’ in Harris Tweed
The range is cutting-edge and hand-picked, and includes,
For Women: Rundholz, Rundholz Dip, Rundholz Black Label, Pal Offner, Aleksandr Manamis, NostraSantissima, Barbara Bologna, Nigel Cabourn, Sandrine Philippe, Masnada, High by Claire Campbell, Vivienne Westwood and Ivan Grundahl.
Menswear collections include: The Lost Explorer, Nigel Cabourn, Aleksadr Manamis, Pal Offner, Rundholz, PEdALED, Comme des Garcons Play and Masnada.
Corniche also stocks the full range of iconic Comme des Garcons perfumes.
For those of you already drooling and not in Edinburgh – the online service is effortless and user-friendly. Check out the current collection and indulge yourself!
Corniche, 2 Jeffrey Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DT, Scotland UK
Tel: +44 131 556 3707
Email: info@corniche.org.uk
Image Credit Corniche (Instagram) @corniche_clothing | A bright yellow window display by Rundholz
Fun fact: In 4 years’ time Corniche will have graced Edinburgh for 50 years. We salute you Nina Grant! Here’s looking forward to the next decade of glorious Corniche.
