Forget fields of daffodils or fluffy little lambs, nothing heralds the arrival of spring more than a good

dose of retail therapy. To make things a' little easier we’ve persuaded Glasgow and Edinburgh’s coolest clothing stores to piCk out their favourite item for the season. We’ve peeked into the wardrobes of some of the cities’ secret shopaholics. Then there’s the beauty products, the gadgets and a fine selection of beautiful things for your- home. Get your credit card ready.

I 1 CRUISE

Branches in Glasgow and Edinburgh W8LT trainers £95

Mary McGowne, Cruise PR: ‘They are totally cutting edge; a ritzy glitzy riot of colour and funky forms and are perfect for going clubbing.‘ I 2 WAREHOUSE

Branches in Glasgow and Edinburgh

Stripe design trousers £35

Spokesperson: “These stripy trousers are perfect for the hazy days of summer; wear with flip flops and a tight vest and yOU are doing a very sophisticated hippie Iook.‘

I 3 DIESEL

Trilby £22

I 4 URBAN OUTFITTERS

Buchanan Street, Glasgow

Jersey dress by Sonia Rykie/ L‘ 7 55

Ciaran McCarthy, manager: ‘lt's a dress that gives a very sexy silhouette with vibrant colours that will turn heads.’

I S DIESEL

Flat bucket bag £37

I 6 DIESEL

Buchanan Street, Glasgow

Super Stripe denim L‘ 95

Graeme McGarvie. manager: 'The denim renaissance is still going and these will look good with summer colours and even a pair of flip flops.‘

7 SWISH

\fictoria Street, Edinburgh

Sequin/fed character purses E24

Gregor, manager: ‘These purses are great. With their trendy designs, vibrant colours and unique look they're a cool way to dress up any ensemble.‘

I 8 DR JIVES

Candleriggs, Glasgow

6876 jacket £7 I55

Gordon Wagstaff, owner: 'An unstructured suit jacket in a workwear style that buttons to the neck With no lapels. The effect of the over dye is also great and it's designed by a Scotsman.‘

I 9 URBAN OUTFITTERS

Bracelet £20

I 10 TRIBAL JUNKI

Wilson Street, Glasgow

55DSL sweater £65

Kevin Dornan, manager: ‘lt's a label from Diesel which is quite fresh. It's got a classic yet distinctive style with a nice touch of colour.‘

I 1 1 l 12 URBAN OUTFITTERS

Marc Jacobs scarf $322; bag £42

I 13 CULT CLOTHING

Queen St, Glasgow; N. Bridge, Edinburgh Navy wrde flair trousers £34.99

Dan. Edtnburgh manager: ‘These are a great look fOr the season. The small pockets mean that girls' arses look smaller.‘

I 14 URBAN OUTFITTERS

Paul Smith bikini £7 70

I 15 ODD ONE OUT

Wctoria Street, Edinburgh

Sketch puff sleeve T— shirt £30

Vixy Rae, manager: 'This is a great item for this season because it's a really dlrectional piece. It's a bestseller in London and lots of our shoppers like that.‘

I 16 SCHUH

Branches in Glasgow and Edinburgh

Gal/ax Essential (light grey suede) E 54. 99 Lesley. Frederick Street manager: 'The skate look IS very now. Gallaz are great because they look femtnine and funky while offering a sophisticated look for girls.‘

(Compiled by Jane Hamilton and Anna Millar)

WHAT’S IN YOUR WARDROBE?

the streetwear designer

Name: Anthony Browne

Profession: clothing label founder

Kitted out in a pair of £10 trousers and an own brand T-shirt,

Anthony Browne, one of the founders of skate/snowboarding label Densestuff.co.uk, might be part of the fashion industry,

but he’s not a victim of it.

With a relaxed approach towards fashion, Anthony believes in comfort and practicality as a priority when buying clothes. His favourite brands of clothing come from the skate and snowboarding stable. ‘I like Fenchurch, Special Blend and NFA,’ he says. ‘Fenchurch is a brand new company; even we’ve been around longer than they have. But I like their style because they’re not really about logos. Their focus is on the actual cut of the T-shirt.’

His favourite shops for clothes are Tribal Junki in Glasgow’s Merchant City and Headstrong.co.uk, an online site that sells the wares of smaller independent labels as opposed to the bigger skate companies. ‘There’s also Boardwise, which has a lot of the good brands, but it’s expensive.’ he says. ‘Obviously because we’re starting our own business we don’t have a lot of money to spend, so we wear a lot of our own stuff.’

Running a label proves a great source of clothing for Anthony. If in need of a new top, he simply has to make one himself instead of trailing around the shops for something he likes. Happy to buy stuff from the high street, Anthony doesn’t subscribe to the style of resembling a billboard via heavily branded clothes: ‘I would go into a shop if there was a sale on and pick a pair of trousers. If they’re cool it doesn’t matter what make they are. I don’t really wear brands in an obvious way; I don’t like trainers with big logos on the sides.’

Anthony reckons that guys get a raw deal when in comes to shopping for clothes: ‘With the women’s departments there are all these different assortments of styles. Then you go to the guys and it’s like: “Pick from this rail or fuck off.”’

His top fashion tip? ‘Don’t overdo it, don’t get carried away. If you like labels, take it easy with them.’ (Carolyn Aiken)

the frock scientist

Name: Vivienne Gaskin

Profession: CCA head of artistic programming and education ‘Shopping is a science,’ according to inenne Gaskin. In fact, Gaskin is such a shopping specialist, she has a cupboard full of labels which cost her a fraction of the designer price tag.

Red Or Dead dresses, Hussein Chalayan tops and Vivienne Westwood skirts and jackets line her cupboard. Your average punter would have a heart attack at the prices but Gaskin keeps a close eye on them until they reach high street prices and then snaps them up. One of the best bargains to date is a shirt that went from £500 to 239.

For Gaskin it’s the cut of a garment that attracts her rather than the design, anything with a simple and sharp line. And so a theme of asymmetric designs runs through her wardrobe. ‘lt’s just like being a kid, dressing up and pretending to be something else,’ she says. Gaskin doesn’t buy things for particular occasions, instead she gets the right item at the right price and then waits for the right time to wear them. She likes the fact that many of her clothes are a mix of designer labels and junk shop finds which she blends to create her own look.

One of Gaskin’s favourite sayings is that you should choose your most noticeable feature and exaggerate it. She is, in her own words, ‘ridiculously tall’ and so chooses to wear heels out of work, exotic designer heels which range from Mui Mui to Carvela. Gaskin’s theory is that if you shop really hard you can get good clothes at high street prices. And shopping hard is what makes this lady very happy indeed. (Jane Hamilton)

9—23 May 2002 TH. LIST 21