People Make Glasgow: A City Guide - Part 1

A few weekends ago, I boarded a plane to Glasgow for a weekend of fun in Scotland's coolest city. With a flight time of just 55 minutes from Bristol to Glasgow thanks to Easyjet's new direct route, I was full of energy and excitement when I touched down in Glasgow airport. It wasn't long before I was joined by Steph of FAIIINT, who was also visiting the city ahead of the Scottish Style Awards.

We checked into Citizen M, a pretty awesome hotel in the centre of Glasgow! If you've never stayed at a Citizen M hotel before, the rooms are relatively basic but ridiculously cool. Everything is controlled by an iPad and each room is identical, comes with a king sized bed and mood lighting. I won't say anymore as this hotel is getting its very own blog post.

The Glasgow tourist board had arranged an action-packed weekend for us, full of fashion, food and culture! On Saturday morning we were introduced to the gorgeous Fiona and Erin from the Glasgow City Marketing Bureau along with the other bloggers who we'd be hanging out with - Emma, Lizzie & Chloe. Let me just take a moment to gush about these girls... They are some of the nicest women I've ever met.

Hutchesons - 158 Ingram Street, Glasgow, G1 1EJ

Our first stop was the award-winning Hutchesons for Bubbles and Brunch! If you're in Glasgow, make sure you visit this Bar & Brasserie which is located in a Grade A-listed building. It's a favourite with locals and bloggers alike. Here we were treated to delicious butter croissants (which Steph & I boxed up for later), a tasty brunch dish, orange juice and what seemed like an endless supply of Prosecco - all for £20pp.

After much deliberation, I opted for the French Toast and boy did I make the right decision. This was hands down the best brunch I've had in years and I couldn't have asked for better company. After stuffing our faces and getting to know each other, we headed to Glasgow's Italian Centre to meet award-winning milliner, William Chambers in his shop.

William Chambers - The Italian Centre Courtyard, 186 Ingram Street, Glasgow, G1 1DN

Regular readers will know how hat obsessed I am so I was overjoyed to meet the extremely talented William and his partner Niall. William creates bespoke handmade hats and head pieces which have been worn by numerous celebrities including Kelis and Lady Gaga. Each hat is carefully created to fit its wearer and the occasion it's needed for.

I really enjoyed learning about the design and creation process and of course fell head over heels for a few styles and perhaps unsurprisingly, the above hat in particular.

After they prised the above hat off my head, it was time to prepare for the 10th Scottish Style Awards held at Kelingrove Art Gallery and Museum later that evening. We had all been booked in for a blow-dry at the incredible Rainbow Room in George Square. This award-winning salon's artistic team has styled major events such as the MOBOs, LFW and the MTV EMAs! 

Rainbow Room - 30 George Square, Glasgow, D2 1EG

Oh how I wish this was my local salon. The staff are bubbly, chatty and extremely knowledgeable! My awesome stylist Lesley had a vision of what she wanted to do with my hair and I just let her go to work. 

There was a real buzz about the salon as they were preparing for the Scottish Style Awards and the operations director Marc even came over to chat to Steph & I (while he continued to style my finished hair for a further 10 minutes). Marc's such a charmer and really passionate. I wouldn't hesitate to come back to this salon.

Steph & I then hopped in a taxi and dashed back to our hotel to change for the evening's red carpet event! Stay tuned for part 2 of my city guide to find out what happened at the style awards and who wore what. To be continued...

Have you ever visited Glasgow?

T - In love with this city!