STRANGE scenes inside the department store as Harvey Nichols threw an eccentric celebration to mark ten years in Edinburgh.
Chief executive Joseph Wan flew in from Hong Kong and said the Edinburgh store was his favourite in the UK.
Wan said the chance to create a purpose-built store and the view from the fourth floor persuaded him to site Scotland’s only Harvey Nichols in the capital rather than fashion-forward Glasgow.
The real anniversary was August, but it was decided to move the birthday party to avoid clashing with the Edinburgh Festival and London and New York Fashion Weeks.
Aberdeen events company Roselle transformed the store for the “Fashion Event of the Year”. Guests were greeted by smartly-dressed attendants bearing umbrellas who whisked them along a sparkly red carpet. Across the ground floor drapes had been hung, creating a black, billowing corridor leading to the escalators.
The second floor was transformed into an Alice in Wonderland playground, with fake grass, fairground attractions and a rustling carpet of real autumn leaves. Magicians mingled with the guests while the bars had a fairytale theme. Poison apple cocktails were served with a squirt of absinthe dispensed from a dropper. Fruit punch was served in teacups like a Mad Hatter’s tea party.
The champagne flowed endlessly until midnight and the posh person’s shop hadn’t scrimped on food, with giant bowls of oysters, vats of caviar, mountains of prawns, pork belly rolls, chocolate ice cream and doughnuts.
On the dance floor girls in sequined gowns bopped away to a trancey selection of tunes.
Best of all were the outfits. Harvey Nix had invited all its favourite customers and they showed their credentials in extraordinary and colourful creations by Moschino, Jonathan Saunders, and Vivienne Westwood.
Glasgow may have the Style Mile, but on Wednesday fashionable Edinburgh excelled itself . Absolutely Fabulous.