Sal's Kitchen: Sal’s Diary: Bath in Fashion 2016

Have you seen my awesome new project, #bathindiechat? One of the best things about it for me is that it’s given me the excuse to get involved with a wider range of fabulous stuff going on in Bath, like the recent Bath in Fashion week. Here’s a round-up of the brilliant Bath in Fashion events I got to attend last week, all highlighting amazing independent companies.

Fashionable Gathering at Colonna & Hunter

This was pretty much the perfect event for me – organised by Crumbs Magazine, which I love, at one of my very favourite bars in Bath, Colonna & Hunter. The fashion connection is a little tenuous, I’ll grant, but Colonna & Hunter is undeniably cool, and very stylish inside, so that was quite enough for me. We enjoyed the most fabulous canapes, including beautiful goat’s curd on wafer-thin crackers, creamy mackerel pate with fresh leaves and flowers, and an incredible slider with coffee-braised brisket, as well as beers from Colonna & Hunter’s constantly changing selection of indie brewers – my particular favourite was the hibiscus and camomile saison from Brew By Numbers, but I was also surprised and delighted by the pink peppercorn porter from Wiper & True, which was amazingly chocolatey. I’ve always loved the beer and the coffee at Colonna & Hunter, but if you haven’t tried their food yet, you absolutely must – their menu is fantastic and I reckon something really exciting is happening there. Definitely one to watch.

BIF Live: The Tipsy Botanists at Grace & Ted

As part of Bath in Fashion Live, a whole day of events and offers across the city, gorgeous pre-owned fashion boutique Grace & Ted invited The Tipsy Botanists to run a pop-up bar outside the shop in Kingsmead Square. I do love the Tipsy Botanists, and they’re the perfect participants for Bath in Fashion because they are incredibly stylish – everything from their pop-up bar made from pallets to their stripy paper straws and cocktails decorated with edible flowers is just irresistibly instagrammable. I had an absolutely delicious Rose Garden cocktail, with rose vodka, freshly squeezed lemon and prosecco. Look out for the Tipsy Botanist girls at future events, or hire them for your own – you can visit their website here.

Bath in Fashion Designer Headline Catwalk Show

I have to make a confession – this was the first catwalk show I’d ever been to, and I loved it. The Assembly Rooms have been hosting fashionable gatherings since the 18^th century, so there’s something pretty fabulous about attending any event in the beautiful ballroom there. I was in the perfect position on the front row to appreciate all the most gorgeous details, and it was awesome to see so many local designers and boutiques showcased amongst larger brands. Grace & Ted put together some amazing looks, including a beautiful pink and green dress by Matthew Williamson paired with the most sensational hot pink Lulu Guinness bag. I also loved the accessories from local designer Chanii B, especially the metallic leather & bright pops of colour, and the incredible structured dresses from the fashion students at Bath Spa uni, which might have been my favourite collection of all. There were also some beautiful silks, both from local designer EZZA and from national fashion treasure Zandra Rhodes. Sponsor Nicholas Wylde did manage to steal the show, however, with an incredible finale featuring a beautiful ballerina, spangled with tiny jewels like raindrops and an umbrella lit with ghostly white, accompanied by thunder, lightning and darkness – it was completely spellbinding.