The COSLA Excellence Awards

Hello my darlings!

I hope this latest post finds everyone well on this lovely Friday afternoon. Today on the blog I'd like to share my recent experience at the 2015 COSLA awards. For anyone who does not know, The COSLA awards represent the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and are held annually to celebrate good practice across a wide range of services within Scotland's 32 councils.

For this post we're going to need a little context: During my day to day life I work two jobs; one is for a local authority and one for a charitable organization both doing youth work with elements of community education and resource organization involved. One of the areas of youth work that I am most passionate about is LGBT (lesbian gay bisexual and transgender) work within schools and communities, fighting proactively to tackle homophobia and hate crimes and to give young LGBT people a safe space to feel comfortable, accepted and free to be their authentic selves. I've been working locally with two wonderful LGBT projects -the West Lothian LGBT Youth Forum and the Glitter Cannons project- for just over a year now and it is these projects that were recently nominated for a COSLA excellence award. 

In order to gain a bit of insight into the nature of the work that both of these projects do, please take a wee look at this video, highlighting the strengths and achievements of the LGBT youth work that happens locally. Look out for me and my freshly dyed orange hair!

 

Hopefully you'll agree with me that the work that these projects do is incredibly important and gain an understanding of just how valuable this type of youth work is. Supporting people who identify as LGBT (and otherwise) is such an enriching part of my personal and professional working life and truthfully is one of my favourite aspects of my day job - I absolutely love it! Needless to say I was absolutely elated when I heard that our projects were shortlisted as finalists for the COSLA awards- not for the actual awards themselves, but for the opportunity for our work to be shown on a National platform and to prompt a recognizable discussion regarding the importance of LGBT youth work across Scotland as a whole; humbling stuff really! 

After submitting an application and presenting our projects to an illustrious panel of judges in Edinburgh, we were finally gearing up for the actual awards themselves. 

Taking place at the suitably swanky Creiff Hydro Hotel in Perthshire, the awards were a black tie formal affair which set my little fashionista heart racing. Formal wear has always been something that has eluded me; aside from my high school prom back in 2009 I have never attended an event that required a "formal" dress code. My concerns were primarily centered around the fact that my usual everyday attire in itself is relatively formal, swing dresses, petticoats and vibrant colours are my wardrobe staples, so what traction was there to vamp up this style into something more "black-tie"? 

After many hours spent traipsing online, panic- purchasing and subsequently returning an ill-fitting discount dress and a few tears of frustration I finally found it- the formal wear dress of my dreams. This dress is none other than the phenomenal Lesley Ann Dress from my old favourites, yep you guessed- pinupgirlclothing.com! 

I have discussed this dress briefly before in my post about the Miss Scottish Pinup Pageant (which you can read by following this link) however I really feel as though this dress requires further discussion -it's really just that good! 

Information about this dress from the pinupgirlclothing website reads as follows: 

"Inspired by the timeless poise and striking beauty of actress Lesley-Ann Brandt, the Lesley-Ann Dress from Laura Byrnes California is the embodiment of grace and classic elegance. Suggestive of the exquisitely-made and highly treasured party dresses of the 1950s but with clean modern lines and refined detailing for today's woman, this dress is a marvel of construction. 

The full charmeuse-lined skirt offers a stretch Meredith satin base in a delicate mauve purple with layer upon layer of pale blue tulle overlaid on top with a satin waistband to accentuate its 50s-inspired silhouette. The top, to put it mildly, is breathtaking. Meticulously cut, pleated, and sewn into a herringbone-shaped design, the tulle overlay across the lined satin bust transitions into a straight-pleated back enhanced by a satin border on the top following the lines of the tulle. Sitting slightly off-shoulder and extending to the back zip to create a drop v-back, the tulle and satin cap sleeves complete this dream of a dress. Thanks to its careful construction and enduring design, this dress will last a lifetime and beyond if cared for properly!" 

Needless to say, this dress is truly exquisite. It may come with a hefty pricetag but I can assure that it is more than worth the investment as it will quite easily become a timeless wardrobe classic for all formal, black tie and let's be totally honest here- party opportunities for years to come! I thought that this dress was absolutely perfect for the COSLA awards- the structure, fabric and design tick all the boxes of my ideal formal gown, but the colours and tulle skirt add a necessary element of whimsy to proceedings and keep it very true to my personal style as a whole. 

Just look at that tulle 

The construction of this dress is second to none- you can really see where every penny of that $260 pricetag has gone into getting the fit, structure and fabric of this dress just right to encompass designer Laura Byrnes' vision of the perfect modern representation of this delightful 1950's party dress. 

Since sharing this dress on social media, many people have asked me about the fit. As usual, I ordered this dress in my regular size of 2x in Pinupgirlclothing - according to their size chart I fit right in the middle of the 2x measurements with my 46" bust, 36" waist and generous hips, and i'd say that this dress really does fit true to size. Because this dress is so well constructed, i'd definitely say that if you are considering ordering, take a good look at the size chart before placing your order, but keep in mind that this dress is fairly big-boob accommodating, so don't let that dissuade you!

After deciding on my gown for the COSLA excellence awards, I needed to glamorize myself appropriately to match, so I opted for a big bouffant with a simple purple flower fascinator.

Props to my amazing hairdresser Nicky of Mark Brown Hairdressing, West Calder for always keeping my updo's on point! 

To continue with the glamorous theme for the evening's proceedings, I opted for a lovely silver clutch which dates all the way back to my aforementioned high school prom and lots of cheap sparkly jewelry, including a beautiful sequince (a little  Rupaul's Drag Race inspired joke there!) wrap that my mother kindly purchased for me on eBay and a co-ordinating purple and blue manicure to match the stunning Lesley Ann dress. Links to purchase all of the above will be feautired at the bottom of this post.

I kept my makeup for the event reasonably simple; a little touch of Urban Decay's Naked Palette on my eyes and a gorgeous purple lipstick (I love co-ordination, can you tell!?) on my lips. I also added a little silver heart necklace that belongs to my mother for some added sparkle.

Unfortunately I didn't manage to get a photo of my whole outfit including accessories, but this is almost as good, right?

Now, with my formal attire finally on point, it was on to the main event- the awards themselves!

We (the staff) arrived at the Creiff Hydro Hotel with a minibus full of young people who are members of both youth groups discussed earlier. Everyone was all kitted out in their finest ensembles and each and every person looked truly magnificent. We met with one of our colleagues from the wonderful voluntary organization LGBT Youth Scotland and proceeded inside, seizing the moment for a quick photo opportunity (naturally) and making the most of our beautiful surroundings. 

As you can see from the above images, the awards themselves were quite the experience! The entire shindig was an incredibly glitzy and fancy affair, with all nominees being treated to an exquisite 3 course meal before the awards themselves began. Hosted by television personality Jackie Bird proceedings were soon underway, with our category being the 3rd announced. 

Our projects were up for nomination alongside Midlothian and Edinburgh City Council under the category "Tackling Inequality and Improving Health" which is fitting given the nature of work that we do. Unfortunately we didn't win the gold in our designated category, this accolade instead going to Edinburgh City Council's awe inspiring "Willow" project which addresses the social, health and welfare needs of women in the criminal justice system and is an incredible piece of work- a truly deserving winner. 

After this, we collectively presumed that our chances of winning at the 2015 COSLA excellence awards was over, however we were surprisingly mistaken. Right at the end of the evening it was announced that there would be three additional awards given to projects that had demonstrated excellence in their field - the Solace Awards for best team, the Scottish Government Award for Local Matters and lastly, the COSLA Chairperson's Award. 

The Chairperson's Award was the last to be announced and to the absolute shock of everyone at our table- we won!!

The West Lothian LGBT Youth Forum and Glitter Cannons alongside the Chairperson of COSLA and television host Jackie Bird. 

This wonderful accolade took us entirely by surprise- none of us were expecting to win in our category, let alone a surprise award we knew nothing about! The Chairperson of COSLA made an impassioned speech about the work that the West Lothian LGBT Youth Forum and Glitter Cannons project does and why it is so important not only to the LGBT youth community, but to everyone, because tackling inequality is something that we should all be striving to achieve. One of our young members then made a further (incredibly moving) speech that had me crying with pride, discussing how important LGBT youth work is and what impact it had made to her life. I guarantee that there wasn't a dry eye in the house! 

Overall, the COSLA Excellence Awards were such a wonderful experience, and I'm so happy that I was able to be a part of it. This award has made our desire to achieve positive change for LGBT youths even stronger and has given us the drive and determination to ensure that the needs of this marginalized community are met in full. I absolutely love what I do and to for these projects to receive national recognition of this type on a public platform is awe-inspiring and truly speaks volumes. 

Outfit details

Dress: Pinupgirlclothing.com

Sequin stole: eBay 

Hair Flower: eBay

Ring: Primark 

Clutch: Kudos

Shoes: Schuh 

I hope you've enjoyed reading this latest post. 

Until next time my darlings- with lots of love, 

Lovelustloves x0

The Scottish Tattoo Convention & Miss Scottish Pinup Pageant

Hello loves!

I hope this little blog post finds everyone well; life has been absolutely crazy as of late with lots going on so I apologize for the lack of frequent updates! I do however have lots of exciting news to share with you all. 

As some of you may know, last weekend (28th and 29th of March) was the date of the infamous Scottish Tattoo Convention, held at Edinburgh's Corn Exchange. Now in it's 5th year, the Scottish Tattoo Convention is quickly becoming one of the UK's leading tattoo events, standing proudly with the likes of the London Tattoo Convention, Brighton Tattoo Convention and the Tattoo Tea Party. The Scottish Tattoo convention hosts all of the usual fare to be expected at an event of this type: burlesque performers, world renowned tattoo artists and piercers, vendors selling their Sailor Jerry print wares and a fabulous host in the form of Pedro- a hilarious American compere with a love for all things tattoo and dance related! As of 2014 however, the Scottish Tattoo Convention is also host to a particularly special event- the Miss Scottish Pinup Pageant. 

The Miss Scottish Pinup Pageant is the brainchild of the beautiful Rachel Renegade, star of "Pretty things Peepshow" and fearless knife throwers assistant extraordinaire (Rachel can be found on instagram @Rachelisarenegade). First launched in 2014 when the beautiful Miss Edith was crowned as "Miss Scottish Pinup" the pageant has grown in leaps and bounds since, culminating in the 2nd official Miss Scottish Pinup pageant last weekend. It may be slightly transparent by now, but I decided on a bit of a last minute whim to enter this wonderful competition and this post will detail my experience. 

All of the finalists with the lovely Rachel before the summer wear round

The pageant consisted of two separate rounds: summer wear and evening wear with an informal interview portion, followed by the announcing of the winners at the end of the day. Now, I think it's important to mention why I decided to do something like this. For those who know me from my old days on Tumblr or via Instagram you'll know that I'm a huge advocate for body positivity  and self-love. I realize that some may view a pageant as something that goes against this stance, but I am a firm believer that beauty comes in all shapes, forms and sizes and I thought this would be a brilliant opportunity to bring this viewpoint to the masses and showcase the diversity that we Scottish women encompass. Truthfully, I've recently been feeling a little less-than-confident about myself and my appearance, so taking part in this pageant seemed like the boost and shock to my system that I was desperately needing. Looking at my beautiful fellow finalists it is abundantly clear that we are all beautiful and all beautifully different- each and every one of us stunning in our own way. The Miss Scottish Pinup Pageant was a truly fantastic experience and although strutting around a stage in a swimming costume sounds quite petrifying- I found it to be an oddly invigorating experience that I ended up loving! 

Waiting to go onstage with my lovely fellow finalists 

On to the day itself! Fighting nerves and unease, I made my way to the Edinburgh Corn Exchange with several friends, my mum and a giant leopard print suitcase in tow. I made my way backstage to unpack my goods and meet my fellow finalists; expecting a room full of icy stares and a cold reception I was pleasantly surprised to find that all of the girls were friendly and welcoming - our backstage dressing area was a vibrant buzz of hot rollers, makeup and lots of beautiful clothes (the dress envy I was suffering was unlike anything i'd ever experienced before!) We all introduced ourselves to one another and ooh-ed and aah-ed over everyone's wardrobe choices before a brief pep-talk from Rachel and began preparing for our first round- summer wear. 

For the summer wear round I wanted to be vibrant and colourful, whilst showcasing my personal style and modern twist on the classic pinup style. I opted to wear the beautiful Marilyn swimsuit by Pinupgirlclothing in a stunning emerald green and I felt incredibly comfortable and happy with this choice. I ordered this swimsuit specifically for the pageant but i'll definitely be getting good use out of it for years to come! The gathered and skirted style is fantastic and incredibly flattering, not to mention the detachable jewel clips - any piece of clothing that comes with it's own jewellery is a huge plus in my opinion! The fit of this piece is fairly generous, and being available in sizes from xs up to a 4x it's a great option for any plus-size or straight-size babes looking for a vintage one-piece this summer. My only gripe with this was the straps; I'd prefer thicker and more robust straps to better support my bosom, but that's by the by. 

I paired the Marilyn swimsuit with a vintage sequin kimono that I picked up in Brighton back in December at a Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair. It's a wonderful 80's number with padded shoulders, and with all honestly, these photos do not do this piece justice at all. The craftsmanship and bead/sequin work that has gone into this kimono honestly take my breath away. What also took my breath away was the £25 price tag- proving that pinup style on a budget is totally achievable with a little raking through rails and bargain hunting! 

I polished off this summer wear look with a cheap purple hair flower from eBay (find similar here), stunning purple floral and lucite-look shoes from one of my favourite brands Irregular choice (find similar here), plus-size nude fishnet dance tights and the highest hair imaginable. 

Next up was the evening wear round. For this I opted to wear my new favourite dress of all time: the Lesley-Ann dress, again from Pinupgirlclothing. This is a dress that I've been lusting after for the longest time- ever since the first photos emerged on Instagram of Doris Mayday rocking this tulle and satin explosion I was living for it. This dress does come with a hefty pricetag at $260 but it is so worth it- this dress is heavy with layers upon layers of beautiful fabric and the little details are to put it simply, exquisite. The tulle is delicate but the waistband and construction on the top are made to last -this is definitely a dress to invite comment (all positive, may I add!) and will have everyone lusting over it instantly. I purchased my usual size of Pinupgirlclothing dress (2x) and it fit like a glove. For maximum volume on the swing skirt I added two full-length petticoats from Oh My Honey which are amongst the fullest and softest petticoats I've ever encountered - one in pale pink and one in purple that I hand-dyed to match the colours on the Lesley-Ann dress. 

I wanted to add an element of whimsy to this particular style, so added a flower crown with lots of pink and lilac tones to my big bouffant. This crown was picked up in Primark for the grand total of £4 so if you're a fan I recommend getting out and scooping one up. What with festival season and the warmer weather fast approaching this is another piece that'll be making it into my regular wardrobe rotation.

I kept my accessories simple for this round; a plain pearl necklace and some little blue stone drop earrings added some necessary glitz. The main attraction however came in the form of my shoes- i'm afraid there aren't many photos where you can see them clearly but they are a silver sparkly extravaganza from Red or Dead. If you'd like to buy your own pair, check out this link. 

With my fellow beautiful finalist, Kelly-Marie of LadyandtheVampVintage

After the finalists had all finished strutting our stuff out on the main stage it was time for the interview rounds. We each had to answer three questions out of a possible four: "Who is your biggest pinup style icon and why?" "If you had three wishes what would they be?" "Describe your ideal date?" and finally "What is your favourite feature about yourself?" I went for the former three options and used this as a chance to showcase issues that I care strongly about - promoting LGBT inclusion in schools, women being in power, making connections with as many people as possible and Cher Horowitz's wardrobe computer from Clueless, naturally. 

Once the evening wear round was finished, we finalists were free to wander around the convention until it was time to announce the winners. For this, I decided to change into a separate outfit; the Sweetheart Print Grace dress from Vivien of Holloway. 

The Grace dress is another of my firm wardrobe favourites- When I find a dress that I love I usually have an overwhelming urge to buy it in every colourway imaginable, and I have the Grace in Black Lace print, Pink Floral print and the above Sweetheart print which is testament to my feelings! This dress features a gorgeous high-v neckline with a lower v-style back, a huge billowing circle skirt and tiny nipped in waist, perfect for dancing or prancing around on stage as you can see from the above photograph! I coupled this with a pair of simple red shoes from BHS, nude stockings from What Katie Did and a red rose flower crown from Topshop. 

The crowning was the pinnacle of the Miss Scottish Pinup finals, and there were four awards to be given out: 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place and "People's Choice" whereby the audience of the Scottish Tattoo  Convention vote for their winner. The judges on the panel included the incomparable Georgina Horne of FullerFigureFullerBust, timeless beauty Tina Warren of burlesque collective Club Noir and 2014's Miss Scottish Pinup Miss Edith. After much deliberation we were called on to the main stage for the winners to be announced......

I was absolutely flabbergasted to be awarded the "People's Choice" title! I was in absolute shock and so honoured by this accolade- It took me completely by surprise! Taking part in the Miss Scottish Pinup finals was such a wonderful opportunity and I'm so happy to have been given the chance to share the stage with so many fabulous women. My fears and apprehensions about taking part in the pageant were completely unfounded and by pushing myself to do something out of my comfort zone and a little scary, I had a brilliant time and now have a brilliant memento of the day in the form of this beautiful sash! 

A huge congratulations also belongs to my fellow three winners; Miss Katt, Miss Fifi le Fox and the new 2015 Miss Scottish Pinup Miss Kelly-Marie (whose wonderful blog I've linked to above). Meeting all of these wonderful women was such a privilege and definitely is experience that i'll be treasuring for an age to come. 

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my recent adventures, and I promise not to go so long before another post!!

Until next time darlings, 

Lovelustloves x0