SHARP SHOOTERS
A dream shooting makeover for two very lucky ladies
When Mhairi Morriss and Fiona McPherson from ladies shooting club Glad Rags & Cartridge Bags travelled from Aberdeenshire to Edinburgh for a luxury shooting makeover with Scottish Field, they had no idea what to expect.
The ladies posed on Princes Street in their ‘before’ regular shooting gear – Mhairi in her Glad Rags & Cartridge Bags hoodie and cap, jeans, Laksen jacket and boots and Fiona in her flat cap, black t-shirt, jeans, jacket and Dubarry boots.
‘Regardless of the name Glad Rags & Cartridge Bags, you don’t really need to wear your glad rags for shooting,’ says Mhairi, who admits she didn’t know what she wanted to achieve from the makeover, having never done anything like this before. ‘To be honest I was just intrigued to see how I turned out after all their hard work.’
For Fiona, the makeover was a chance to try out different things and add some glamour and fashion to her normal shooting wardrobe. ‘Shooting clothes are normally brown and green,’ she says. ‘Our Glad Rags days are girls’ days out so we’re normally quite smart but it’s nice to try things I wouldn’t normally pick myself and get ideas for pulling different outfits together.’
We arrived at Holland Cooper for the first leg of the personal shopper experience with Laura Russell from Satisfashion. ‘I was looking to achieve wearable field looks whilst adding a touch of glam and fashion to them,’ she said.
When we entered the beautiful store on Multrees Walk, the ladies were like children in a sweet shop. Laura, who had already been liaising with the ladies regarding their body shapes, sizes and lifestyles, had pre-selected some items for Fiona and Mhairi to try on and also helped them to add their own chosen pieces. ‘I ask a lot of questions to my clients before I go shopping for
them and then I select clothing based on their answers and with my experience of dressing so many women over the years,’ she said.
Fiona is used to wearing dark, muted tones for a shoot, and was excited about trying on the Knightsbridge Blazer in red barathea (£399), which added a dramatic wash of colour to her outfit. ‘Red is actually my favourite colour and I loved the Holland Cooper jacket which could be worn with lots of different things,’ said Fiona. ‘It’s a really versatile piece that could be dressed up or down.’
One of Mhairi’s favourite items in Holland Cooper was the Gold Label Fur Cape in tawny (£999) which is made from 100% wool, and the Balmoral shooting coat (£649) designed in Leveret Tweed. ‘Having someone else suggest clothes is really interesting, as was trying on items I would normally not have given a second glance,’ said Mhairi. ‘I was also relieved to be dressed in clothes I would have chosen myself and that felt like me.’
For Fiona, having Laura add finishing touches was a big help. ‘It was great to have Laura giving her expertise and making sure we were comfortable while encouraging us to try different things and showing us how to accessorise, for example with a hat or wrap.’
The ladies enjoyed carrying their bags of Holland Cooper items along Multrees Walk, and Mhairi describes this as one of her highlights of the day. ‘I felt a million dollars walking down the street outside Holland Cooper – it was like being Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman!’
Our next stop was Walker Slater on Victoria Street where the ladies tried on a number of tweed items, knitwear and classic styles. While Mhairi opted for Laura Shorts in grey (£74), Fiona was delighted to find her perfect pair of Plus 2s in herringbone lambswool Tweed (£125).
‘I’ve been looking for a pair of Plus 2s for ages and I could never find a pair that fitted properly or were feminine so I was absolutely delighted with the Walker Slater ones,’ she said
Once Laura had selected the final Walker Slater look for the ladies, we headed off to Medusa salon on the Grassmarket where Ingrid Peregrina did
‘I felt a million dollars walking down the street oustide Holland Cooper - it was like being Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman!’
‘The more relaxed and happy you are the better you’ll shoot’
their makeup, giving them a glamorous daytime look with Mac Cosmetics ‘studio Fix Fluid’ liquid foundation, neutral beige and brown eyeshadows, subtle contouring, false lashes and a soft pink lip.
Laura Curran was in charge of the hair transformation and gave both ladies a soft tousled style, perfect for a day out in the windswept countryside. ‘Ingrid gave us great tips and tricks, such as how to contour. I’d never worn false lashes before and couldn’t believe the difference they made,’ said Fiona. Mhairi adds: ‘Having never had my make-up done professionally, I was surprised how very relaxing it was. To be transformed from frazzled working mum to feeling so glam and invincible was amazing.’
Once the ladies were looking picture perfect, we headed out to the wilderness of Blackford Hill in Edinburgh to show off their final looks – one each from Walker Slater and Holland Cooper. ‘The girls tried on loads of lovely pieces from both shops and it was great to find their finished looks,’ said Laura. ‘I loved that we added pops of colour.’
Both ladies had a fantastic day out and say that their luxury makeover has inspired them to reconsider their shooting wardrobes. ‘Without a doubt when you know you look the best you can, the more confident you feel,’ said Mhairi.
‘The more relaxed and happy you are, the better you will shoot. Maybe in the future you’ll find a little more than mascara in my make-up bag!’ Fiona adds: ‘The whole day was fantastic. I’ve never done anything like this before – it was absolutely fabulous and just so much fun.’