An angel in St Stephen Street

Written by Helen Fowler

Elaine's Vintage Clothing is the place to cherish your inner eccentric. Based half way along St Stephen's Street, the shop is located in the heart of Edinburgh's bohemian district of Stockbridge.

Elaine's sums up much of what this street is about: authentic bo-ho chic. Racks of vintage clothing from 1900 to the 1970s create a sense of magic, of faded glamour.

The shop forms an homage to the unusual. Garments include second-hand ball gowns, capes, dinner jackets, evening tails, feather boas, harris tweeds, jodphurs, kilts, morning coats, silk blouses and waistcoats. It's not about smart-casual, day into evening wear. More about recreating the allure of a bygone era.

Last week I purchased a 1950s smock (£10) at Elaine's for my youngest daughter. Made of blue cotton, it's embroidered with seaside motifs. It's hard to explain how much pleasure it's already brought us.

Eldest daughter fell in love with a handmade blue silk dress (£35). Elaine told us it belonged to a Duchess of Sutherland in the 1950s. How could we not buy it after that? We debated whether dress would stand up to machine washing. Then took the chance.It held up fine. Dresses don't last fifty years without being tough.

Daughter loves the dress so much she refuses to wear either coat or cardigan over it. That's saying something, in an Edinburgh March.

Despite these finds, Elaine's Vintage Clothing sells mostly clothes for adults. With the odd item for children. But as my experience show, it's worth a look if you're shopping for kids. If only because there comes a time in every parent's life when they may start to tire of Baby Gap and Boden.

If you want to sum up the shop's ethos, look at its promotional material. On the fliers is a delicate pen-and-ink drawing of a sweet-faced angel in swathes of fabric. An angel wearing Doc Marten boots.

St Stephen's Street is a treasure trove of the unusual and quirky. It was another long-standing St Stephen Street shopkeeper who gave her name to the Anne Fine book Madame Doubtfire. In turn, that novel led to the Robin Williams movie of the same name.

I don't know whether something this magical can survive the 21st century. I very much hope it can. But I'd recommend you come along soon to see St Stephen's Street while it continues in its present form. It's like the pages of Harry Potter come to life.

Elaine's Vintage Clothing, 55 St Stephen Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh. Open Tues to Sat from 1-6pm.