Lynne McCrossan: Dog-loving designer takes a walkie on the wild side

Published on Monday 8 February 2010 10:16

OUR city is famed for having two faces. By day, its beauty pleases the masses; by night, a sinister shift can be felt settling into the streets.

This dark side has inspired classics such as The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, paving the way for modern storytellers to relay the creepier side of the city.

Authors Quintin Jardine and Irvine Welsh hammer home some murky truths about our beloved Auld Reekie and JK Rowling was so inspired gazing out of the window at The Elephant House that boy wizard Harry Potter was born.

There is one more "Burgher" in our midst who possesses a little bit of the dual existence much like Dr Jekyll and Potter before her.

Dog walker by day, designer by night, Nicola Evans produces some of the most flamboyant corsets that have ever been boned from the comfort of her flat in Haymarket.

Donning wellies for her day job, she picks up her pack and heads for the park. There, the dogs are let loose along with her imagination, allowing the afternoon stroll to give her inspiration for the evening ahead.

Once each pooch has been reunited with its owner, this raven-haired seamstress slips off into the darkness and behind her sewing machine. Just the way Elvira Beaumont would have wanted it – better known as gran to Nikki.

It was Elvira who taught a young Ms Evans everything she knows about a needle and thread and, in honour of her teacher, Nikki's clothing line is named after her.

Growing up it was instilled in her to "make it" rather than "buy it". And make it she does.

Everything from evening gowns and conservative corsets can be found at the House of Beaumont, but her speciality is something I've dubbed SciFi Chic.

Liquid latex is manipulated over material giving some outfits a touch of the Star Treks, while old computer circuit boards are recycled and soldered with LED lights to create SciFi chic at its craziest.

So if you fancy getting your Ana Matronic on, take a peek at elvirabeaumont.com or, better still, take a leaf out of Lady Beaumont's book and make it yourself.

CAPITAL CATWALK

Martin Pierson, 28,snowboarding instructor from Dalry.

I didn't expect to find such a funkily dressed lad in my local Scotmid but I'm glad I bumped into Mr Pierson in the cheese aisle.

I clocked his headphones and loved them, they are from Wesc for extreme weather.

The body-warmer is H&M, jeans Topman and his Afghan scarf is ex-army from his mate who used to be in the forces.