Lynne McCrossan: Form orderly queue to enjoy bus stop style

THE words “bus stop” are not synonymous with glamour. Standing in a queue with a bunch of people, avoiding eye contact, while awaiting the 22 is not the most stylish thing to do.

But there are a handful of people out there who do indeed associate “bus stop” with fashion.

Those people are vintage enthusiasts – and women who were young ladies in the 1970s.

Bus Stop was a diffusion fashion line found in department stores across the country. Its home in Edinburgh was a long-gone department store on Princes Street.

I know this because, a couple of years ago, I was privileged enough to hold a few pieces of the range in my hand.

I was in the sacred stock room of Herman Brown, in West Port, where the store owner pulled out her private collection.

It was a mixture of Biba, H&M and Clockhouse rolled into one. But, unlike said brands, Bus Stop’s stock is now hard to find as it wasn’t mass produced, making it the Holy Grail of vintage.

I was hooked instantly, researching the brand and its designer, Lee Bender, for my book, A Girl’s Guide to Vintage. I even spoke to Lee at length while researching.

Two years later, Lee tracked me down on Facebook and I discovered she has written her own book on Bus Stop, full of fabulous pictures and illustrations of her designs. It is a vintage girl’s dream.

Fashion Insider

Budding fashion designers, listen up. The maker of Brat Camp, Twenty Twenty, is creating a new TV show to discover the next big thing in fashion. It will be holding auditions in Glasgow at the end of January. If you want to take part, head to the website www.twentytwenty.tv or contact [email protected]

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