Go boldly into spring with standout prints

Bold colours and sensational prints have always been the signature look at Bruntsfield boutique C’est Si Bon, where the latest spring/summer collection is already turning heads.

C'est Si Bon, Bruntsfield, Edinburgh

“Women come in here because they want to look different, they don’t want to have what everyone else is wearing,” says owner Sarah Gilchrist, who named the shop after her father’s favourite Eartha Kitt song.

She admits that first-time customers can find her display a little overwhelming, until she begins to pick out individual items and shows them how they work together. She often asks her customers to humour her and try things they might not normally choose for themselves.

A qualified hairdresser and beautician, with a background in sales, Sarah took over the shop as Variations more than 10 years ago and rebranded it as C’est Si Bon in 2010.

She describes her collections as classically chic and slightly quirky; not quite the definition of “everyday clothes”, but still very easy to wear.

“I had always shopped for friends and chosen things for them. I just love clothes and the look people get when they try something on and know they look good in it, especially when it’s something different,” she adds.

Where her regulars are concerned, she is more than happy to crack open a bottle or put the kettle on while they mull over their latest look. “I have a wonderful clientele and we will often enjoy a glass of fizz or a cup of tea. It’s very sociable and I love that side of it,” she says.

One of Sarah’s favourite designers is Joseph Ribkoff, whose dresses range from around £220 to £280. “They are obviously not cheap, but I have women who have shopped here for the past eight or nine years, who can still wear the same clothes and still look great.”

C’est Si Bon, 178 Bruntsfield Place, 0131 229 8482