Meet Jade Robertson, the Perthshire-based designer behind Taylor Swift's viral dress

Almost a decade ago, Jade Robertson and her now-husband, then-boyfriend, Stuart, took a leap of faith and launched the online boutique Little Lies from their spare bedroom, hoping to find a new way of working that would afford them both the flexibility and freedom to be more creative.

Fast forward to today, and the couple have far surpassed their original goals, having grown their fledgling business into a popular independent fashion label that, last year, turned over more than £2million in s...

Scottish fitness expert, Amy Hill, shares her secrets to smashing those January fitness goals - Quine Magazine | Scotland's Girl Guide

After spending the festive season in perpetual party mode, eating chocolate for breakfast and sipping on more than our fair share of fizz, the first few weeks of January are usually filled with gym sessions and healthy eating.

In fact, according to new research from Forbes Advisor, 40% of us start the new year committing to exercising more, making refreshed fitness routines by far the most popular New Year’s resolution. Yet, come March, how many of us will be hitting snooze on that 6am alarm or

What's on in Scotland: 10 Unique Things to do this Summer

From open air swimming pools to world-class speakeasy bars, Scotland is filled with unique, unusual and unforgettable things to see and do. Not sure where to start? Here at Quine, we have you covered with our round-up from the coolest places to visit, snap pics and make memories this summer.

Housed within Edinburgh’s Jupiter Artland, and created by Portugese artist Joana Vasconcelos for the contemporary sculpture park’s tenth anniversary, Gateway is a swimming pool like no other. Decorated with

The Interview: Scotland's Closet Cleansers

Best friends and business partners, Kirsty Irvine and Carolyn Knox are the brains behind ElevenTwentySix, the Glasgow-based personal shopping service used by the city’s most stylish residents. Not only do the pair help clients shop for special occasions and style the latest trends, but since launching their business in 2020, they have also become expert “Closet Cleansers”, purging wardrobes of unworn and unloved items to make space for dresses, skirts, trousers and tops that help build confidenc

Under the bonnet: Expert explains enduring appeal of Regency dramas like Bridgerton

Balls and bonnets, gowns and gentlemen suitors, we have been awash with TV series, films, books and podcasts all inspired by the Regency era. And our obsession with 1800s high society shows no sign of abating.
From the recent success of Netflix’s Bridgerton, which became the streaming platform’s most-watched English-language show in the first week of its release in late-2020, to the many adaptations of Jane Austen’s work, including the classic 1990s version of Pride And Prejudice with Colin Firt...

Why is South Korea's population so healthy? Forest baths, all-day spas and cooking with colours

With an average life expectancy of 83.3 years according to World Health Organisation data, the population of South Korea is one of the healthiest in the world. In fact, South Korea’s is the third most long-lived population behind only Japan and Switzerland.
Having grown up in America surrounded by her Korean mother’s culture, Isa Kujawski has seen first-hand how a focus on health and wellness can improve everyday life. In her new guide, The Book Of Korean Self-Care, she outlines how the five cor...

Interiors: The must have design trends for 2023, from sustainability to block colour

As we say goodbye to 2022, many homeowners will be looking more critically at any peeling wallpaper, patchy paintwork and old-fashioned interiors – after all, isn’t the January refresh all about “out with the old, in with the new”?
Whether you are planning big renovation work or just a few updates to your living space, there are lots of new and emerging interior design trends to provide inspiration, from paint colours and lighting fixtures to furniture and wallcoverings.
Here, trend specialists...

Scotland in the shade: Designers on how country’s colour chart sets the tone around the world

The annual release of the new Pantone Colour of the Year – Viva Magenta in 2023, incidentally – may set the tone for trends to come, but Cameron Prentice and Alex Longson find inspiration much closer to home.
Using photos taken around Scotland, including mountains and coastlines, forests and city streets, three years ago, the university friends started a project to meticulously study and sample the shades, creating unique and unusual colour palettes inspired by nature.
“We were on a trip through...

Health and wellbeing: Stressed? Feel the power of ­putting pen to paper and journaling

As the temperature turns icy cold and the days become shorter, it’s common to experience low mood.
There’s lots of scientific evidence to support the notion that the arrival of winter can affect how we feel, with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), more commonly known as the “winter blues”, estimated to impact millions of people every year.
Getting more sunlight – sitting by a window or investing in a SAD lamp are good options – eating well and keeping active are all recommended by the NHS for ba...

The daily bind: Artist Rachel Hazell makes it easy to get lost in a good book

The written word has long been hailed for its life-changing powers but, according to artist Rachel Hazell, not enough attention is paid to the paper and bindings that bring prose, stories and poems to life.
Having spent the best part of two decades working as a creative bookbinder, Hazell believes the process of crafting books – whether from classic paper or more unusual materials such as old love letters or driftwood – can open up and even heal the mind just as much, or more, as the words and s...

Experts on why more young Scots are going alcohol free

More young Scots are calling time on drinking as social media changes attitudes towards alcohol, according to experts.

Since 2005, the overall amount of alcohol consumed in the UK and the proportion of people drinking have both fallen, and the trend is especially pronounced among the so-called Generation Z as more than a quarter of 16 to 24-year-olds are now thought to be teetotal.

Millie Gooch, founder of the popular community Sober Girl Society, says the “sober curious” movement is thriving

How to build a better world: Philosopher outlines long-term view for the planet in his new book

Finding himself having dinner with Nicola Sturgeon and asked to pitch one policy that would make a difference, William MacAskill told the first minister to prepare for a pandemic.

It was 2017 and the other guests smiled before quickly steering the conversation onto more pressing priorities for the first minister.

Five years on, more than two of them blighted by Covid, it is no surprise that MacAskill’s thoughts are provoking far more than polite disinterest today.

The philosopher, whose ideas

Blurb writer on why little words on the cover mean so much when it comes to choosing a good book

It’s often said we can’t – or shouldn’t – judge a book by its cover. Yet every time we pick up a paperback from bookshop and library shelves, the first words we read are designed to help us do just that.

Far more persuasive than the title or cover art alone, jacket copy or “blurbs” give just enough information to leave readers wanting more, expertly outlining the content between the first page and last, without ever giving way the ending.

In our lifetime, we will read more of these carefully-w

Bookshops, the sequel: High Street stores defy predictions of doom to survive and then thrive

A gateway from our high streets to new worlds, beloved local bookshops have transported the imaginations of generations of readers and, despite the crushing competition from online giants, the number of real shops with real books on real shelves continues to climb.

After more than two decades of decline, the number of independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland has grown for the fifth year in a row, with more than 160 new businesses opened since 2016. There are now more than 1,000 independent a

What’s the Wordle? Puzzle guru on the timeless joy of a tricky brain teaser

Filling social media timelines with little grey, green and yellow squares, Wordle has fast become one of the internet’s favourite shared obsessions, with millions of players attempting to guess each day’s five-letter word in six attempts or less.

When launched last November, the deceptively simple online puzzle, created by software engineer Josh Wardle, had just 90 users. Fast-forward and today 10 million people are playing every day and The New York Times bought the game for an undisclosed sev

The birdman of Edinburgh: How Scottish visit helped fine feather artist create world’s most famous (and coveted) book of ornithology

Monumental in size, overarching in ambition, and unsurpassed in influence, John James Audubon’s seminal The Birds Of America has become one of the world’s most revered books.

Creating a pioneering record of nearly 490 species, the four-volumes feature detailed hand-coloured illustrations, and was the first of its kind to document birds in life-size natural poses. Rare first editions will sell for $10 million at auction.

However, while the book by Audubon, regarded as one of the greatest ever w

The £12bn Woo Woo revolution: Scientist says wellness therapies are sweeping the world because they work

From meditation and Reiki to crystal healing and breathwork, the booming popularity of alternative therapies has seen the value of the wellness industry swell to an estimated £12.4 billion in the UK alone as we rush to adopt what were once derided as “woo woo” treatments.

According to recent research from Barclays, Covid has rapidly increased the demand for wellness treatments and therapies and the market has the potential to grow even larger, as eight out of 10 people now rank health and wellb

Pop It: Experts predict one of the most sought-after gifts this Christmas will be a sheet of silicone rubber that imitates bubble wrap

It has become one of the cliches of Christmas as expensive toys, gadgets and games lie ignored beneath the tree while those infuriating children play happily with the empty box and packaging.

This year, however, it will be more true than ever as experts predict one of the most sought-after gifts will be a sheet of silicone rubber that imitates bubble wrap.

Available in a range of shapes and sizes, from squares and circles to unicorns and butterflies, the Pop It is covered in uniform brightly-c

Literature lover behind Rare Birds Book Club on why women need a shop of their own

A voracious reader since childhood, when Rachel Wood came to studying for a masters degree in creative writing she hoped her passion for literature would guide her way.

She would be surprised, however, when her special enthusiasm for female authors was not reflected in the recommended reading.

“Throughout university I noticed the reading lists were always dominated by male authors,” explained the 33-year-old, who graduated from the University of Edinburgh. “The lens you would see the whole wor

Astrologer to the stars Debbie Frank reveals why the uncertainty of our world has encouraged more of us to search for answers in the heavens

If the past 12 months have taught us anything, it is that uncertainty is the only certainty, the only prediction is upredictability.

However, living through one of the most turbulent years in history has encouraged a growing number of people to turn to the stars to make sense of our upside-down world with astrologers reporting a boom in business.

The ancient practice, which last experienced such a renaissance during the 1970s, has seen a surge in popularity over the past year, particularly amo

Our hidden shelves: How bookcases can reveal far more than we think

It’s often said you should never judge a book by its cover – but, according to author Tom Moles, people are most certainly judging you by the books you read.

And who doesn’t enjoy a peek at someone else’s bookcase or a nosy at a stranger’s novel on the morning commute?

In his book about books – The Secret Life of Books – the Edinburgh University professor explores our passion for the printed word, discovering how works of fact and fiction have first got onto our shelves and then into our heart

Now we’re ready to rumble: How women wrestlers discovered the ring of confidence

FOR decades wrestling has been dominated by the hulking statures of John Cena, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Hulk Hogan.

Now there’s a new talent on the block – and “The Man” is part of a modern generation that’s leading the way for women to take centre stage.

In recent years, women’s wrestling has grown in popularity, drawing bigger crowds, more sponsorship and increased parity with the men’s circuit.

At the forefront of this revolution is 32-year-old Becky Lynch – also known as “The