Godiva

I love the idea of this shop… creative designers mixed with vintage items in the back. Its very nicely laid out. I’ve seen many items I have deeply craved in here but i’m sorry… far too expensive for me! The trouble is with handmade items sometimes the quality can be iffy, meaning you will have spend a considerable amount of money on an item that will become un-​stitched/​stretched etc after a few washes! I went in once seeing a jumper in the window I loved, fully expecting it to be well out of my range… it was £30! I ADORE this item & has lasted to this day! It is made by a small unique clothing company, so goes to show that not all handmade items have to cost a bomb. I would love it if they would start stocking a few lower priced items too so everyone could enjoy this shop.
The service has been wonderful for me… the owner told me all about the designers & clearly knows her stuff. Defiantly worth a look in if you are in Edinburgh, although you might not come out with anything unless you have a lot of ££ in your purse!

I’m afraid I have to disagree with everyone’s reviews on this one. My one (and only) experience at Godiva was terrible.
I am glad to know that there is a shop that supports young local designers, but my complaint is more about the service and the arrogant owner rather than the products.
This has been the worst exprience that I ever had shop in Edinburgh. I only bought something once about a year ago and have never been back. It turned out that I bought a dress on the sales for about £15 but when I tried it again at home I just thought the style didn’t suit me at all so I went the next day to return it.
What was my surprise when the VERY rude and pedantic owner told me that the dress could not be returned because it is a ‘vintage’ shop and that ‘vintage’ shops don’t do that. Even though she remembered that I bought it just the previous day, and had the receipt with me and the tags on the dress, she refused to give me a refund.
What a bunch of nonsense! even charities accept returns as long as you have your receipt (which I did!). The woman probably thinks she is the coolest of the cool in trend and fashion, and in a very rude way she told me that she was not going to give me my money back in such a an unpolite way as if I was trying to rip her off! AND that as a ‘favour’ this time she would let me exchange the dress for something else. Everything in the shop is ridiculously over priced so the only think I could get was a plastic broche!
The fact that I couldn’t exchange the dress was not the main deal as it was only 15 quid but as I said, it was her pathetic and superior attitude that hit me to the nerve. I have never stepped foot again in that shop and never will.
There are many other nicer, cheaper and much more customer friendly wee vintage shops in Edinburgh such as Miss Dixie Belle, and Bohemia where the staff is friendly and lovely. There is also Lady Jo Jo’s just next door to Godiva that actually has gorgeous clothes at very reasonable prices and where the staff are really friendly as well.
What a bad experience I had! Godiva, definitely NOT for me.

Godiva has got to be one of the coolest vintage stores I’ve ever been in.
Much like my favourites from Glasgow, it’s a vintage store with a DIY punk spirit. Rather than price up hand-​me-​downs or pride themselves on mint condition knee length skirts from the 50s, Godiva does all of the above with an attractive twist. This shop is full of the most unusual reworked clothing I’ve ever seen. Somehow, they have not only managed to locate old Turtle bedsheets from the 90s, but they have stitched them up and turned them into skirts. Believe it or not, it works.
The clever designers in here seem to hand pick two old, worn items that clash so badly they set your teeth on edge but make them look AWESOME! I am not a notable fan of 70s football tops but when they are cut and threaded up into rara skirts, I start to find them more attractive.
They have some more modern hoodies and tees towards the front of the shop, some jewellery, and an equal supply of both ladies’ and men’s vintage towards the rear. But it’s the funky reworkings of everything you’d never imagined that get me coming back every time. 100% original and best (I know that is the Irn Bru’s slogan but I’m borrowing it for the time being) — if you want really inspired Urban Renewal, do yourself a favour and ditch the blander palate of Urban Outfitters in favour of Godiva.

With great sadness, I must admit that I don’t have an eye for vintage. I would love to be able to walk into a charity shop and grab the salvageable stuff to pin and stitch into a funky retro outfit. Sadly, I would end up looking more like a scarecrow than chic.
I was drawn to Godiva because it looks pretty unique. A retro Vintage shop, with the mission statement of striking ‘against the monotony of fast food fashion’. I really like the idea of this. Instead of dressing in mass produced fashions from Topshop, try coming to a place like Godiva and mixing up your own style.
The shop has that distinctive vintage smell, which I love, and is quite small but very cute and interesting. They even had an old coffee maker from the 80’s! The suitcases full of vintage silk scarfs, all for £5, really caught my attention, and I had a good rummage through them. The clothing is a great big mish mash of style and era, and there is something for all the family, kids included!
A gorgeously unique wee shop, with friendly staff. They also do a made to measure service which allows you to alter any clothes you might buy. Maybe they’ll offer a personal shopping service soon too, and help me be the retro girl that’s bursting out inside of me!

I was enticed into GoDiva because of the really unique clothes in the window. Everything was so different and eye-​catching, I had to go in.
Its location isn’t the best, it’s just off the grassmarket in an area that people generally wouldn’t wander to, but I quite like that. The clothes and accessories are all made by Edinburgh College of Art students/​graduates and every single piece is different. I absolutely love the summer dress I bought here and am always being asked where I got it from. When I first bought it, I felt the neckline plunged a bit low for my liking, but within an hour I had a brand new fabric sewn on and it was perfect. The great thing about this shop is if you want anything altered/​changed/​a specific colour, you can get it done!
All in all, it’s a really trendy shop and really edgy. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It is a bit expensive though, that summer dress cost me £120! But I get a lot out of it, and I get the impression that all the clothes in GoDiva would be worth the splurge.

My boyfriend has very strong opinions on «vintage» and winds up Fleur, the owner, about this on an unfairly regular basis so I don’t want to pick sides. But what I can say is that she has a great eye so digging out the most versatile classics and also it’s done a mountain for fashion graduates as ECA.
It is a bit expensive for my taste, but I’m a cheap skate and I know a lot of people who have been more than thrilled with the bespoke dresses and kitsch handmade accessories.

Can’t say I totally agree with other reviewers — yes, Godiva make some awesome pieces, but with some of them you can tell that they’ve just taken a Topshop dress, stuck some patches and ribbons on and ramped up the price! It is a bit expensive for my taste, particularly the accessories. However, if you’re looking for a genuinely one of a kind outfit and don’t mind splashing the cash, it is the place in Edinburgh. Unfortunately their back room vintage section is very disappointing — the main attraction is definitely the customised clothing and I’d prefer to see both rooms stocked with that to allow for more choice and price range. Worth a visit but I often come away empty handed after a browse!

Are you fashionable? Unique? Enjoy one of a kind pieces? Then Godiva is the store for you. They sell a variety of clothing — vintage as well as clothing made by contemporary designers. The staff is very kind and helpful. Be sure to check the bin in the vintage section, if youre lucky you might find a gem for a fiver.

Godiva is a mix of beautiful customised clothing by exceptional young designers with an amazing back room full of vintage delights from as far as Barcelona! I love this shop, hours seem to pass mingling with friends on the voluptuous leather sofa while grabbing the outfits hot off the sewing machine downstairs!

The front room of Godiva is full of wonderful vintage-​style clothing and accessories by brand new designers: generally beautifully cut and a lot more interesting than the high street, while still being really wearable, and the prices aren’t too bad at all — similar to high street price tags, in fact! The back room is a great vintage collection: unlike Armstrongs and the like the items have been well selected, so while there’s not much space, every item is something covetable. The prices are actually a fair amount lower than Armstrong’s too, especially with the 10% student discount, and if you’re a textiles student you’ve got it made — there are good deals especially for you! Definitely worth a visit.