Introducing a very dapper dentist: Dr. Niall McGuinness
Dr. Niall McGuinness is lead clinician and head of the academic programme for the MClinDent / DClinDent programme in orthodontics at the Edinburgh Dental Institute.
Dr. McGuinness is not only a very dapper dentist but he is also a keen follower of Chap Magazine
and the music of Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer,
a ‘best dressed’ champion of the Harris Tweed Ride
and a valued customer of Stewart Christie & Co.
Q
Name?
A
Niall McGuinness
Q
Occupation?
A
Dentist
Q
We have enjoyed making you various tweedy garments for you. As a man of great style and finesse. Was this something that occurred early or late in life? Midlife, but definitely not due to a crisis. In dentistry with hygiene regulations, I presume tunic and scrubs are your only option. However, when you are guest lecture at the dental school, do you embrace your more flamboyant side or do you have to conform to conventional attire?
A
As a lecturer and clinician, all of us have to wear appropriate clinical attire on the Dental Institute – long sleeves and ties are not permitted as they rapidly collect bugs and that is a potential infective risk. So we all have to wear scrubs in the clinical areas.
Q
We know that you were awarded 'best dressed' at the Glasgow Harris Tweed Ride a few years back. What bike were you riding at the time? And what is your current bicycle of choice?
A
The bike was my Marin Eldridge Grade, which I bought from the Edinburgh Bike Co-op in Whitehouse Loan in 1994. As it is 22 years old it's almost a vintage machine. The current favourite is my Colnago Master Steel road bike from Ronde Cycles in Hamilton Place. I have ridden it from Geneva to Venice over the Alps, and all along the Loire Valley, the Atlantic coast of France, and from Paris to Nice. It is as light as a feather and a triumph of the frame builder's art.
Q
Have you ever entered the London Tweed Ride?
A
Yes, I have done the London Tweed Run for the last 5 years. I won second prize the first year for "best moustache"; which surprised and delighted me because I was up against stiff competition from the likes of Conrad Amis and Barry "Fingers" Copson, stalwarts of the Handlebar Club, Tweed Run and the Eroica Britannia.
Q
We are currently designing a vintage inspired cycling outfit for Mark Stevens, one of our dear friends and customers. I believe, he too was one of the winners of the ride in Edinburgh. Do you have any suggestions for essential details and cycling considerations on this collaborative effort?
A
I would recommend a generous cut at the shoulders for comfortable movement and equally generous provision for plus fours – in a light to medium weight tweed.
“My best experience was when I was in Dublin one year for Christmas. I was walking through the city centre when this young hoodie came towards me, took one look, and said "Respect!" before passing on.”
Q
What was your first purchase as a boy or an early piece that shaped your style?
A
Hmm, at a young age I really didn't think much about clothes. Some of the worst fashion faux pas' of the 70's completely passed me by. Tweed only featured once in my wardrobe, this was a jacket, made from Harris Tweed, I had when I was at at school. My interest in my current look only took off in 2011 when I read the Chap Magazine and got to like the music of Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer (aka Jim Burke) who raps in received pronunciation. I decided it was time to dress my age instead of trying to dress in fleeces, t-shirt and jeans - after all, I'm no longer 18 years old (and neither are all those middle-aged men who swan around central Edinburgh on rugby weekends dressed like that). I remarked to someone that if all these middle-aged schoolboys actually dressed well they would probably cause a riot in the street with their appearance.
Q
What does the The Chap mean to you, is it a magazine or a state of being?
A
The Chap Magazine is a real mine of fascinating news and profiles of people who don't follow the current fashion for blandness and mediocrity: fashion is transitory, style never goes out of fashion. Chap as a state of being? It doesn't require that you dress differently, it is what is on the inside that is important – and probably the best way of defining it is adopt the motto "live and let live – and don't frighten the horses"
Q
What does Stewart Christie mean to you?
A
Stewart Christie is an oasis in a retail desert. All you need now is couple of indoor palm trees.
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