Emma Sells

Anyone who knows me well will be aware that on my list of fun things to do, exercise of any sort doesn’t rank particularly high. Or rather it doesn’t rank at all. It follows, therefore, that golf is not an activity in which I indulge terribly often. I meandered round the golf course with my step-mum once or twice as a teenager but nowadays the closest I get is tying to dodge the golfers while strolling on Wimbledon Common. However, the pictures that have just dropped into my inbox of the new golf collection from Stella McCartney for adidas nearly have me reaching for a five iron.

We’re not talking plus fours and flat caps here; cute tailored shorts, smart polo shirts and, my personal favourite, a gorgeous trench-style jacket, will look as good off the course as on. As Stella herself says, ‘I think it is about time that women who wear golf can now echo what they wear in everyday life on the green. It’s exciting for me to bring a bit of an edge to golf.’ I predict that club memberships will be up across the country. The range is in adidas Sport Performance stores now - call 0870 240 4204 to find you nearest stockist.

Today I went for a bit of a wander during my lunch hour and found myself at Topshop, Oxford Circus (quelle surprise). Hidden away behind the bustling crowds I noticed a new window.

With a distinctly jungle theme – a bikini clad mannequin surrounded by foliage and cuddly toy reptiles – this is the latest collaboration between the high street favourite and Olsen-hating anti-fur group PETA. Splashed across the glass is the slogan ‘Exotic skins make our blood run cold – Join Topshop in saying ‘No’ to cruelty’, the aim being to encourage shoppers to spurn anything made from exotic animal skins due to the inhumane way in which they are farmed. (If you want to know the gory details and see the evidence for yourself then click here.) To be honest I can’t imagine that the average Topshop customer snaps up too much crocodile skin on their shopping trips, but I definitely appreciate the sentiment. The window will be up until March 14th so go down and check it out.

If like me you just got paid then the chances are that, instead of budgeting carefully for the month ahead, you’re itching to splurge on something fabulous. I may have just the thing for you – a limited edition Ksubi (formerly Tsubi) t-shirt which I found while having a bit of a rummage on the internet (it is Friday afternoon after all).

It’s a collaboration between the Australian label and two American party scenesters Cobrasnake and Cory Kennedy. Not sure who they are? Cobrasnake is the namesake of photographer Mark Hunter whose website is a stateside equivalent of dirtydirtydancing.com, and Cory Kennedy is his teenage ex-girlfriend and muse turned internet sensation, model and party girl. The limited edition t-shirt features a print of Paris Hilton and Cory Kennedy:

It’s currently only available on the Cobrasnake website and there’s a limited run so all you cool kids out there had better get clicking and buy it fast.

If you’ve recently headed down to PPQ for a quick shopping spree (guilty as charged) or treated yourself to afternoon tea at Sketch (you lucky thing), then you may have noticed the beautiful chalk drawings that are currently adorning the boarded up shop on the corner of Conduit Street and Saville Row.

Far from being the showcase of a budding street artist, this is the location of the hotly anticipated British flagship store of my favourite pop designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, and the sketches are by none other that JCDC himself. Word is that when he came to check out his new shop space he hated the sight of the bland boards so much that he whipped out some chalk from his pocket and indulged in some impromptu doodling. The store itself is provisionally set to open sometime in April, but get yourself down there before then if you want to see the drawings in person.

This lunchtime I treated myself to a spot of window shopping down at uber-cool store, Dover Street Market. And what did I find nestled down in the basement between House of Holland and Zandra Rhodes? The hotly anticipated collection by my favourite starlet Chloe Sevigny for Manhattan’s hottest shop, Opening Ceremony. Finally, a celebrity collaboration I can get excited about. The brightly coloured floral dresses, super-cool hot pants and modish trousers mix Little House on the Prairie with 50’s rockabilly, and it’s easy to imagine Chloe sporting every piece – this is distinctly quirky rather than trend-led.

It’s not cheap – we’re talking more The Row from the Olsen twins than Lily Allen for New Look – and prices start from around £150. Nonetheless, I have a feeling that it will prove a hit amongst the more adventurous of the fashion pack. Top of my wishlist? The black suede wedge boots with a chunky silver zip up the front. If you want to check it out get down to DSM (who are exclusively stocking it in the UK) fast or just click here for a closer look at the whole collection.

When I was a teenager one of my favourite activities was heading to my local bead shop and loading myself up with everything from chunky wooden ethnic beads to brightly coloured glass, paying particular attention to anything with letters that I could use to spell out my name. Nowadays, my tastes may have become (slightly) more sophisticated but it’s hard to resist the lure of a jewellery pick ‘n mix. Imagine my joy, then, on entering the brand spanking new Swarovski store at it’s Fashion Week, fashion pack studded opening earlier this week. Officially known as the Swarovski Crystallized Cosmos and Lounge, the ground floor houses shelf after shelf and tray after tray of glittering crystals, dazzling beads and every bit of hardware you could need to create the jewellery of your dreams.

Through my champagne haze it looked like a sparkling version of heaven. The options are unlimited – use their computer programme to choose something based on ready-made designs or the current trends, find out which colours and styles match your colouring and skin tone, or simply create your own bespoke design. And when it all gets a bit too much you can pop upstairs to the lounge and bar area, complete with exhibition space. A fashion fanatics playground if ever I saw one…

So, today was the day. This morning I woke up and bravely faced the world wearing this season’s trickiest of items, the playsuit. The chosen one was a gorgeous red silky one from PPQ’s range for ASOS (click here to see it). My first observation on donning it was that it was very short. Bum skimmingly short. I was showing off way more leg than normal but, thankfully, my trusty black woolly tights were on hand to help me preserve my modesty. In fact, teamed with a black vest and some black patent Mary-Janes (remember, heels are pretty much essential to this look if you want to avoid looking like a toddler), the overall effect was not nearly as dreadful as I had anticipated.

Given that the playsuit was designed by PPQ, my editor decided that I should debut it at their show this morning at London Fashion Week. My first reaction to this was one of slight horror - trying to decide what to wear when mingling with the great and the good of the fashion world is hard enough without having to rock up in a look that I am still very much undecided about. On reflection, however, I realise that this is the perfect place. In an industry where eccentrics rule ok, my little red playsuit was hardly likely to cause a stir.

So how did it go down? Well, I didn’t draw any gasps of horror or confusion as I made my way through the crowds, ticket in hand. In fact, those who cared to comment were decidedly enthusiastic. ‘Frilly and fabulous’, I was declared. Quite. As for me, I’m still undecided. Not because it didn’t look good; with the right pair of heels this look was much easier to master than I had forseen. If I’d seen someone across the room wearing it I would have thought it was super-cool but the thing is that it just wasn’t very me. And that’s basically what it comes down to isn’t it? So long as you have confidence in what you’re wearing it’s possible to carry off pretty much any look, however outlandish or ridiculous (one look at your average catwalk front row is enough to prove that theory). So my advice to you is give playsuits a chance because you never know, you might love them. But there’s no shame in deciding that your favourite vintage dress is just more your style…

It happens every season without fail. An item crops up on the catwalks, a little bit out of the ordinary perhaps but it catches your eye. The model looks fabulous, cool, effortlessly put together (disregarding, of course, the team of stylists who have painstakingly put together her look backstage). How hard could it possibly be to wear? By the time it hits the high street, the fashion magazines have touted it as the hot new look and as soon as you spy one you disappear to the changing room as fast as your legs will carry you. Sadly the results are not quite as expected. Down right disappointing, in fact.

This is partly because most of us are not freakishly tall human coat-hangers who can carry any look off without looking completely ridiculous. However, nobody ever felt fatter because they were wearing a turban but how many of you rushed out to buy them in the winter? About three of you? Exactly. The biggest problem is that what looks fabulous and inventive in the fantasy world of fashion spreads doesn’t always transfer well onto the regional high streets of this world. It’s hard to keep your sartorial cool when your boyfriend starts laughing as soon as he sees you and drunken men in the street heckle you about your fancy dress choice. Trust me, I’ve been there.

This season’s rogue item is the all-in-one. In theory it’s a great idea – like a dress, you should be able to just throw it on with the perfect accessories and be good to go. In practice, however, I have a feeling that it’s going to take a lot of effort not to look like an escaped prisoner/apprentice mechanic (all be it in very up-market overalls). I have seen it work –in real life and everything. Just the other week there was a girl standing outside of my local wearing a vintage jumpsuit, looking every inch the cool kid. However, it’s only fair to point out that I leave in the East End where irony rules and the more outrageous your wardrobe choice the better you blend in. Anyway, in the interests of helping you lovely readers I will be selflessly trialling this trend, in public, during London Fashion Week to find out whether it’s possible to carry of the all-in-one without looking (and feeling) like a complete idiot. Want to find out what happens? Come back next week…