Fashion Theory 101

In truth, I have never seen anyone 'in real life' wear a playsuit. Maybe this is because of the recently prohibitively cold climate, which plays havoc with anyone's wardrobe whether they like it or not.

The very notion of a ‘playsuit’ is a fantastic one that suggests activities consigned to young children (or animals). Originally playsuits were an item of children’s clothing. It is no coincidence that the playsuit trend has reared its head during one of the most economically gloomy and commercially cynical decades. The idea of innocence, a time before bank bail-outs and marketing confabulations (see: bullshit) has generated a swathe of whimsical, twee simulations of childhood in the fashion industry. That said...I think they’re incredibly cute and, worn with heels, would be pretty flattering on anyone who is abjectly afraid of jumpsuits, the playsuit’s more terrifying cousin.  Kimchi and Blue Scallop Edge Playsuit, Urban Outfitters, £48.

Men: I am sorry if I’ve neglected you.  Unfortunately, fashion is only beginning to pay you the attention  you deserve. Hopefully you can console yourselves with the fact (a little known one, it’s kind of been kept on the DL) that historically you have held most artistic, literary, political, and professional (etc, etc) power of the two sexes. Twisted twill chinos are surely the cure to your fashion ailments, my friends. In these babies, you can grow a beard, buy an isolated cabin in the forest, and/or listen to Bon Iver or Fleet Foxes or something. It’s actually incredibly unfair: while women can buy trousers for less than £30, a decent men’s pair tends to be much more expensive. These are no exception, unfortunately. One can but hope that someday, somehow, sartorial equality will be achieved. €120, www.knowledgecottonapparel.com