The "shell" (top, silly, not suit) has reclaimed its place in the fashion vocabulary this autumn. The word was last heard in the chi- chi boutiques of the early Sixties, when the garment in question was the natural partner to the cigarette and capri pants made super-stylish by Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Onassis.

The shell is a sleeveless silk or crepe top that wraps around the body and buttons neatly at the back. In the Sixties, as now, it often featured a Givenchy-style satin bow at the waistline. Svelte sophistication is in again, and the shell has become a wardrobe essential, to be worn under a jacket or on its own. The ideal garment in which to be seen sipping a dry martini during the cocktail hour, it is also a must for anyone planning a late holiday somewhere hot.

If you don't want to shell out pounds 330 at Joseph for an oyster-coloured shot viscose/acetate one by Ann Demeulemeester, you can make your own fully lined version with Vogue American Designer Original pattern No 1600 by Jennifer George. If handicrafts are not your thing, you can pick one up at your local Dorothy Perkins in black or cream polyester/crepe for just pounds 17.99.