I have a certain fascination for the young, hip model Agyness Deyn and other such cool Londoners. The kind of people who can wear a leather cap, striped tights, blue shorts, suspenders and yellow cardigan… and still look fabulous.

I love people who don’t play by the fashion rules, or any other strict social rules for that matter. Whenever I read about their shopping tips, I picture myself in one of their favourite London stores.

Take B Store, which is a firm favourite with the cool set. B Store is on a quiet strip in the fashionable and very expensive shopping area of Mayfair. On my first visit, I probably expected something a bit more spectacular, something over the top, or at least something bigger. I wondered what all the fuss was about. Why are all these hip people so into this shop?

But once I got closer look, I completely saw the point. The clothes for both men and women are absolutely amazing, contemporary and cutting edge. Some of them made by the two very individual and interesting London-based designers Jens Laugesen and Peter Jensen.

B Store, 24a Saville Row W15 3PR. Tube: Oxford Circus or Picadilly Circus.

On Manhattan you can easily walk from China to Greece in minutes. And it only takes 20 minutes or less to change the scenery from cool Soho galleries and boutique browsing, to the more scruffy and hip vintage shopping on Lower East Side.

My absolute favourite thing to do in New York is to walk from one neighbourhood to another and pretend I live here. It is an old dream, that demands just a bit of imagination, a special neighbourhood and some great off-track pit stops, where you can try to blend in with the locals.

Mojo Coffee on Charles Street 128 is such a place - a tiny tiny coffee shop in a quiet part of the West Village, which has a mix of old school record shops, hip designer shops, local stores and lots of small streets dotted with townhouses.  I enjoy drinking hot ginger steamer with honey, reading newspapers amongst locals working on their laptops (the perfect accessory if you really want to blend in). Opening hours varies and they close around 8 pm.

Having recently interviewed Elizabeth Hurley made me think of her favourite hotel. No. 11 Cadogan Gardens, she mentioned, feels like home.

I agree that it’s a rare feeling in many hotels. But somehow I don’t mind that so much. To me, checking into a hotel is a about quite the opposite – running away from home, dishes and laundry.

It’s a bit like going to Fantasyland – at least if you choose to stay in a nice hotel. And when it comes to No 11, I know I’ll find just that in this Victorian townhouse.

It’s decorated in dramatic colours and brocade upholstery. My home certainly doesn’t look anything like this shiny and luxurious mix of classic English style and contemporary elegance. Perhaps that’s one of the differences between Miss Hurley and I.

In fact, she also mentioned that this is just about the only place that serves a proper cup of tea in London. I wouldn’t be the judge of that. However No. 11’s tearoom with art exhibition is a charming spot for an afternoon cuppa.

No. 11; Cadogan Gardens SW3 2RJ. Tube: Sloane Square

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It is almost cruel to ask me to suggest just two shops, when there are so many in New York. I have a very soft spot for Marc Jacobs, but his things especially the more affordable Marc By Marc Jacobs are everywhere and don’t really need much guidance. Neither do all the popular chains like Banana Republic, Gap and Urban Outfitters.

But as tempting as the good basic buys and designer-labels-for-less (due to the low dollar) are, I prefer the more adventurous kind of shopping in small unique vintage shops or independent boutiques.

Jane Mayle is a very cool exclusive American designer, who creates personal clothes with a feminine twist and graphic cut. She isn’t cheap, but she is unique. And her little shop is a like a sweet shopping treat. The area around called Nolita is an interesting area to go for small shops and charming cafés.

Mayle, 242 Elizabeth Street (at Houston Street in Nolita)

No matter how much the statement “art is the new fashion” seems to be buzzing right now, my school time memories of boredom in front of a painting seems to haunt me, whenever I find myself at an exhibition.

Or that’s how I felt until I discovered Camden Arts Centre, one of London’s best spaces to see contemporary art.

This place makes me want to go home at read all my art books. This place makes me want to convert my office into an atelier and start splashing some paint around.
This place makes me want to save up and spoil myself with an expensive, colourful painting from the Copenhagen based artist Tal R, whom recently was featured at the gallery.

This gallery is simply oozing with so much excitement, beautiful and provocative art, that wakes my inner art lover. Paintings seem too hang randomly and cover the walls in a creative mix giving the place a relaxed atmosphere.

The gallery is not too overwhelming big and that make it a treat rather than a chore. you can take your time analyzing the strikes on the canvas or just pop by for a quick glimpse of art and enjoy a drink in the cosy garden café.  You don’t have to be an expert. At this gallery it is all about enjoying and that’s what looking at art should be.

Camden Arts Centre, Arkwright Road NW3 6DG. Tube: Kings Cross & St. Pancras or Liverpool Street