Rebecca Adlington: Having a swimmer's 団体／死体 makes choosing 着せる／賦与するs a challenge

By Sadie Nicholas for MailOnline
Updated: 09:03 BST, 11 November 2010

Splashing out: Rebecca in her favourite animal-print dress from Reiss

二塁打 Olympic swimming gold medallist Rebecca Adlington, 21, 追加するd two more golds to her 一致する at the 連邦／共和国 Games in India last month. When she’s not in the pool, she loves to shop. She says:

着せる／賦与するs have always been a big part of my life, 特に as I have two older sisters. When I was little, they wore stuff that I wasn’t 許すd to, so I’d nick their miniskirts and Mum’s high heels and dress up in the house.

Our styles are very ?different ― while my older sister wears 控訴s because she’s in 商売／仕事, my middle sister is a PE teacher so prefers ?sportswear, and my own wardrobe is 十分な of contrasts.

明白に I spend a lot of my time wearing tracksuits or Speedo ?swimming ?衣装s, but when I’m not training I don’t want to wear joggers all the time. 全体にわたる I’m a ジーンズs and casual 最高の，を越すs type of girl.

But I love dressing up, too. After I won 二塁打 gold at the Beijing ?Olympics in 2008, there were lots of ?glamorous events to go to and I loved getting my hair and make-up professionally done.

There have been times where I’ve felt good about something I’ve worn until I’ve seen ?photographs of myself and wondered what the hell I was thinking.

I now rely on my best friend to tell me whether I should wear something or not. He’s not shy about 説: ‘Becky, you look really fat in that!’

I’m 5ft 10in? and a size 12, but ?swimming has given me big shoulders and calves, which can be a challenge when choosing 着せる／賦与するs.

Shoulder pads and one-shouldered dresses are a no-no for me.

I’m lucky that my ?管理／経営 team arrange for me to have 正規の／正選手 協議s with stylist ?Georgie ?Pincus, who has her own 商売／仕事, styleu.co.uk. We go shopping together about twice a year.

When I’m at home in Mansfield, the nearest big city is ?Nottingham which has some pretty good shops 含むing Reiss, All Saints, Ted パン職人 and FCUK.

Whenever I’m away ?swimming, I make an 成果／努力 to go shopping and I can’t wait to get to Australia this week to do just that. I’m there for six weeks to train and ?compete and I’m planning to 在庫／株 up on shorts, ?T-shirts and flip flops that are a bit ?different to stuff you can get in the UK.

I admire Denise 吊りくさび’s style, the former Olympic ?heptathlete. She seems to be able to carry off any haircut, any style and any colour.

I have some designer items in my wardrobe such as the gold Jimmy Choo heels the 市長 of Mansfield 現在のd to me when I got home after the ?Beijing Olympics. I also wore a pair of Jimmy Choos when I ?collected my OBE at Buckingham Palace.

I’m not a hoarder when it co mes to 着せる／賦与するs, I’m happy to chuck stuff away that I’ve not worn for a while. The only 着せる／賦与するs I do hang on to are my training 最高の，を越すs and joggers, because they’re so comfy to wear around the house. And I’ve got a pair of denim shorts from Topshop that I’ve had since I was 12. I can’t give them up because they’re so comfy.

I’ve decided the day I retire is the day I spend £2,000 on a Chanel 捕らえる、獲得する. I can’t 正当化する ?it at the moment, but I’ve got my heart 始める，決める on it and it’s going to be my 扱う／治療する to myself when I stop swimming.

REBECCA'S WARDROBE FAVOURITES

BLACK LOUBOUTINS

I love these peep-toe heels. I’ve worn them with ジーンズs, with dresses and for 黒人／ボイコット-tie events. They cost £400 ― the most I’ve ever paid for ?anything in my wardrobe ― but they were 価値（がある） it.

Stylish: J Brand skinny ジーンズs and Stella McCartney dress

TED BAKER LEATHER JACKET

Versatile: 黒人／ボイコット Louboutins

I’ve had this jacket (left) since June and I couldn’t live without it, I wear it every day. It’s made of the softest 黒人／ボイコット leather and has a バタフライ ?patterned lining.

J BRAND SKINNY JEANS

Two years ago my stylist, ?Georgie, said she was going to get me into a pair of skinny ジーンズs. I told her: ‘No, never, ever!’ But she got me to try these J Brand ?skinnies and I was shocked at how good they look and how comfy they feel. I’m 全く 麻薬中毒の now and have ?several pairs.

REISS DRESS

権利 now I love animal prints and this dress is gorgeous. I bought it in June and I wear it with a gold belt when I go out to dinner with friends. It’s so comfortable and I don’t feel it’s squeezing me in anywhere it shouldn’t.

Anoth er favourite is a snake-print silk Stella McCartney dress. At £645, I couldn’t 正当化する buying it, but they lent it to me.

井戸／弁護士席 worn favourites: Ted パン職人 leather jacket and Abercrombie & Fitch shirt

ABERCROMBIE & FITCH SHIRT

Their fabrics are just the best, 特に their soft 小衝突d cotton shirts like this red one (left) I bought in the U.S. I wear it all the time.

PURPLE ARMANI EXCHANGE COAT

I bought this coat when I went to the ?Westfield shopping centre in London with Georgie. I love purple and was attracted to it by the big gold buttons. It was only £175 and I wear it with 黒人／ボイコット ジーンズs and heels.

Rebecca Adlington is an 外交官／大使 for Speedo and its Learn To Swim 率先. Visit speedo.co.uk

REBECCA'S WARDROBE IN NUMBERS

• JEANS: About six pairs, four skinny and two bootcut, in blue, 黒人／ボイコット and grey. I really like my 現在の/Elliot suede-look ジーンズs and also a pair bought from Topshop at least four years ago that are still really comfy. I love dressing ジーンズs up with heels.
  
• SHOES: About 40 pairs. I also have four pairs of Ugg boots ― when I’m up for training at 5.30am on 冷淡な winter mornings nothing else will do
  
• SPEEDO SWIMMING COSTUMES: At least 60. My racing 衣装s are all 黒人／ボイコット and 膝 length for the ?ultimate 簡素化するing and dynamic 業績／成果. But for training I like prettier colourful 衣装s. My ?favourites are a baby blue one with バタフライs and a 黒人／ボイコット and gold one.?
  
• TRACKSUITS: About 15 pairs of ?joggers, mostly from Abercrombie & Fitch. I’ve also got around 15 hoodies and jumpers from the same 蓄える／店. Then there are 非常に／多数の 公式の／役人 England and 広大な／多数の／重要な Britain t racksuits.

• TOPS AND T-SHIRTS: At least 50, 含むing vest 最高の，を越すs, shirts and T-shirts. They’re a 中心的要素 of my wardrobe and おもに High Street.

• DRESSES: About 20. I like throwing on beach-type dresses in summer. I have a few designer dresses such as the 黒人／ボイコット Matthew Williamson one I wore to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year last December.