In the October issue of British Elle, it was refreshing and comforting to hear from one of my style crushes, Alexa Chung.
It’s easy to admire Ms Chung for her laidback approach to dressing, her messy, don’t-give-a-shit hairdo, minimal make-up and her simple styles and silhouettes – she’s clearly a big fan of navy, she’s more often in flats than heels, she wears cute, feminine tea-dresses and she’s always wearing a sensible coat.
Alexa and I would make excellent friends, I think we may be style twins. She tells Elle she’s not an avid follower of trends and her personal style is based on the belief in dressing for one’s own shape. She knows what she likes and, like a smart girl, she sticks with what works.
To hear Alexa talking about the cost of high fashion, and admitting to her limited budget, makes me feel soooo much better. Some of our typical fashionistas who are celebrated for their style and muse-like statuses say they can’t live without indulging their Mulberry handbag addictions (like It-girl Poppy Delvigne, featured just a few pages ahead of Alexa. Eh hello, those things cost about £2,000 a pop). Alexa Chung has her own fashion line with US womenswear store Madewell, sits front row at Chanel, Proenza Schouler and Stella McCartney, and is a veteran of indie British television, yet she worries about “[plundering] her bank account” when tempted by vintage finds. She sticks to the “cheaper” Étoile range by Isabel Marant (the inverted commas are my own because said range is not exactly cheap, not by the standards of mere mortals like myself, however, her collection is yummy) as she admits “[Marant’s] stuff is pretty expensive”. La Chung also says she loves Céline even though she doesn’t own a stitch of their clothing because she can’t afford it.
I know stylish girls and boys don’t like to be seen wearing the same things over and over again – who wants to hear some
catty comment like “oh, that top always looks so good on you”. But Alexa does it! She tells Elle that she wears her favourite pieces over and over again until they’re “decrepit [and] they actually fall apart”. Well, with her generally neutral and non-scary
palette of navies, beiges and blacks, it’s easy to wear the same thing over and over again, jazzed up with different jewellery of a scarf.
Hats off to Alexa Chung for being utterly down-to-earth and not annoying about fashion – she wears cardigans! I think I’ll try to contact her, see if she wants to grab a pizza with me some day…
Move over Kate Moss, Alexa Chung wears ballet flats so much better than you do!
Ms Chung is one of the few women who can wear a cutesy Peter Pan collar without looking like a twat and still look smokin’ hot.
Whether it’s a woolly cardigan or her signature trench coat, Alexa is always wearing something sensible. Also, check out her Chanel star-print blouse that she has been photographed in many many times! I hope it’s not all ratty and decrepit too.
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