While some might downplay the art of styling oneself, it’s fair to say that it’s a gift not many possess. Enter: Alexa Chung, the sometime model, TV host, and fashion It girl, who has mastered the art of personal style. Her fashion sensibility has been regularly profiled and copied, and for good reason: whether it’s casual denim and a duster coat (paired with high-top sneakers) or the chic Thakoon sequin trouser suit and wet-look hair she wore to the 2016 Met Gala, Chung’s style always feels effortless and a little unexpected. After a number of covetable and successful collaborations, the Londoner-turned-New Yorker has returned to her British roots to launch her own brand, ALEXACHUNG, complete with feminine separates, ’70s suiting, and accessories. “I’ve wanted to [launch my own line] for many years and it was always a dream,” says Chung. “I was always working towards that goal, and I think I was in a place where I had learned a lot through my collaborations with various brands. I realized I’ve got experience across the board with what it takes to build a brand and this is like all of those elements coming into fruition.” Here, Chung speaks about the inspirations behind her new line, her go-to beauty secret, and reconnecting with her roots.
ON CHUNG’S MOODBOARD FOR HER FIRST COLLECTION
“A lot of my usual icons like George Harrison, Lauren Hutton, The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Patti Smith. We also had pictures of weird art and even a snippet of grass—it was really quite random.”
ON HER FAVOURITE PIECES FROM THE ALEXACHUNG LINE
“I’m really happy with our raincoat, our Mack (left). I like the proportions of that—we “cut up.” That was a fun way of working, just to cut up old stuff and stitch it all together and so the proportions are really exact and playful. I like my George Harrison sweatshirt that my dad drew the picture of and I really like the corduroy trousers. Our baby-blue suit, I love! I think that’s really beautiful; the cut’s really interesting and kind of more ’70s flare, high-waisted pant—it’s got a kind of loose, menswear vibe to it.”
ON HER LOVE OF FASHION AND ART
“I went to Chatsworth House to view their House Style exhibition, which is wildly beautiful. They have insanely intricate hand-sewn dresses on display but I think I was most impressed by the procession of navy-blue jumpers emblazoned with family mottos such as, “LIFE’S A BITCH AND THEN YOU DIE.’”
ON HER FAVOURITE RESTAURANTS IN NEW YORK
“In London it’s Uchi on Clarence Road, which serves incredibly tasty authentic Japanese food in a minimal, wooden, unassuming canteen. In New York, I go to Lil Frankie’s a lot on 1st and 1st because it’s my local. I like that I can sit down and they know I want lemon spaghetti and a whiskey and coke.”
ON RECONNECTING WITH HER NATIVE
“I recently went to The Cotswolds and loved it. I’m in England more now because of the business and having resided in New York for seven years it’s been really nice to reconnect with the British countryside and enjoy all the things I missed about England when I was away—namely pubs, and fields and witty people.”
ON HER FAVOURITE BEAUTY PRODUCT OF THE MOMENT
“I just found Charlotte Tilbury’s tinted face primer, it’s called Wonder Glow. It’s like a foundation, but it’s really lightweight. I’ve been wearing that and everyone’s like, ‘Your skin looks amazing!’ I’m like, ‘Oh thanks, I’ve discovered makeup.’”
ON SUMMERTIME OPTIMISM AND LOVE OF THE OUTDOORS
“I love that everyone’s just a bit more optimistic and having a jolly time and having a drink outside, having a cigarette outside. I like the fact that you can walk around without being knocked over by the wind or completely humiliated by the rain.”