Alexa Chung turns 39 on the 5th November. She will probably wear jeans (high-rise, straight-legged) and a navy jumper (crew-neck, of course). The professional fashion plate, who has always had brands lining up to collaborate with her, keeps things remarkably simple when it comes to her personal style. If she’s really pushing the boat out, she might choose a tank top over her cashmere today. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Chung is the queen of Barbour jackets and Hunter boots; Breton tees and dungarees; A-line mini skirts and ballet pumps; slip dresses and Converse. Her style, like that of her own beloved fashion icon, Jane Birkin, is built on the classics. Wardrobe foundations? Alexa was nailing them long before “essentials” and “building blocks” became common parlance. She is a human Rolodex of the best trench coats, leather skirts and brogues. So much so, that she has traded on them.
Chung’s wildly successful M&S line made her a household name and a mum-fluencer and her Mulberry Alexa collaboration sold so well it has been relaunched a decade later. In an era of collabs and capsules, Alexa’s aesthetic has stood the test of time.
Yes, she’ll dabble in Simone Rocha, she’s friends with Erdem, and Christopher Kane has always had a place in her heart. Invite her to the Miu Miu show and she’ll arrive dressed as the perfect poster girl for Mrs Prada’s kitschy glamour. Ditto Chanel; who doesn’t love bouclé? But day-to-day Alexa lives in band tees and jeans. It’s the tiny styling tweaks she makes that keep us all hooked, and even buying in.
I remember when Alexa wore a crisp white shirt underneath her black leather Marc Jacobs dress at the 2012 Met Gala. I was gobsmacked by how chic a button-down could look at the highest profile red-carpet event of the year. When she wore a pink Erdem princess dress speckled with silver sequins to a 2018 London Fashion Week party, with a mini Chanel bag tucked under her arm, I decided I wanted to get married in the exact same dress.
She has a knack for convincing you that everything she wears will make your own closet complete. To do this consistently over two decades in the industry is something special. And it’s why we’ll be writing the same paean to her style on her 50th. Happy birthday, Alexa Chung.
Scroll down to shop Alexa’s most iconic wardrobe staples.
The leather skirt
The striped top
The dungarees
The trench coat
The white jeans
The leopard print jacket
