Just what is it about model/TV presenter/journalist/brand spokesperson Alexa Chung that’s cemented her status as an all-round It girl? TRACY LEE finds out.
Just what is it about model/TV presenter/journalist/brand spokesperson Alexa Chung that’s cemented her status as an all-round It girl? TRACY LEE finds out.
It’s 9.01am on Thursday, May 12, and we’re in photographer Wee Khim’s sun-dappled studio to meet British It girl Alexa Chung. Dressed simply in a white sleeveless top with a cascade of ruffles down one side, cropped denim flares, and black wedge-heeled espadrilles with ankle ribbon ties, without a scrap of makeup on, Alexa looks effortlessly chic, yet waifish and vulnerable. She has a perfect, creamy complexion (no visible pores, zits or freckles), and that trademark auburn wavy bob is effortlessly mussed up. Her coltish arms and legs seem to go on forever. In the sunlight, her eyes are a beautiful green, irises ringed in hazel.
The slightest hint of under-eye shadows lends her a rock-chick vibe. “Morning, I’m sooooo tired,” she says in her mellifluous voice, which sounds posh, friendly and husky all at the same time. She stretches her arms over her head and gives a big yawn before slumping back on the comfy grey sofa. It had been a long day for her yesterday: She’d had a working lunch with a magazine team at Peranakan restaurant National Kitchen, then chomped her way through several types of local kueh for a social-media challenge. After another magazine interview, she’d headed for the grand opening of the Longchamp boutique at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.
To get there, she took an exclusive Singapore Sling-fuelled sunset cruise on a Longchamp-logoed bumboat, where she mingled with a gaggle of guests, including magazine editors and influencers. At the store, hundreds of guests clamoured for wefies with Alexa – the face of the French fashion brand for the past six seasons. Alexa’s posture gets more relaxed as our interview progresses – within 15 minutes she’s gone from sitting up straight to nestling in the corner of the L-shaped sofa to lying completely flat on her back, knock-kneed. She’s spending 9am to 2pm today with us for a cover shoot, fashion shoot, print interview and video interview, before her 3pm interview slot with another magazine. Then she flies back to London that very evening. What a life!
IS THIS IT? “Yeah, nothing’s typical about my days and weeks, so sometimes I don’t really feel centred,” says the 32-year-old. “One day as I watched the sunset, I was faced with this existential crisis that had me wondering ‘where’s my home?’. Especially because I’ve got two apartments: one in New York and one in London.” “My friends were always asking me ‘When are you moving to London/New York for good?’.
It used to make me feel unsettled, but I realised the only person who’s always central, always constant in my life, is me. I don’t want to live a normal life, or according to what others want of me. People ask what my job description is; I do so many different things I don’t need to figure out what my job title is.” Shedding more light on her jet-set lifestyle with homes on either side of the Atlantic, she elaborates: “They’re both tiny with not enough room for my things, so there are clothes scattered everywhere. I live out of suitcases. Half the time I’m not around.
Sometimes I hunt for a specific thing to wear and then realise it’s somewhere else.” But as a fashionista, you always look so pulled together, I comment. Alexa explains it’s because she’s always experimenting with clothes. “Even when I’m home, I’d be playing dress-up, figuring out new combos of clothes to wear. I have doubles too. Not identical, but similar enough. Limitations breed creativity; you make do with what’s at hand.”
It’s this quality that makes Alexa so likeable: she’s not just another pretty face in a sea of party girls. Even though she inhabits the world of glamour, she comes across as real, open, even philosophical. She attributes it to her no-nonsense upbringing in the Hampshire countryside, living in “an artistic household surrounded by art books and Hockney prints”, hanging out with her two brothers and her sister, spending lots of time outdoors riding horses and taking country walks.
“That’s where I get my sense of style. It’s mostly masculine and practical, with a bit of British schoolgirl thrown in, plus some princess fantasies. Living in the country, I had lots of time to observe everyone from a distance, from an outsider’s vantage point; to read magazines like British Vogue, pore over the images, and imagine what went into their creation.”
Even though she started modelling at 15, she only travelled to London for shoots, then headed straight home. She “didn’t really live the model lifestyle in terms of staying out late or partying. I was always pretty grounded – and if I met people who seemed creepy or pervy, I just wouldn’t stick around”. Alexa moved to London in her 20s, but being in a long-term relationship at that point, she did “mainly couple-y things like dinner parties, or partied with my boyfriend and our friends”.
The hair, makeup and photo crew are waiting, so Alexa heads for the dressing room and emerges not long after, all ready for the shoot. Under the studio lights, her eyes are a deep, stormy blue. She knows exactly how to work the camera, adjusting her poses and facial expressions ever so slightly each time the digital camera beeps. In between, she eyeballs the images popping up on Wee Khim’s screen. “My hair’s a little too flat. Can we do something about it?” she asks. “How about a stronger red lip? Could we try that?” she negotiates. “It’s not working.
I want to look magnificent,” she declares. The crew goes silent. The tension’s so thick you could almost slice it with a knife. Oh no. Are we on the verge of a diva meltdown? “Hey, I don’t want to look like someone’s Auntie Linda. Or like a random stranger who walked in off the street and gatecrashed your shoot,” Alexa exclaims, causing everyone to burst into relieved laughter. The shoot proceeds swimmingly, with Alexa bantering with the photographer about which angles and poses look good, and discussing outfits and accessories with the stylist.
She knows what works for her and what doesn’t, and speaks her mind with a refreshing forthrightness tempered by tact. She’s also funny as hell. “I’m 90 per cent leg with a short body, so I’ll look really scrunched up in this seated pose you’re suggesting,” she comments. The photographer directs her to spread her legs out. “My favourite. But I haven’t had a bikini wax”, she deadpans. When told she looks fat (the coat she’s wearing is bulging at the waist), she retorts: “Don’t tell your models they look fat, especially not when they’re really young. It’s bad for a girl’s self-esteem!”
There’s only one outfit left to shoot, but Wee Khim’s screen is already filled with dozens of amazing shots, which lead the Longchamp PR team present to exclaim they’re “magnifique”, “incroyable”. It’s time for me to head back to the office, so I approach Alexa to say goodbye. Unexpectedly, she leans in to kiss me on both cheeks, and I quickly apologise for smelling of onions – we’d had wraps catered for lunch. “Hmmm. Yummy!” she exclaims gleefully, leading to all-round LOLs, before reverting to Brit politeness. “Thank you so much and it was lovely meeting you,” she says. Hey, the pleasure was all ours, Alexa!
DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE For a behind-the-scenes video of Alexa Chung’s fashion shoot, download the digital edition of Her World July from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Lambskin coat trimmed with sheep’s wool, and mixed-fur scarf from Longchamp. Serpenti pink gold rings with rubellite and diamonds from Bulgari.
ALEXA’S SOUNDBITES ON
Fashion Being a public figure: “I don’t pay attention to compliments or criticisms. I’m guilty of making judgments on other people too. But there might be an emotional reason why people aren’t looking their best, so remember to have compassion.”
How everyone wants to be an It girl or influencer these days: “It’s depressing, isn’t it? I never really wanted to be one; I was just being who I was and doing whatever I wanted. This ‘wanting to be an It girl’ thing makes people look desperate. It’s way cooler if you’re just being you, and people decide they want to call you an It girl, rather than beg for all the attention.”
How she became the face of Longchamp’s ad campaigns: “I was deejaying at a Longchamp event some years back and I’d just put on a Rolling Stones song when Mick Jagger walked right in. I felt embarrassed because he must have performed and heard that song too many times. Anyway, after the gig, Longchamp asked me to model for their campaign.”
Her favourite Longchamp bags:
1. The Pliage Cuir, with a scarf tied round the handle. It’s smart, classic looking, chic, good for everyday use.
2. The Roseau Box clutch which folds over like an envelope.
3. The Roseau Panthere tote, which is roomy and reversible with a sheepskin lining.
Favourite pieces from the Longchamp F/W ’16 collection: “The pair of red velvet pants – Sophie (Delafontaine, artistic director of Longchamp) made me a matching jacket to go with it. And the mustard suede minidress.”
Style inspirations: “I google Man Repeller and other Instagram accounts for ideas, but if everyone’s wearing Stan Smiths or slides, I steer clear. I don’t like looking generic or like anybody else.”
Next big project: “To get myself a proper home. I’m thinking a beautiful Georgian or Victorian house in East London with a parlour, big windows, a big bedroom with a separate dressing room, insane wallpaper, luxe velvet sofas, French-style parquet flooring, and Victorian decor mixed with mid-century modern. I’ve had this idea in my head for a long time and just haven’t had time to make it happen.”
Denim jacket with sheep’s wool-lined collar and matching skirt, Roseau Patch velveteff ect cowhide leather bag with mixed fur, and Paris Rocks calfskin boots, from Longchamp.
Leopard-print dress, Roseau Panthere sheep’s wool-lined reversible tote in nylon canvas, and Le Pliage Heritage ankle boots in calfskin, from Longchamp. Serpenti pink gold rings with rubellite and diamonds from Bulgari.
