If there’s one A-lister synonymous with autumnal dressing, it’s Alexa Chung. Known and loved by many as a front-row fixture – at Dior, Miu Miu, Chloé, the list goes on – to me, the OG It-girl remains frozen in the amber of the Tumblr dashboard: her street-style images – all cherry-red Carel Kinas, cigarette jeans and a blunt fringe – reblogged into oblivion. I’ve never quite managed to shake the Alexa influence, which perhaps explains why I’m happier than most to bid farewell to summer. If there’s one thing her autumn wardrobe proves, it’s that transitional dressing needn’t involve a complete wardrobe overhaul: a good knit and a light jacket will get you surprisingly far.
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With that in mind, here’s a guide to dressing like Alexa Chung this autumn.
A duffle coat
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The classic duffle coat needn’t be confined to the primary school gates. As Alexa demonstrates, this old-school staple is a nostalgic throwback to an era when everyone knew the words to the Arctic Monkeys’s latest album and unbrushed hair was tolerated – nay, encouraged. But the duffle has grown up since the 2010s, becoming the kind of thing you’re now as likely to find on the rails at Lemaire as stomping down a Burberry runway. For the full Alexa effect, wear yours with a pair of broken-in ballet flats.
A statement bag
If there’s one thing celebrities love, it’s an outrageous, oversized bag. But if you’d rather opt for a subtler way to transport the entire contents of your wardrobe from A to B, look to Alexa. Forgo anything too flashy for capacious suede-and-leather styles that will only get better with age – like a fine wine, or an Olsen’s Birkin.
A slogan tee
As the weather dips, there’s a danger of dressing a little too sensibly, a little too back-to-school. A slogan tee might provide the antidote, injecting some personality into your autumn wardrobe. Take cues from Alexa in a Bella Freud T-shirt, which doubles as a conversation starter when the weather-based small talk runs dry.
A leather jacket
The perfect leather jacket is an elusive beast. Some swear by Tom Ford-era Gucci or Ghesquière-era Balenciaga designs sourced from the depths of Vestiaire – though we all know the most coveted kind is one swiped from a romantic conquest. However yours comes into your life, it’s best thrown over everything, from a varsity sweater to that slip dress you bought at the height of summer.
A perfect pair of jeans
If Alexa’s denim-first styling has taught us anything, it’s that once you find your ideal pair of jeans – mine are a pair of straight-leg, mid-wash jeans from Jeanerica that I will be loyal to for the rest of my life – the rest of your autumn wardrobe falls into place. For day-to-day dressing in autumn, you can’t go wrong with ballet flats and a suede jacket worn with your denim of choice.
