When it comes to street style stars, few individuals have garnered as much attention as Alexa Chung. The English It girl created the blueprint for today’s social media influencers, parlaying a permanent seat in the fashion front row to brand collaborations and eventually her own label. But Chung’s path to success actually began in the modeling world, where she got an early start appearing in teen magazines before landing a gig as the co-host of the British television program Popworld in 2006. Within five years, Chung’s fashion savvy would make her a global sensation, bringing with it a list of milestone achievements that included an eponymous Mulberry handbag, a Madewell collaboration and a British Vogue cover—all in just three months.
“It’s all about effortlessness. It’s all about looking underdone,” Chung said in a 2010 interview with the New York Times when discussing her signature beauty look of tousled hair and various stages of overgrown fringe. That effortless approach has always applied to her sartorial choices as well, where Chung is as likely to turn to rock stars like Mick Jagger and George Harrison for inspiration as she is to female style icons like Jane Birkin or Kate Moss (though she’s certainly looked to both of them, too). “As much as I love denim and men’s tailoring, I also have this weird affection for very girly, saccharine gowns and dresses,” Chung has said of her styling choices, which often blend masculine and feminine pieces in unexpected ways.
While Chung’s red carpet looks often embraced those girlish elements with the detailed gowns expected of more formal events, her off-duty moments have always served as a perfect way to showcase the amalgamation of her style references. With a wardrobe packed full of vintage finds, casual denim and coveted designer pieces, Chung’s effortlessly cool street style looks always had a touch of accessibility to them, too—something that no doubt helped her to become a style icon in her own right.
Whether you’re looking for a bit of style inspiration or feeling nostalgic for early 2000s fashion, take a look back at some of Chung’s most memorable off-duty fashion moments.
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2008, Glastonbury Festival
When she wasn’t being photographed outside of fashion shows, Chung brought her street style stardom to Glastonbury Festival, where she traded her usual ballet flats for more practical Wellies.
2009, in New York City
The official launch of Mulberry’s Alexa handbag (named after and inspired by Chung, of course) was still be a few months away, but as the British brand’s muse, Chung got to debut the bag a little early during New York Fashion Week. The it bag of the aughts, Mulberry would go on to relaunch the bag more than a decade later as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations.
2009, in London
Trench coats featured prominently in Chung’s wardrobe over the years, but until she started designing her own (both with her namesake label and as collaborations with other brands), a classic Burberry trench was her go-to. For the fashion house’s spring 2010 show (she also served as the afterparty’s DJ), Chung paired her trench with another classic: a little black dress, which she accessorized with a pair of black boots to sit front row with celebrities like Emma Watson and Mary-Kate Olsen.
2010, in Paris
At first glance, Chung appears to be in a typical Chanel ensemble, but a closer look reveals that she opted to pair her grey Chanel tweed jacket with lace-trimmed bicycle shorts (and polka-dot printed tights) to attend Paris Fashion Week.
2010, in Paris
In one of her early Jane Birkin-esque looks, Chung wore a long-sleeved gingham dress with Valentino Rockstud flats and disheveled fringe.
2011, in Paris
Perhaps most central to Chung’s wardrobe is denim in its many forms. “It’s weird how much I’m obsessed with it,” she told British Vogue, where she even wrote an entire column dedicated to the “most practical and versatile of materials.” Photographed in Paris on her way to the Stella McCartney spring 2012 show, Chung opted for a denim minidress, which she paired with snakeskin platform heels.
2011, in Paris
In a prime example of the “very girly” looks Chung said she has an affinity for, the model-turned-television presenter wore a ruffled ivory blouse with a navy-striped pinafore dress and bow-adorned ballet flats.
2012, in London
Having established herself as a Mulberry muse, Chung attended the spring 2013 show in a ballerina off-duty ensemble that included a ruffle-trimmed grey sweatshirt, pink satin shorts, ballet flats and an animal print version of her Mulberry Alexa bag.
2012, in London
There wasn’t a look too casual for Chung to sport front row, as evidenced by this ultra-effortless outfit that she wore during London Fashion Week. Black skinny jeans may have slightly dated the look, but Chung’s Bella Freud sweater, ankle boots and utility jacket would work just as well today.
2013, in London
Following the release of her book, It, Chung was spotted out in London wearing a pair of edgy leather shorts with zipper detailing. True to form, the new author added a feminine twist to her look with a white blouse that included an eyelet Peter Pan collar.
2013, in London
For the opening of Longchamp’s London flagship store, Chung styled a black vinyl bustier dress with a cozy cream-colored sweater and houndstooth ankle-strap pumps.
2014, in New York City
This casual look that Chung wore while out in New York City was comprised of all her summer wardrobe staples: denim shorts, a button-up blouse, sneakers and cat eye sunnies.
2014, in London
A few months later, Chung went a more dressed up route for an evening out in London in a printed dress with a thigh-high slit from the Burberry Prorsum fall 2014 collection and a Charlotte Simone Popsicle scarf.
2014, in London
In another quirky fashion week look, Chung paired some borrowed-from-the-boys overalls with a white button-up, Birkenstocks and girly accessories in the form of a pastel-colored Chanel Candy necklace and baby-pink Shrimps Daisy faux fur clutch.
2014, in London
To attend the Emilia Wickstead spring 2015 show, Chung selected a full Bella Freud look that included a grey miniskirt and a striped crew neck sweater—the latter of which added a casual feel to her more formal strappy heels and Mark Cross Grace Box accessories.
2014, in London
To attend the Topshop Unique show in 2014, Chung wore a look from the brand that included a leopard print skirt and lemon yellow mock turtleneck sweater. A soft pink lip and Brigitte Bardot-style pigtails that were tied off with pink bows played up the television presenter’s post-summer tan, and she accessorized with a pair of Prada ballet flats and a pink Chanel Milk Carton crossbody bag.
2014, in Paris
Chung put her own spin on the quintessential Chanel look to attend the French fashion house’s spring 2015 show, styling a navy jacket and bow-adorned blouse with a grey miniskirt. A classic black Chanel bag and lace-up flats with an open heel served as her only accessories, and she opted for a slightly more polished beauty look of clean makeup and glossy waves.
2015, in London
Following the London debut of her collection with AG Jeans, Chung was spotted heading to an after-party in a denim minidress from her collaboration, which she expertly styled with crystal-embellished tights, heeled ankle boots and a multi-color fur bomber from Byte by Giuliana Teso.
2015, in London
A month later, Chung accessorized another look with fur—this time opting for a burnt orange stole that she casually threw over a long-sleeved black minidress and carried alongside her go-to Louis Vuitton x Frank Gehry bag.
2015, Glastonbury Festival
At the 2015 Glastonbury Festival, Chung dressed up her Hunter boots with a Bella Freud metallic minidress that was inspired by ‘90s supermodel Kate Moss.
2015, in London
Chung let the orange faux fur collar on her Shrimps Hokus coat serve as the only pop of color in her otherwise neutral ensemble that included black skinny jeans, a slightly oversized grey sweater and black heels.
2016, in London
Out in London, Chung wore one of her signature looks: a trench coat, blouse, blue jeans and ankle boots.
2016, in New York City
Ahead of the 2016 Met Gala, Chung was spotted on her way to a cocktail party hosted by Vogue, where she styled a powder blue coat over a simple black top, fitted leather pants and heeled sandals. Chung stuck with her usual cat eye makeup, but she added a touch of sparkle to her tousled bob with a few rhinestone-embellished clips.
2016, in New York City
Wearing denim on denim, Chung teamed a shearling denim jacket with a pair of cropped jeans. To break up the monochromatic look, which also consisted of a navy blue sweater, the television presenter added red block heels.
2016, in Paris
Miu Miu was a show not-to-be-missed for Chung, who has praised designer Miuccia Prada, saying that she expertly “plays with tropes, [and] kind of redefines femininity each time.” That ability to experiment with different fashion elements was key for Chung as well, who introduced a new way to wear a pink slip dress at the spring 2017 show by pairing it with leather and fringe. Chung’s Western-inspired jacket included silver fringe and crystal embellishments throughout, and she completed the look with black lace-up boots.
2016, in New York City
To keep cozy during the winter season in New York City, Chung wore an oversized shearling coat with her trusty jeans and a baby-blue turtleneck.
2017, in London
For a Jimmy Choo event held at Annabel’s London, Chung opted for a statement leopard print fur coat that she made slightly less formal with leather pants, a red cardigan and black heels.
2018, in London
Another casual fashion week moment for Chung came at the Simone Rocha show in London, where the television presenter sat front row wearing a green bomber jacket by Katharine Hamnett. Chung chose a black and pink sweater from her newly-launched fashion line, plus a pair of cropped jeans that showed off the crystal embellishments on her ankle boots.
2018, in Paris
Chung added a rock and roll twist to the little black dress by combining it with a statement lemon-yellow coat that was trimmed with fur at the collar and sleeves and lined in leopard print.
2018, in Paris
In a slightly more sophisticated take on her day-to-day look, Chung attended the Valentino spring 2019 show in Paris in a printed blouse from the fashion house that she paired with wide-leg white pants and a navy sweater tied over her shoulders. Heeled loafers replaced her usual flats, and Chung completed her look with a studded, floral embossed handbag, pearl earrings and a pale pink lip.
2018, in Paris
Breaking the Paris Fashion Week rules once again, Chung headed to the Miu Miu show in the tiniest pair of leather shorts that were decorated in studs and laced up the front. Referring to the ensemble as her “juvenile delinquent” look, Chung styled her hot pants with an oversized sweater and a more exaggerated take on her tousled waves and cat eye makeup.
2019, in London
An expert when it comes to an all-black look, Chung was spotted out during London Fashion Week in a black coat worn over a knit sweater and cropped leather pants that were belted at the waist.
2019, Glastonbury Festival
Back at Glastonbury, Chung gave fans a preview of her upcoming collaboration with British brand Barbour by wearing one of her own designs to the music festival. The entrepreneur’s take on a trench coat included gingham lining and a slim belt, which Chung paired with an airy white dress, boots and a crossbody bag.
2019, in London
A few months later, Chung sported a very different trench look in a pink tulle Simone Rocha design that she added her usual tomboy flair to by styling it with vintage Levi jeans and her own Alexa Chung x Superga sneakers.
2020, in London
Chung switched things up during London Fashion Week in 2020, opting for a more formal style in a billowy white gown from the Simone Rocha spring 2020 collection. In keeping with the aesthetic, Chung chose a classic camel coat, embellished ballet flats and oversized pearl earrings that she showed off by slicking her hair back (and adding a matte red lip for good measure).
2021, in Paris
Leave it to Chung to make a beret at Paris Fashion Week look cool rather than cliché. The fashion front row veteran chose a navy beret for the Dior spring 2022 show, which she styled with a navy bralette, silver high-waisted shorts and an oversized white blazer.
2022, in Paris
Chung cozied up in a full-length fur coat to attend the Loewe fall 2022 show. She added colorful accessories with her red heels and blue Loewe Flamenco clutch bag, which complemented the multi-color knit dress from the fashion house’s spring 2022 collection that was covered by her coat.
2023, At Wimbledon
Chung’s go-to sartorial choices were a perfect pairing for Wimbledon, where she injected a touch of color to her vintage Levi’s and neutral button-down with a fuchsia cable-knit sweater tied around her shoulders.
2023, in London
A trendier take on her off-duty uniform, Chung was spotted out in London wearing oversized jeans and a half-buttoned striped blouse, which she accessorized with flats, sunglasses and a raffia woven Loewe tote bag.
2023, in Paris
On her way to the Dior spring 2024 show, Chung introduced a different take on the naked dress by pairing a floral embroidered balconette bra and matching high-waisted briefs with a sheer skirt and cardigan set worn under a more conservative coat (all from the Dior fall 2023 collection).
