“Life is relentlessly messy and fun and mortifying and hopeful,” said Alexa Chung upon turning 40, and her recent fashion choices reflect this confidence that no matter what happens there will always be good looks and there will always be bad looks and we will all live to wear another one. Except that this is Alexa and there are only good looks. And with the fashion gods smiling down upon her during her birthday celebrations, the outfits in question all had one thing in common: sex appeal.
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Yes, we’re guilty of often writing headlines with the subtext: Alexa looks great, but entering her fifth decade seems to have given the playful Vogue editor a newfound sense of freedom. The freedom to show a little skin, wear a lot of Latex and swathe her body in crystals in the name of fabulousness. There have been pantless Dior moments, fluffy feathered Nicklas Skovgaard hotpants and matching bonnets, whispers of red Nensi Dojaka gowns, and Atsuko Kudo rubber dresses to squeak around dancefloors in. Each one hit a sassy mark for the die-hard navy jumper wearer whose lifelong quest is to find the perfect pair of Levi’s, not dabble in the naked dress trend.
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There may have been a catalyst for Chung’s flirtatious new chapter. A chance encounter in Kudo’s Latex treasure trove on a rainy day in London led to Alexa commissioning a Kim Kardashian-esque dress inspired by Wong Kar-wai’s exquisite In the Mood for Love. Worn with matching blush-pink gloves and diamond earrings at her party, Chung’s kinky couture had substance as well as sass. But that’s Alexa all over – even her shirts are inspired by Jane Birkin; her neck scarves by Grey Gardens.
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“Some days I feel 80, some days I feel 18,” she told Vogue while dishing out 40 pearls of wisdom on her birthday. If there’s a certain exuberance to her looks now – check out her recent Belmond train sojourn from Paris to Venice for a wardrobe worthy of Murder on the Orient Express – she might be swaddled in fantastic knitwear next week. A woman after our own hearts, her parting message was a reminder to try things and not give two hoots about what anyone thinks: “Be kind, be honest and, above all, don’t let the patriarchy get you into a spiral about turning 40” – whether you’re wearing that slinky rubber or a sensible crew-neck.
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