Alexa Chung Talks Madewell, Indie Sleaze & the One Met Gala Look She Regrets

Alexa Chung is aware of the current indie sleaze obsession, the one that has Zoomers who were still on the bottle back in the aughts and 2010s dressing like the cast of Skins and ditching AirPods for its wired ancestors. The proto-influencer is content with her place in nostalgia culture, despite being only 40 years old. “We had the time of our lives,” Chung tells W of her days partying with Harley Viera-Newton at Sway while getting photographed by Cobrasnake. She only hopes those replicating the look of the era are having just as much fun as she did.

But if those smudged eyeliner-wearing, Nikon-toting hipster hopefuls think Chung’s new collaboration with Madewell—out today—will mark a return to her former aesthetic, they should stick to buying old American Apparel on Depop. Back in 2010, Chung released her first collection with the denim-forward brand, a true time capsule made up of velvet mini dresses with Peter Pan collars and cuffed skinny jeans. Now, almost 15 years later, the designs have matured with Chung, and this new collection lives squarely in the year 2024, with the perfect straight-leg jeans, chambray shirts, and that Americana edge sweeping fashion right now. Below, Chung discusses her reverence for the 2010s and the Nora Ephron advice she wishes she followed in her twenties.

You have a very long history with Madewell. Can you tell me a little bit about it?

Madewell, my awkward ex [laughs]. We met and fell in love in 2010. It was the first fashion line I had ever done and it was quite rare at the time. They took a bold leap of faith to work with me, someone who was just bobbing around wearing clothes. But it worked quite well in the end and we ended up doing a couple collaborations together.

Let’s discuss those first collections with Madewell. They were quintessentially 2010.

There’s so much from those first collections that I still stand by and love, and then there are other elements that really speak to that era. I used to doodle a lot and some of the T-shirts have my doodles on them. There was one shirt we made that had a bat with the word, “Hello” across the chest, and for years it was ripped off. It became a Brooklyn emblem.

Okay, let’s fast forward 15 years. Tell me about this new collection.

I closed my own label [in 2022] and was recently saying to friends that I would still love to make denim again. That was the main thing I missed from being able to create under my own company. Then, Madewell reached out and asked, “Would you like to make some things again?” and they said I could do denim.

This collection is definitely a much more grown-up version of where we last left off. It’s true to the type of wardrobe I am seeking out now, which is more pared-down. We were conscious of what people actually want to wear and hold onto for a long time, so I was looking at the classics. Trying to nail the perfect jeans in the perfect wash—that was important to me.

Let’s get into some Style Notes questions. For years, your style journey has been on display for the world to see. Do you ever look back at images and cringe a little?

I definitely cringe. I get punked on Instagram quite a lot. People tag me in old pictures of myself, but often it’s less the clothes, and more my hair. I don’t know why I spent so long with such a bad haircut. It just straight up didn’t suit me, so that keeps me awake at night.

Also, the dorkiness of my style bums me out. I don’t know why I spent the prime of my life trying to look completely sexless. That boggles the mind a little bit. Maybe I was so confident that I was hot shit, and I was like, “Ho ho, this is ironic.” But really, I was more like, “Please don’t look at me,” or “Please pay attention to my brain.” Anyway, the hot years are over. It’s like that Nora Ephron quote: “Get the bikini out and run to the nearest beach if you’re under the age of 26.”

Or “Youth is wasted on the young.”

I did know that I was wasting my youth, but I really wanted to look like a grandma. I found that funny. I liked dressing against expectations. It was a subtle act of rebellion.

Are there any specific looks you regret?

I think I regret some of my Met Gala looks. That’s quite a specific thing to get dressed for and you don’t actually have that much say in it. I think there was a year when I carried a rabbit bag. Why did I have to carry around a rabbit? Why can’t I just be a grownup?

You’ve previously talked about indie sleaze, a popular trend of the past few years inspired by 2010s style. You’re really the face of that look for many people. Is it weird to already be part of nostalgia culture at 40?

I think it’s fun. It was truly how it looks in the pictures. It’s accurate to describe it as indie. I don’t know about the sleaze, but definitely indie, because it was a collection of people who came together around a particular music scene. I’m happy to see that happening again now if it means there’s a particular music scene that’s kicking off. But I hope it’s not just the aesthetics being borrowed without the fun bit. Everyone was wasted and having the best time ever, so I just hope everyone’s still having a great time.

Back to the present day—what are you obsessing over at the moment?

A gray cable-knit sweater and black loafers from The Row. I’m really into big necklaces. There’s this Sophie Buhai one I borrowed for a shoot that you can put flowers in, which I love. I’m trying to look like a 70-year-old Belgian architect in the ’70s. Like, “I went on an archeological dig and I found this and I tied it to a rope and bronzed it.” I’m in that phase.