Alexa Chung Just Admitted Why She Will Never Change Her Hair And Make-Up Again
Alexa Chung dials in from Scotland, several hours before the Dior Cruise 2025 show starts at 8pm, taking part in what we both agree is an elite way to spend an afternoon. Salad, fries, and a Diet Coke enjoyed in a divine hotel room that exceeds expectations.
'Scotland is so chronically gorgeous,' Chung tells ELLE UK over the phone, admiring the surroundings of The Gleneagles Hotel before she heads to Drummond Castle for Maria Grazia Chiuri's next Dior Cruise show.
This is, of course, far from Chung's first fashion show but the thrill of being invited to such an event still brings the excitement and gratefulness of a first-timer. 'It's such a privilege to be at one of the big shows from one of the most enduring houses,' she admits.
'I have to remind myself of that. This morning when I was leaving to go to Scotland, my boyfriend said "That's amazing." It's such a beautiful and iconic brand, so I think it will be really special,' she adds.
The TV presenter has become especially acquainted with the house in the last few years, attending shows and wearing Dior pieces regularly. 'If you're looking for the perfect tailored jacket, then it's my go-to,' Chung says. 'The Bar jacket is just iconic. I often feel like a more sort of grown-up, sophisticated version of myself [in Dior]. I think it maybe is the original "clean girl" brand.'
Chung had hoped that the house would have applied its own precision and craftsmanship with that of local specialists. 'I hope they've been sympathetic to local Scottish skill sets and I also hope they're bringing in things like tweed, kilts and beautiful fabrics,' she shares.
Chung's hopes came true. The collection was littered with references to its setting, with much inspiration coming from Mary, Queen of Scots, and especially Clare Hunter’s 2023 biography, Embroidering her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power, which looked at the Queen's love of needlework, also seen throughout the collection.
Chung's look, however, called upon more masculine influences with her full Dior ensemble comprised of hot pants, a velvet overcoat, Mary Janes and a monogram top-handle bag. 'It's sort of giving me a King James the Fifth of Scotland vibe,' she laughs.
An arbiter of personal taste, which has then shaped a generation's, Chung's look went against the grain of usual celebrity dressing to have a more personal touch. Rather than wearing a full catwalk outfit presented to her by the house of Dior, Chung went about selecting from different looks to bring together a perfectly 'her' ensemble that, she admits, 'I just thought it would be really cute.'
'I totally understand that for commercial purposes it's really important to represent the catwalk look in real life,' Chung explains. 'But at the same time, I think what makes clothes so fun and interesting is how people interpret things. So, taking runway stuff and re-organising them into something that you think really wearable for you is part of the fun. I tend not to do a head-to-toe. I feel like it's weird that someone else has put it together.'
No look is complete without glam and Chung has come to a realisation of late. 'Oh, the glam will be the same [as always],' she admits, making a slick of Rouge Dior lipstick in shade 999 the centrepiece. 'I just keep getting pictures taken of myself where my hair and makeup is quite weird. And then I wonder "Why did I do that?"’
'Also there's no pictures on the internet of me and my boyfriend looking nice because every time we've been photographed together, we're at weird events and I've got really weird hair. If [the media is] going to keep writing something about me and Tom, I want them to have a picture where I don't look like a freak anymore, with more normal hair and makeup,' she says.
Since she entered the public eye almost 20 years ago, Chung has become a champion, and perhaps, even the definitive of what can best summarise a contemporary approach to British style, but there's always been a touch of the Gallic influence. Of course, I had to ask her about the fashion fable that is 'French girl style'.
'There is that sort of magic thing about French style or the illusion of it that I totally fall for,' Chung admits. 'And even if it's not real and it's just like imagined by people, it's still a really seductive concept.'
Comparing it to how Brits get dressed, Chung shared that part of its appeal comes from the effortless perfectionism and 'the idea that you have these neighbours that are just across the way and yet they have this kind of elusive quality where they're doing something a bit better than you, but I think we borrow a lot from each other. I think the British are still really good at practicality first.'
'I feel like there's an irony and a humour to the way that we dress that the French aren't necessarily in on, which means that they're able to be a bit more directly on the nose with lingerie or like a lacy top being sexy on a first date. There's no qualms about that for them.'
For Chung it's the mix of mixing homegrown influences and practicalities with that effortless approach that runs through the DNA of Dior, even to this day. 'That's why it's interesting when you kind of mix the two, because you've got that juxtaposition, which then creates this interesting, weird mix-up style. French girls are great at making the best of their assets or hiding the worst, whereas we're more inclined to go all-in on a trend, even if it doesn't necessarily suit us just because we're like "LOL"'.
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