How Alexa Chung’s Unique Sense Of Style Changed Fashion Forever

There was TikTok, there was Tumblr, and before there was Tumblr, there was Alexa Chung. The British model and TV presenter was, unquestionably, the ‘It’ girl of all the It girls during the height of the fashion blogging era, the unequivocal darling of the blogosphere and the fashion world at large. Between the years 2009 and 2015, Chung steadily dominated the industry, captivating the hearts of the fashion-forward across the entire world for all those years.

Today, Chung continues to be one of the most venerable icons in the industry—in part thanks to her style that, through its evolution has remained, at its core, authentic, feminine and effortlessly cool from the start. But also due to the rich history of this model turned author turned designer’s career, and the indelible mark she has made on fashion to a historical degree. In fact, dare we say that Alexa Chung, and Alexa Chung alone, altered the trajectory of fashion from the mid noughties till now, more than any other person ever did on their own.

To truly understand Chung’s influential grasp on the fashion world, one must credit the model’s charm, eccentricity and down-to-earth-ness that set her apart from the rest of the style set at that time—and it was this same approach that informed the iconic wardrobe that defined her style during the height of her fame.

With an original touch of the frazzled English woman trend, combined with a commitment to low-maintenance femininity and a touch of vintage whimsy, Chung was the first It girl to truly champion the kinds of motifs that have swiftly come back into fashion today—stockings, over-the-top lace detail, headbands, bows, ballet flats and, when she wasn’t dressed up, the casual-chic French girl off-duty look that we all know and love. To put it simply, Chung walked so designers like Simone Rocha and Sandy Liang could run.