Alexa Chung's Madewell Collaboration Is Full of Fall's Biggest Trends
Alexa Chung is an It girl—we don't have to tell you that. The bona fide style icon and internet personality has been taking over our feeds (or, if you're an OG fan, our Tumblr dashboards) for over a decade at this point. So, naturally, when Madewell announced it was teaming up with Chung for a seasonally appropriate collaboration, nostalgia was already a part of the conversation.
The first installment of the Madewell x Alexa Chung collaboration, which launches today, feels like a product of a past, romanticized time. Mod details and '70s-inspired suede silhouettes lay the groundwork for the 14-piece womenswear capsule. Inspired directly by Chung's ever-evolving style, long-line coats, classic denim silhouettes, and retro miniskirts all steal the show—especially the suede pieces that emphasize one of this season's biggest trends.
The latest launch between Chung and the American label comes 14 years after their first collaboration in 2010—another seasonally apt, similarly coveted fall collection where Chung served as the brand's "original muse."
"This is a very tranquil, quite plain, back-to-basics thing," Chung told The New York Times regarding the launch. Unlike her previous self-titled brand, the pieces from the Madewell collaboration are far more approachable and versatile. "It's far less personality than I had in my brand, which was quite wacky at times. This is sedate. A palate-cleanse situation."
Although Chung has been on my personal Pinterest board since I first gained fashion consciousness as a quiet and shy middle schooler, her original aesthetic has been plastered across social media for the last few months—mainly due to the rise of 2010s indie sleaze. While the Madewell collaboration doesn't quite hit those raunchy, cringe-worthy mid-2000s moments, elements of suede and mod green make it more akin to the underground movement's cooler, wiser older sister. Maybe we'll be having a mellow indie girl fall, perhaps? I, for one, am all for it.
Below, shop the full range of the Madewell x Alexa Chung collaboration, launching in stores and online today, September 4. Run—don't walk—to get these before they sell out. I have a sneaky suspicion they will soon.
Kelly Rutherford wears the Alexa Chung for Madewell Double-Breasted Blazer Overcoat in Suede ($850).
Christie Tyler wears the Alexa Chung for Madewell Double-Breasted Blazer in Suede. ($498)
Shop more pieces from the Madewell x Alexa Chung collaboration:
Ana Escalante is an award-winning journalist and Gen Z editor whose work ranges from dissecting size inclusivity at fashion week to discussing how American Girl Doll meme accounts are the the answer to society's collective spiral. She's covered it all: Queen Elizabeth II's corgis, Roe v. Wade frontline protests, and the emergence of jorts (or jean shorts for the uninitiated). At Who What Wear, Ana is responsible for delivering smart, insightful, personality-driven shopping guides and trend features for a digital-first generation.Before joining Who What Wear, Ana was Glamour magazine's editorial assistant, where she focused on daily news and special packages, including leading the brand's 2022 Met Gala coverage. For more than half a decade, she has covered style, beauty, and digital culture for publications such as Paper magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue Japan, and Allure, among others. Ana has been called a rising star in media by publications such as Nylon and Teen Vogue. (Her mother, meanwhile, calls her "the coolest person" she knows.)
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