We feel the same way about It, as we do about cigs. Meh.
If you’re “interested in fashion” to any degree, you must have at least heard of Alexa Chung, if not developed an obsession with the British babe. Her credentials are legit: regular model for Vogue and other high-end fashion publications, three-time winner of the prestigious British Style Award, and namesake of Mulberry’s adorable (and expensive!) Alexa handbag, to name a few. It also doesn’t hurt that she has a face as captivating as a Monet, a body that could make a burlap sack look chic, and a personal style worth envying. So, when we grabbed a copy of It, Alexa’s first book released earlier this fall, we prepared ourselves for a much-anticipated look into the mind of the person Teen Vogue once hailed as “the Kate Moss of this new generation”.
To say that we were disappointed would be an understatement. If one were being trite, one could say there’s nothing to It (we had to). Solely judging the book by its cover, as we have long been cautioned not to do, we could write you a different story than the one that unfolds. The book itself is beautiful; bound in pale pink linen with thick, smooth pages that make it a tactile pleasure to hold them between your fingers. The content, however, is far from inspiring. The 190-odd pages of the book are split into two main categories. There are the artsy pictures of Alexa and her friends looking fab at festivals, fashion shows and life-in-general (which they manage to make look effortless, admittedly), along with photos of style icons throughout the ages like Edie Sedgwick and Twiggy. The other half is a mix of trifling anecdotes, obvious fashion tips and descriptions of the above-mentioned photos. Mick Jagger is cool? Look in a mirror before you leave the house? White tees are classic must-haves? Come on, Alexa: are you going to tell us the sky is blue next?
There are some moments when we see less of the look-how-cool-and-effortless-my-life-is-Alexa and are treated to something more personal, like when she writes about the insecurities that come with having a tomboyish body in the modeling world or about the perils that come with only dating lead singers. But these moments are few and far between, and are overshadowed by the ones where she’s snuggling up to Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld like the best friends they’re made out to be. It comes off less as a memoir about the author and her inspirations and more as a Pinterest board in book format. Readers are left not knowing much more about Alexa Chung than they did before they read the book, except, perhaps, that she had a horse when she was six and that she can’t live without her Burberry trench. Who knows? In a world where her every move and look is captured and analyzed by fans and detractors alike, maybe this lightness, this absence of personal detail, is purposeful and exactly what she had in mind when writing It.
Our verdict: Unless you’re in dire need of another book to litter your coffee table, take a pass. Instead, just watch a few episodes of Fuse News and check out her account on Instagram. You’ll get the same results and you won’t be thirty dollars (yikes!) poorer. You might end up regretting, well, It, otherwise.
