Alexa Chung: A Style Appraisal

The other day my friend Madelyn and I went to a taping of It's On with Alexa Chung, that new MTV show that sort of replaced TRL. If you've heard of the show, you're probably going to think I'm here to praise Alexa Chung for being stylish and fabulous. But I'm not, because while she's undeniably adorable and charming and I would love to be BFF with her, I'm just not a fan of her style. Here's what she wore on the taping I went to (it was on Tuesday the 14th, the episode with Kevin Connolly, All-American Rejects (the lead singer of which could also use some style guidance, or a shower and a long trip to rehab), and Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black):Look at those shoes! Ridiculous! And that dress looks pretty cute, but in person it looked rather shapeless and drab. I did love her disco ball necklace, which was Erickson Beamon for Target. So while I appreciate that Alexa Chung has a unique style and is willing to take fashion risks, many of which she pulls off, I would never want to switch closets with her. She wears leather leggings. She probably thinks TopShop is fantastic. Enough said.

But before I move on to the point of this blog entry, I need to praise the hapless intern or whoever that is writing the Style File entries on the MTV Buzzworthy blog. For every episode, she posts a picture of Alexa and names the brand of every item, and then posts a few cheaper look-a-likes that you can find online or at your local mall. Genius! For that grey minidress above, the blogger suggested three similar dresses: two of which looked pretty similar to what Alexa wore, and one that didn't really but is WAY cuter. From Rugby, this Cable Crewneck Dress is just $54.99 and is the kind of dress you'll wear every fall for the next ten years. Yes, of course, you can't wear it now unless you happen to live in Australia--but for those of us who can be patient, it's a great buy.




Ok, you guys, I may have to take back what I said about not wanting Alexa Chung's closet. I've been going back through the Buzzworthy Style Files blog, and there is some major cuteness to be found.
I would loooove to get my hands on this Kova&T dress and French Connection cardigan. Worn on June 18th.


On June 30th, Alexa wore this charming and flirty vintage dress, and a necklace that she bought herself on St. Mark's Place! The blogger recommends this silver silk Thread Social dress as a similar match--at $275, it's way out of my price range, but I'm lusting for it nonetheless.

I find that my favorite items worn by Alexa often come from her own closet; for example, this cream and black piped blazer is hers, and it's classy perfection. I like how she makes it more funky with a lived-in t-shirt and skinny jeans, plus some major shoes. Worn on June 29th.

I know that plaid shirts are both out of season (although I can vouch that it's very, very cold in the MTV studios) and possibly out of style, but Alexa looks adorably casual in her own plaid men's style button-down on June 24th. And those gorgeous two-tone Mary Jane heels are from Chanel, of course.

From June 23rd: I'm not crazy about her striped shirt (the colors are a bit ugly, no?), but I heartily approve of her chunky rosette necklace from Tuleste Market. The blog suggests recreating it with the Clustered Gold Rosette necklace, $330; I'm not usually a chunky necklace type of girl, but I'd definitely make an exception for this bad boy.

Ok, this is the last outfit, and then I'm done:
Alexa really knocked it out of the park on June 25th. Vena Cava bustier dress, Rebecca Taylor cardigan, and Kathyrn Amberleigh shoes. The grey shoes work perfectly with the colors of the dress, and there's some cream on the bottom half of the dress that matches the cardigan. It's a classy, grown-up outfit, far superior to the typical L train outfit (for non-New Yorkers: The L train goes into Williamsburg, Brooklyn and is where you see the most offensively hip hipsters). It's almost something I could see Charlotte York wearing, but it has Alexa's own original spin. I also like how she completely forwent the accessories, excepting a ring or two. It's simple, it's elegant, it's lovely... and I now have to take back everything mean I said about her style.

Let Us Now Praise Charlotte York

You guys have seen the Sex and the City movie already, right? If you haven't (don't worry, no spoilers), than you definitely should. It's not great art, but it is a lot of fun. Mostly, I just enjoyed seeing the four girls and being in their world again. And there's not much I can say about the fashion that hasn't already been said (I heard my mother say the word "fug" for the first time when describing a pair of Carrie's shoes), but I do feel that the time has come for me to explain why my blog name is Julia York. Charlotte York-Goldenblatt is definitely not the most sartorially adventurous of the girls, but she's easily the most consistently well-dressed. In almost every scene she's in, she makes me say, "I love Charlotte's dress! I want it!" Really, pretty much my goal in life is to recreate Charlotte's wardrobe.

I couldn't find photos of all of my favorites (why the fuck has no one put together a website that catalogs every single outfit worn on the show? Or better yet, a book? The official SATC series book-- yes, I own it-- does not do justice to Charlotte's fashion perfection), but here are a few classic Charlotte looks.

Season 2, episode 7, The Chicken Dance: Charlotte tells the girls, "At every wedding I've been like, 'No, don't look at me, look at the bride.' But this time, people are going to look at ME!" People gave Charlotte guff for being a bit risque (the dress was backless), but when Carrie was wearing a dress whose skirt was basically wisps of fabric, Charlotte was practically dressed like a nun. A super hot, super sexy, totally classy nun.

I'm always really cautious about wearing prints, but Charlotte knowns how to do it right. This combination takes the foofy out of florals and the optical illusion out of checkerboard. It's fun, but doesn't come off as too busy or overwhelm her. Cute peach purse, too.

Talk about WASP-y perfection (I think that I tend to overuse the word "perfection" when talking about Charlotte, but I can't help it). The pearls, the martini, the shiny hair, and the elegant black dress with that sporty green band at the top.


This outfit shows off Charlotte's great figure-- she has such a fantastic waistline. She somehow manages to make a tweed Ralph Lauren jacket look totally sexy.

This ruffled corset is by Ralph Lauren too, and sure, it may be a little dramatic for cocktail hour. But as a girl whose dreamed of the day she'll get an opportunity to wear a corset as a top, this outfit is heaven. I also love how underplayed her accessories are-- just the dangly earrings and her luminous skin.


More cute prints! I don't know what it is about Kristen Davis that makes her able to pull off even the busiest of prints, but she absolutely does.

Hello, Old Hollywood Movie Star/ Film Noir Femme Fatale! Why is this woman making movies where Tim Allen turns into a dog and not the hugely acclaimed and adored actress she needs to be? No woman this gorgeous should be forced to pretend to be attracted to Tim Allen.

And finally, we have the photo I've chosen as my Blogger profile pic, because it captures both one of my favorite Charlotte outfits and favorite SATC moments. Fresh from the heartbreak of a miscarriage, Charlotte gains inspiration from the example of Elizabeth Taylor and gets out of her pajamas and into this gorgeous pink dress (you can't see the black belt). She looks like Audrey Hepburn incarnate. Sometimes I think this is the closest to perfection that any human being will achieve.

I would say that at least 7 out of 10 Carrie outfits make me say "WTF?" but occasionally she gets it right.


If you're going to see your ex who you're determined not to get involved with, maybe you shouldn't wear such a lovely, feminine dress. But hey, when did Carrie ever make a sensible sartorial decision?

I've always adored pinstripes, and this Vivienne Westwood suit is an incredible take on a classic business print. Carrie looks so classy and polished, yet fashion-forward: exactly what you want to wear for your first day as a Vogue writer.


Carrie always had the best vintage sundresses, and this white number is no exception. The umbrella is a little foo-foo (it's called sunscreen, and anyway, you already look about 95 years old, so that ship has probably sailed). I seriously covet this dress and the effortless way she's wearing it.


There was a point in the third season where hair and makeup finally learned how to make SJP look beautiful (too bad it didn't take long for them to forget). There were a lot of episodes where Carrie would be standing around in some fugly outfit with gross frizzy hair and bad makeup, and a cute guy would be like, "You are gorgeous, I must ask you out immediately!" But in this episode, where she meets Aiden, you can see why he not only gave her that chair at a discount but asked for her number. She's glowing, the shiny curls are lovely, and even that flower pin looks fresh and new. How can something so right go so wrong....
Ack! This outfit always makes me scream in revulsion-- it may be the most offensive thing I've ever seen, and I used to watch the Howard Stern Show. I don't care if that top is Chanel, it's hideous, and those tie-dyed jeans and stupid do-rag make it even fuglier than I would have though possible. This episode, Hot Child in the City, is one of my favorites despite the overdone "We act like high schoolers!" theme, but this outfit? Inexcusable.

I don't want to end on such an abominable note, so here's one more taste of Charlotte. It's simple, sure. But I'd rather be accused of being boring than be mistaken for a circus clown.