Picture the year 2010: Instagram had just launched, logomania and athleisure were the dominant trends, and Alexa Chung—who had recently moved to New York City—was releasing a collaboration with Madewell.
Chung already had multiple fashion campaigns and magazine features under her belt, but 2010 was the year Mulberry released her namesake Alexa bag, right on the heels of her own MTV show, It’s On With Alexa Chung. For those looking for style inspiration both on the street and across the web as the fashion blogosphere came into being, Chung was at the center of it all, thanks to her effortless skill at mixing classic wardrobe pieces like trench coats and cable knit jumpers with Peter Pan–collared blouses and Mary Jane flats. In 2010, she was the perfect celebrity to help the still-young Madewell brand introduce itself to millennial shoppers. So maybe it’s no surprise that in 2024, Chung’s style has become a master class on how to dress for the TikTok generation, whose fashion muses range from Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy to Jane Birkin. While the 2010s were a very different decade in terms of fashion, Chung has always stayed true to her sartorial choices.
Now, 14 years after their first collaboration, Madewell has reunited with Chung for a capsule centered on one key wardrobe essential: denim. “Denim will always look good,” says Chung. “It’s such a wonderful utilitarian item to have as the backbone to a wardrobe. It’s always a problem solver for me.”
The 14-piece collection was inspired by vintage denim pieces Chung loves, as well as the timeless wardrobe staples seen in ’70s-era films such as Kramer vs. Kramer, in which Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman wear tailored classics like trench coats, white button-up shirts, and blazers. “That collection of early-’70s films, where everyone’s dressed impeccably, was quite appealing to me,” the model says. “How is it that their wardrobes don’t look dated?”
The hero piece of the collection is a pair of what Chung calls “dream jeans.” Available in two washes and made of Kaihara denim (a special Japanese fabric), they feature a high-waisted silhouette and bootcut fit inspired by Chung’s own vintage pairs. “I’m aware that denim in particular has become quite an interesting battleground for the generations,” she says. “Mom jeans aren’t for the younger kids, and low-slung flares aren’t for the older kids … so I was like, ‘What’s a democratic denim shape that will suit and cater to everyone?’ I think hopefully I’ve managed to make something that lots of people will like.”
Beyond the bootcut jean and a looser, low-slung pair of “workwear” jeans, the collection features a curated edit of denim skirts, button-up shirts, a denim dress, and a sleek trio of suede pieces, all representing Chung’s codes of style.
One favorite is a sleek denim maxi skirt featuring a high center slit and delicate whiskering for a vintage effect. Style it with the capsule’s white pleated-pocket shirt and pair it with oxford loafers à la Chung. “These are the things that don’t go out of style,” she says. “So I kind of tap in to that and make it timely. I think that’s what’s going on right now. We’ve had this kind of quiet luxury moment. We’ve had this very calm, demure, mindful way of dressing. But for me it’s that tomboyish ’70s style that takes it a bit further as well.”
Start your fall fashion shopping early with the Madewell × Alexa Chung collection below.
