Alexa Chung: ​“Labubus? I think we all need to grow up”

Taken from the autumn 25 issue of THE FACE. Get your copy here.

Hi Alexa! How are you? How did you sleep last night?

I’m good. I slept well, actually. Which is rare.

Why did you sleep better than usual?

Because I downed a bottle of white wine. My friend and I usually drink red, so I deliberately drank white so I would want less of it. I think that might be the lucky formula.

What’s been the highlight of your summer?

Oasis at Wembley. I thought it would be quite laddy and rowdy, but it felt more akin to some kind of spiritual experience.

Did you dust your bucket hat off for the gig?

I genuinely live in a bucket hat most of the time, much like Liam. I just wore jeans and a T‑shirt for the gig, though. I’m suddenly finding gig dressing so repulsive. I want to be Anita Pallenberg and turn up in hot pants, but anything vaguely groupie-related makes me wanna hurl. I almost dress anti-gig. I’ll wear things that look like you’re already out and about shopping.

What can’t you stop wearing right now?

I bought a pair of Phoebe Philo shoes. I never really know what size I am, but these fit perfectly. I wear them all the time, and I need to take them off because it’s getting weird.

Do you wear them in the shower?

Not yet. That sounds quite nice, though Maybe I’ll wear my JW Anderson frog clogs in the shower and it’ll be liberating.

What’s your favourite brand of cigarettes?

Camel Blue, but American Camel Blues, not English ones. But then, I will accept one if I’m in the UK. Silk Cut – absolutely not happening for me. Forget it. American Spirit is, like, too meaty. You feel like you’ve just had some haggis. I don’t like Vogues, but I’ll do it. I believe they’re called ​“bitch sticks”. Just in terms of the ring gauge, the girth… it’s not right. So Camel Blue. We call them ​“creamies”, because they taste quite creamy.

You’re a sentient fashion barometer. Who do you turn to for style advice?

No one.

You don’t have anyone that you text when you can’t decide what to wear to a party?

Absolutely not. I don’t think I’ve ever texted anyone about outfits. If I have, it’s only so I can pretend to be normal.

Do you reckon being an ​“It-girl” carries the same weight it used to?

I wouldn’t know. But I think people strive for it these days – back then, and it’s hard to explain, but it was less of a compliment. I like my It-girls to be hard to define, bringing a new energy exactly of the moment, but also completely modern. Chloë Sevigny did that. Same with Kate Moss. You have to have that intangible magic streak, to feel like you’ve been zoomed down from the future.

Who’s carrying the It-girl torch these days?

Addison Rae. She’s very compelling, but you can’t quite figure it out.

You’ve said before you’d like to do a stint in Paris. Do you ever feel French in your head?

French people speak to me in French because they think I’m French, and that’s because I’ve given it such a big one branding-wise. I just seem French-affiliated. I’m mortified I don’t speak French.

Do you reckon that you were French in a past life?

Not really. When you speak to people about past lives, they always say they were rich or related to a queen and it’s like, we can’t all have royal family members. I’m sure, in a past life, I died in the work house. Or perished from the plague.

What are you reading right now?

I just started Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran. It’s about the gay scene in the late ​’70s, early ​’80s. There’s a line that’s like, ​“You could lose yourself, your dignity, or your contact lenses.” Contact lenses have dominated my life since I was 15 so I was like, yes! Get the lenses into the prose! Contacts are also my cross to bear. I would always know if I was secretly anticipating sleeping with someone because I would pack an extra pair of contact lenses in my bag. Alexa Chung!

Labubus: discuss.

Sofia Coppola’s daughter was talking about those. There’s an It-girl. I’m just not intrigued by or interested in Labubus, really. I’ll gratefully receive one, but I can’t say I’d keep it. I think we all need to grow up.

Any fashion predictions for us?

We are seconds away from a pirate boot.