“IT” by Alexa Chung…

I finally got around to reading my copy of “IT” by Alexa Chung.  Ok, the word “reading” is probably a stretch as it’s hardly an in-depth novel, however I thought it was worth reviewing for those of you that may not have yet perused Miss Chung’s recent release…

I know they say ‘never judge a book by its cover’ (I do by the way) I have to say I absolutely loved the cover and the title. Not unlike the simplicity of the title, the faded pink cover and minimalistic look was actually quite alluring and would make for a beautiful coffee table book.

It oozes that “Alexa Chung effortlessly cool” vibe, and is clearly imagery focused with all the “I’m so hipster with my unedited, poorly lit, gritty, raw snaps”, however at the same time it wreaks of the publishing house and a marketing team having pulled the whole thing together with Alexa signing her name to the completed tale.

Alexa states that her book is a stream of consciousness and it takes us from her childhood to the present, giving us some insight into her style, friends, music and beauty, however I think a more accurate descriptor would be a coffee-table book jam-packed with random doodles and photos of god-only-knows-who (there are no photo descriptors or names attached to the images), nor is there flow or continuity. However I shouldn’t of expected much more than doodles and photos as I’ve since read that she told Vogue “I wrote it because I was bored and wanted to create something alongside hosting television shows”.

I know it’s sounding more and more like I didn’t like the book and that I’m solely criticising it, but in actual fact, it just left me a little unsure as to what the hell I’d just read, yet at the same time, I did find it somewhat charming and funny. I would have liked to see more glimpses of the real Alexa. For example she talks about heartbreak and admits that she once googled ‘how long does heartbreak last’, and for just a split second you start to see her as a real girl, a girl like any other – but then you turn the page and there’s a photo of “F___ you’ written in the sand, followed by an obnoxious selfie.  Again – actually kind of funny.

Upon reaching the last page of the book I found myself in the same predicament I’m in now – I didn’t love it, but I definitely didn’t hate it either, and I’m not sure what I expected, but my brain is still trying to make sense of it all.  What is your purpose “IT”?

In summary – don’t expect ‘groundbreaking’ and you wont be disappointed.  I will probably peruse it again, and will definitely leave it out as a coffee-table book and interesting conversation starter!

I’ll leave you with a few insightful things I’ve learnt from Alexa…

–  Nudity is necessity at a festival

–  Karl Lagerfeld is very, very funny!

–  How to ‘look like a groupie’ (yay, everything I’ve never wanted)

–  A guide to getting dressed – “you have to look in the mirror” (thank goodness for Alexa [see: sarcasm] all these years I’ve been getting dressed and looking in the mirror, oh wait..)

Ange x
Gurlinterrupted
A Girl Interrupted By Fashion, Beauty & Anything Pretty That Catches My Eye