Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more
Yesterday, Alexa Chung made her much-anticipated designer debut at London Fashion Week with a collection inspired by her own personal sense of style.
One might think that Chung would have been imbued with confidence as she displayed her sartorial creations during the most fashionable event in the capital.
However, the model-turned-designer revealed that she’s no stranger to 'imposter syndrome ', a feeling of inadequacy that affects many people in all walks of life.
“It’s not exclusive to fashion, I’ve felt it with everything I’ve done,” Chung told BBC News
“Writing for Vogue , that’s a huge imposter syndrome. Television, every day before we went live, I’d be like, ‘am I equipped to do this? I don’t know’.”
When a person has imposter syndrome, they often feel as though they don’t deserve their achievements and that others may perceive them as being a "fraud".
Last year, a study discovered that around a third of millennials experience imposter syndrome at work, with two thirds admitting that the lack of confidence that they feel may have had a negative impact on their career.
While Chung may sometimes doubt her abilities, she believes that having imposter syndrome can sometimes work to your advantage.
“I think it’s a good thing to be aware of or to feel about yourself, because it allows you to still be open to learning, it means you’re more curious about other people and how their journeys have happened,” she said.
“Also, if you’re egotistical and think you definitely deserve to be doing this then maybe you won’t be progressing or evolving.”
Show all 33 1 /33London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Alexa Chung cements her status as a true street style pro with this quirky ensemble. Candyfloss-coloured trimmings peak through her camel overcoat while black ankle socks give the model-turned-designer's look a schoolgirl chic vibe.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Nobody does stripped-back chic better than British Vogue's deputy editor, Sarah Harris. Renowned for her classic style that is completely fuss-free, the fashion aficionado paired her high-waisted leather trousers with a simple white T-shirt. Even without the bells and whistles of kooky prints, colours and jewellery, Harris manages to look impeccably on trend.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Millennial pink might’ve peaked last summer, but the buoyant bubblegum shade is far from being banished to sartorial Siberia. Pastels are traditionally synonymous with summer, but the dusky hue has been given an autumnal twist here thanks to a belted wool coat and pleated silk skirt.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style British Vogue's former fashion director knows how to to style prints better than anyone in the biz. Lucinda Chambers offsets the gawdy print of her dress with white skater shoes and a matching over-the-shoulder satchel.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Boiler suits are a perennial favourite among the fashion week set. It’s tiring work, dashing around from show to show while finding regular spots to re-caffeinate, and the perfect outfit must accommodate all that moving and shaking without compromising on style. Hence, the boiler suit: comfortable and sleek, it has the potential to dazzle depending on what colour you choose. Here, the electric blue is all sorts of eye-popping.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Did this street styler just step off the set of 'Legally Blonde 4'? Or was it 'Clueless 2'? Frankly, a tartan two-piece makes you susceptible to both assumptions. Worn here with white cat eye shades and a pastel pink handbag, this outfit exudes nostalgic charm.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style If you want to go all-red-everything, let it be learned that the addition of white ruffled sleeves will do wonders to offset accusations of tonal monotony.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style You can’t deny the rock 'n' roll appeal of a leather jacket and jeans combo. However, the look can verge on the wrong side of scruff if the fabrics are tired and the silhouette is clunky. Model Alanna Arrington commits neither sartorial sin, pairing her pastel high-waisted jeans with boyish white kicks and a plunging leotard in a look that oozes ‘cool girl’ femininity.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style If the sun wore a dress, this would be it. The pussybow neck and floaty silhouette would wade through London’s grittiest streets with goddess-like grace.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style A pleated skirt really isn’t complete if there isn’t a belted tailored jacket to be worn over the top. With spirals of black on white on the bottom and a simple pair of white cat eye shades on top, this ensemble is pure, monochromatic magic.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style White polo-necks are set for a resurgence this autumn, and this street styler clearly got the memo. Basket bags might be more typically sported on the beach, but they are no less effective when worn in mid-September, particularly when they’re gloriously globular.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style (Turkish) blue is the warmest colour in this simple ensemble. The slick tailoring could seem jarringly formal were it not for this street styler’s box-fresh kicks. Combined with a short shoulder-strap bag, he strikes the smart/casual balance with aplomb.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style A long-sleeved mesh top is the ultimate wardrobe staple for any 90s fan - and this look is peak 90s from top to bottom. The black leather bum bag is complemented by that mustard tartan jumpsuit, but the look reaches nostalgia Nirvana via those small angular shades, a classic shape from the era.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style How does one accessorise with a bright gold, waist-cinching, mid-length trench coat? With matching gold earrings, purple Burberry socks and silver kitten heels, of course. It’s hard to know what to focus on when looking at this bold outfit, with each element as equally striking as the next.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style If fashion-lover Cruella de Vil was to make an appearance at London Fashion Week, she’d probably decide to wear an ensemble similar to this one (although, more cruelly made). Here fashion blogger and model Erika Boldrin wears an oversized animal print jacket by Canadian luxury fashion house Ports 1961, accessorising with a black Charles Keith bucket bag.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Fashion stylist Pear Chimma clearly enjoys experimenting with different colour block combinations, having previously been photographed at London Fashion Week wearing a variety of bright summer colours including lime green, orange and coral pink. Here she’s opted for more of an oceanic vibe, donning different shades of blue with a grass green coat on top.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style The beaded bag is currently having quite a moment in fashion, having appeared on the shelves of a number of high street stores over the course of the summer. Here, the red checkered sleeves and matching red, strappy kitten heels add a daring touch to this chic, sophisticated outfit.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Nothing beats a combination of stunning prints being worn with the utmost confidence. Here, this forest green, floral jacket matches perfectly with these paisley-patterned, high-waisted trousers. To top it all off, this woman has elevated her ensemble to the next level with a large Gucci Marmont shoulder bag, which retails at £1,790, and a Gucci wool jacquard scarf.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style London Fashion Week is always awash with a grand array of colours, prints and spectacular outfits. However, sometimes it’s nice to strip things back and raise the fashion stakes by taking a more simple approach. Here Yoyo Cao, fashion entrepreneur and social media star, epitomises sophistication in an all-black outfit, wearing a black top and skirt by Exhibit and accessorising with a bucket bag and pointed boots, both by Charles Keith.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Jessie Bush has taken the complete opposite approach to Yoyo Cao, amalgamating all sorts of prints and colours for a very dynamic look. The photographer’s dress, designed by Hofmann Copenhagen, has been described as being a “meeting between urban and safari”. Bush accessorises with Prada sunglasses, a Manu Atelier handbag and Eytys trainers.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Here, model and DJ Sita Abellan seems to have taken inspiration from her childhood days, styling her hair in cute pigtails and having her nails decorated with smiley face stickers and gummy bears by New York nail artist Mei Kawajiri. Her orange and yellow dress, designed with puff sleeves and a neck ruffle, contrasts with her blue hair and bright pink handbag.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Landiana Cerciu, contributor for Schön! Magazine, was all smiles as she made an appearance at this year’s London Fashion Week. Here she wears a dress by Flori de ie, a fashion house that takes inspiration from traditional Romanian dress. Cerciu matches the red tassels attached to the waistline of the skirt with a red bra designed by Uniconf Lenjerie.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style With this outfit, it’s all in the details. From afar, it looks like a beautifully put-together, stylish ensemble. However, when looking at it up close, it’s even more ornate than one may realise. The mirrored embellishment on the shoes, the lip and star motifs on the skirt and the dazzling brooch all coalesce seamlessly for an overall dazzling finish.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Fashion designer and stylist Louise Xin was definitely ready to make a statement when she put this ensemble together for London Fashion Week. Here she wears a bold comic strip printed Prada trench coat, an eye-catching Off White belt and extravagant, embellished Miu Miu sunglasses as she takes to the streets of the capital.
Photo by Saira MacLeod/Rex Features
London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style If you thought that the days of double denim ended after Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake's famous joint appearance at the 2001 American Music Awards, then you were clearly mistaken. With the combination of this denim flat cap, brown lipstick and flared jeans, it's clear that the influence of 1990s and early noughties fashion has prevailed.
Photo by Saira MacLeod/Rex Features
London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style What better way to stand out from the crowd than by donning an elegant, baroque patterned suit paired with a chic cut-out bra and bold black lip? This goth-inspired look is fully embracing the warming colours of autumn.
Photo by Saira MacLeod/Rex Features
London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Who says spring and summer colours are solely reserved for the warmer months? Fashion stylist Pear Chimma pairs a lime green coat with an orange and coral Irada ensemble, channeling the 1960s with her pink-tinted cat eye glasses.
Photo by Saira MacLeod/Rex Features
London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Leopard print and fuchsia go together like wine and chocolate: indulgent enough to make a statement alone, but electrifying when combined. Here, the wool coat and billowing maxi dress evoke a perfect synergy with a pleasing 'Absolutely Fabulous' flamboyance.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Cycling shorts beguiled and bewildered this summer, as the likes of Bella Hadid, Hailey Baldwin and Kendall Jenner all donned the sportswear staple as a bona fide fashion item without so much as a pedal in sight. Worn here with an oversized baroque white shirt and marigold-tinted shades, it's clear that there's nothing sporty about those slim-fitting shorts.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Look closely and you'll spot the true star among this stylish tandem: avocado socks. Yes, avocado socks. Because this is a person and not a brunch menu, the shoes are latex boots, not pieces of toast, though wouldn't that be something? While the tin foil jacket and varying shades of green are commendable, with those socks, everything pales in comparison.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style Top hats possess a certain pizazz that extends beyond magic circles. Here, this street styler demonstrates how one can be the cherry on top of an already fairly eccentric ensemble, complete with a sunshine yellow shirt and an extravagant necklace.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style If you fancy yourself a part of the fashion crowd, all you need is a pair of super slim sunglasses perched on top of your nose - not over your actual eyes, obviously. This creates illusions of grandeur which, when paired with a deep violet jacket and wide-leg pinstripe trousers, oozes sophistication of the highest degree.
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London Fashion Week 2018: Best street style If you want to make your tartan shine, pair it with another chequered pattern in the style of this savvy street styler. Subtle slivers of orange permeate throughout, adding a coordinated underbelly to what may at first seem like a a fairly chaotic ensemble.
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Chung’s collection, titled 'Arrivals and Departures', took inspiration from the transitory nature of airports, featuring a variety of holiday and casual wear.
“What’s interesting to me is there’s this place where people from literally all around the world in one hallway are all expressing themselves, be it in the most casual form or whatever,” the designer said in regard to her interest in airport fashion.
“That’s quite interesting to me, because when you do spot someone that’s looking really dapper in an airport you’re like, ‘wow, total image commitment’. So we started thinking about that."
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