Alexa Chung & What IS Indie Sleaze? Style & Handbags Feat Mulberry, Chanel, LV, Mandy Coon & More

hey guys thank you so much for joining me in another video so as you can tell based on the title well today we are talking about the style and the handbags of Alexa Chong I have been following Alexa Chong since I was my late teens probably late 2000s early 2010s but I've just been looking at her style more and more recently it's very interesting people have been talking about the rise of Indie sleev maybe this is a thing maybe just a silly Trend but I really wanted to look at this period ER of like the late 2000s early 2010s because I think she's one of those fashion figures that Define that era semi-related I did a video on Mary Kate and Ashley Olen this period late 2000s early 2010 style but I thought we would take a look at one of the OG Indie SLE girls and I think Indie SLE is one of these terms that by the way nobody ever used but it is this term that is being used to describe this era of fashion as well as the cultural side of this music scene but the Indie SAS era for those unfamiliar was this music style that really emerged in the 2000s in essence it was kind of like this period where Indie music and Electronica sort of merged that also coincided with the rise of online social media platforms be it blogging be it Myspace there was an emphasis on this party centered Lifestyle the fashion had elements of vintage be it periods in the 80s and the '90s and the' 70s very messy with undertones of sexiness it was just this blend of what was going on at the time a lot of people dressed this way and a lot of people listen to into this kind of music and adopted this style there is no one way to do Indie SAS but just to keep it relevant let's take a look at the style of I would say one of the defining fashion girls of this era there's so many ways to do Indie SAS this is just one of the many ways and one thing I will say when it comes to handbags because this was for that party girl going to clubs going to shows going to festivals there's an importance of a handbag has to weather that sort of Lifestyle there's this element of like Carefree this attitude of being very protective of your bags being too scared to use your bags babying your bags there wasn't that mentality and I think in this age where handbags are too expensive if there is this Indie SLE Revival the younger generation if there will be sort of a backlash against wanting to have such high-end expensive bags from what I'm seeing I'm seeing a lot of vintage bags when I think about Balenciaga and Mumu these brands that are kind of at the heart of these coolest bags that are capturing the moment the bags look really slouchy and smushy worn in I saw an out of one of the new Chloe bags and it just had this like really slouchy smushy look but the first bag that I want to talk about I think is appropriate that I start with the malberry Alexa namesake bag it's got that longer generous strap you can crossbody it if you like but I think the way I see Alexa Chong often wearing it is just on the shoulder looks a little bit more Indie sleev of that era unlike the Y2 2K bags that are under your armpit right there are those style bags but I think these messenger Satchel style bags are very much that and look she has this in this animal print version again animal print very popular of the time I think this totally works it's like cute little outfit that she has with the little Tea Bar Flats the cute little shorts and the top with like the frill at the bottom I just think it's so cute the next bag that I have to talk about there's a lot of Mulberry is the Mulberry baz water here we have have her with other Indie sas's icon Taylor momson look at that hair that extreme side part here we have the Mulberry baze water it just kind of has this worn in look she's got this Chanel Jacket we'll talk about Chanel but yeah there's just this kind of like blend of worn in meets cutesy here she is with the rock sandbag and then she also has the mberry Brin bag this sort of reminds me of Coach bags next we have the of course Chanel classic flap it is that Timeless forever bag from Chanel you invest in one of these bags back then it's definitely gone up in value it's probably way better quality if you got it before 2008 gold plating I think it totally works with the Lexa Chung style another bag that we have here is the Chanel reissue 255 and I'm not sure if this is in the 226 or maybe 227 size but yes back in that period there has been a trend towards smaller bags but then bigger bags sort of more recently but I think for a very long time micro and smaller bags have been trending in this period it was cool to have also a bigger bag while I wouldn't ever call this handbag Indie sleeves Chanel feels more like at this time it just had this overall like kind of cutesy vibe it was very Alexa Chung coated I would say a lot of the designs from this era and another point to note is I think there was in this period the concept of high low dress thing really emerged not only did clothes become cheaper but I also think the popularity of designer handbags that we saw in the 2000s become very normal for the masses wearing a dress from Top Shop but having a nice bag even to this day whether it be through your shoes or your accessories or your handbag and then you would wear something that didn't cost as much a top shop or something one thing that was different though was it didn't have as much of a stigma as it does today while we still see fast fashion Halls it's still pretty prominent people buying from Sheen and places like that there is just more consciousness of how problematic these fast fashion companies are more people are talking about it that's also a sign of the times where I think that era was very different from this era next we have the Chanel mini flap there's just something so cutesy about just the way Alexa Chung wore Chanel I know a lot of people say Chanel gives that Granny Vibe or I've heard people use terms like matronly or old lady terms to me that feel very agist frankly but I also think it's got this cutesy Vibe even Alexa Chung style kind of has this more like cute but like also that edge she goes to all the show she's backstage it's like sugary sweet baby doll dresses but there's still that like indie girl there it's that balance of the two cute but edgy at the same time and I think that was very much a thing that we saw with the indie s style but I also think at the time going for those vintage Vibes for it to seem like it was from your Grandma's closet or thrifted that was definitely there with this kind of style Switching gears here we have this Mandy rabbit bag again we're seeing this kind of like novelty but still like that edgy kind of look here but also cutesy Mandy is very much a part of this Indie s's World Mandy was a New York Fashion Designer she was married to James Murphy of LCD sound system one of the leading Indie Electro bands in the New York scene so next we have this Louis Vuitton Speedy it's got this very worn in vetta it's this like nice worn in Darker caramel color it's very of this time but of course it's Speedy which is one of the most classic handbags probably of all time but even with these classic bags like there's always going to be a way at which you wear it like are you going to crossbody it are you going to shoulder it are you going to wear it in up until recently a lot of people didn't want their vetta to get this worning the trend has been to have something just a slight honey color not this like deep of a brown but I think it works so well with her style next she's carrying this Louis Vuitton toiletry bag or toiletry pouch clutching it and again people say this is like an SLG you shouldn't clutch an SLG but Princess Diana Marc Jacobs famously did it next we have the Louis Vuitton flight bag Savon this bag really reminds me I would say more so of like the early 2010s when there was this trend to have contrasting prints and patterns and you could wear like a bright blue and a bright pink and a bright green or bright yellow with like a zebra print it was like cool to do that to block a color and a pattern rather than trying to find something a little bit more neutralizing it was just very Punchy and contrasting I kind of reminds me of that sort of approach to that kind of design style so next we have this Louis Vuitton leather Runway Speedy bag again kind of a speedy but then it's got that lock that like very signature I can't think of the name of the lock correct me in the comments down below next we have the Louis Vuitton Sophia Copa suede bag and this is giving Speedy Vibes a very classic shape and silhouette to me it's also worth noting while this is a very classic bag Alexa Chung silhouette very of that time again this was the era of skinny jeans maybe the waist is a little bit lower or like more of a mid to lower waist than I think what we saw towards late 2010s I would just say in general the silhouette was just closer to the body that was just kind of the style while this was very Indy sleeves it was overall became very mainstream another thing whenever I use this word Indy SAS there is this something about it even just the term hipster nobody wanted to say hey I'm a hipster you were or you weren't people might say they like like Indie music or Electro or they might go to these clubs or they might go to this coffee shop things like that as a millennial there's something about the term that just feels a little bit off or just odd to me we're kind of at this 20year trend cycle now but regardless there have been articles about this there have been documentaries about this books on this era to be fair it was definitely an era the term Indie SLE when you think of the time this name is kind of fitting what's very interesting to me is how it's being professed as like this is the next thing it's very different from back then we just didn't have the Technologies it's very interesting to me how there hashtags and even just the way Tik Tok is in general you can participate in a fashion trend a searchable core or style or whatever and you get to be a part of it online I also think there is a side of it because there are trending analytics you see even just as a content creator you see what is trending and what people are talking about I also think there's definitely a marketing element to it Brands can promote products in a new way so there is definitely that edge and how it kind of relates to people's presence on social media that did not happen and again it's so interesting to me that people are saying it's coming back but I just think social media in general has I would say evolved way past Indie SAS and I also just have to say there are definitely problematic aspects of this era that really should be left in the past this era happened pre me too there have also movements towards body positivity greater calls for inclusivity jenzie is willing to call out certain problematic behaviors that were very present in this era and to be fair this existed outside of Indie but elements of this were definitely embraced but despite this Tik Tok has really been and fashion magazines and Publications have been professing the comeback of this which I guess yes we're at this kind of 20-year Point definitely feel like we are going to see the comeback back of skinny jeans I definitely see handbags as looking like this again but it's going to be different and there's a different context and then next we have the Valentino Rock stud Dome bag this was the period where I think the studs the Valentino studs were very cool but there's also something about this olive color it just makes me think of those Olive jackets that were really popular was like military green army green even just like military jackets in general were really cool to wear next we have the Valen Ino Rock stud mini cross body and another flat bag she seems to really like her flat bags so next we have the Burberry studded mini cross body bag the studded theme We are continuing to see like so many Brands did this and also this kind of like gunmetal metallic was also very of that time next we have the Cambridge Satchel company Satchel bag I remember working at a store and selling these these bags did so well it was just that kind of like cool contemporary it girl bag next we have another sort of similar style this is the L Bellin bag more of a sort of structured Satchel style of bag we were seeing that transition Trend towards more structure bags happen around this point and here we have the Charlotte Olympia Rafia clutch and to me Charlotte Olympia was one of those brands that was so of this era very cutesy with like the cat motifs very much Indy SLE Tumblr girl kind of brand There's Something About Her Style that is channeling Jane Birkin with this Indie twist the kind of relaxed hair the bangs hanging out with rock stars here we have Alexa Chung at the Met Gala in 2010 there was something also of this time where a lot of gals were wearing tuxedo looks here she is ACC companied by Philip Lim so yes those are her handbags I could have made this video so much longer there's so many handbags this video would be very long cuz she is very much a fashion girl and she's also in these fashion scenes and goes to fashion shows we'll get gifted things but these were the bags I would say of this period what people are describing as Indie sleev that kind of hipster era but one thing I really want to emphasize with this video was yes we have Alexa Chung and she had this style when you look at how Alexa Chung dressed she dressed very differently than Mary K Ashley Olsen look at sky Ferrera or Agnes Dy or Zoe kravit everyone kind of had their own spin but it was more so kind of that attitude like you were a little bit Messier a little bit more rebellious a little bit more playful but I do think there was an importance on this attitude of things being lived in being able to wear these things to shows to events to clubs to parties it was very much about the lifestyle the aesthetic reflected the lifestyle and I think that was a very important part of this it allowed you to have your own spin although there were very much like stylistic similarities while Alexa Chong had the Mulberry Alexa Mary Kay and Ashley Olson they would have like the crza school or those bags right you would see people put their own spin even if there were dominant Silhouettes but even to this day she still does have the style there has been an evolution of course but she still has kept that Indie cutesy with like a rock and roll Edge is still there again it's a little bit more contemporary and a little bit more made for today she definitely still has that yeah anyways guys that is my video thank you so much for joining me and another one and I hope to see you in the next one bye