alexa in australia
Our ultimate girl crush is in Sydney!
While New York is recovering in the wake of Irene, that briefly terrifying hurricane of hype, Sydney is faced with the arrival of a much more fashionable force of nature. In a rare coup for our oft uneventful Antipodean shores, Alexa Chung's presence on Australian soil has us abuzz with the unbridled delight that only an intense girl crush can provide.
Our great Southern land is virgin territory for the evergreen It-Girl, who bases herself between New York and London and looks just as at home hailing a Brooklyn taxi as she does enveloped in the Union Jack. With transatlantic blood now running so decisively through those veins of hers, how will she adapt to life on the streets of Sydney? We've got some tips to keep her at the forefront of cultural relevance while visiting Down Under.
1) Embrace Australia's sartorial heritage
As the ultimate English rose, Alexa has been key in catapulting tired British staples to must-have mode. When she adopted the Barbour coat, a wardrobe standard of the Queen and the agricultural set, what was once a farmhouse staple became a fashion essential. Clearly, her first duty on our shores should be to revive Australia's ailing heritage brands. An Akubra here, a pair of R.M. Williams there? with Alexa's magic touch, the humble Driza-Bone could become the new Burberry trench.
2) Shack up with an Aussie bloke
News of Alexa's split with Arctic Monkeys beau Alex Turner hit us pretty hard. In all their skinny-limbed indie glory, the rest of us mortals glared on in mild resentment as they appeared collectively fabulous and ultra loved-up on the festival circuit. In the haze of disillusionment that followed their break-up, Alexa's mind was probably on all the Down Under dishes she would be encountering when she touched down in Sydney. Her best bet to win the hearts of her temporary adopted home is clearly to win the heart of an Aussie hunk. If Liz Hurley has taught us anything, it's that deteriorating Australian sportsmen can be revived and redecorated for a Brit It-Girl's pleasure. Retired premier league cricketers, take note.
3) Go walkabout
Alexa has many looks. She's a former model, after all, and if she didn't have a few Blue Steels up her Charles Anastase sleeve she'd probably be out of a job. One of her more prominent looks, often pulled out for the full benefit of roving New York paparazzi, is the 'Cab Hail'. It's a pose that says, "Hey, I may be substantially more attractive than you with an hourly pay-rate equivalent to your annual wage, but I'll hop in the back of a dodgy cab strewn with used chewing gum and a pervy driver regardless because really, I'M JUST YOUR AVERAGE GIRL." It's this type of blue sky thinking that makes her our ultimate girl crush.
Living in veritable hubs of reliable transport like New York and London has pretty much spoiled Alexa for our transit system which, if characterised by a sound, would be the audible and irritated groan of hundreds of angry peak-hour commuters. The solution? Kick City Rail in the proverbial backside with those endless stems of yours and get amongst it! Pound the pavements and take in all the sights, sounds and smells that our glorious Harbour city has to offer, all the while safe in the knowledge that, just like the rest of us, you've given up on the Australian public transport system.
Words: Lillian McKnight
Oystermag
