cover image It

It

Alexa Chung. Penguin, $30 (196p) ISBN 978-0-14-312483-2

Fashion muse, model, Fuse News cohost, and British “it girl” Chung’s first book is heavy on style and charm but light on substance. She brings would-be admirers (and current fans who follow her on street style blogs and social media) into her world with this combined style guide, memoir, and scrapbook. Filled with doodles, personal photos, lists, and discussions of her sources of inspiration, Chung lightly sketches a portrait of her universe in an engaging voice. The majority of the book is given to random musings about fashion, with Chung naming Annie Hall, Gwyneth Paltrow in the The Royal Tenenbaums, and Edie Sedgwick as just a few of her influences. Of Paltrow’s portrayal of Margot Tenenbaum, Chung muses, “I love her side-parted bob and preppy Lacoste dresses.” Elsewhere in the book, Chung offers odd pronouncements, such as, “How to rage: Get a balloon and a best friend. Go to a festival in a desert. Be 24.” Die-hard fans will no doubt embrace this slim, whimsical offering, or delight in receiving it as a gift. 149 photos, 17 illus. Agent: Paul Stevens, Independent Talent. (Nov.)