Failing At Meeting Alexa Chung
Even in her T4 days I felt Alexa was someone I could get on well with. I love her brand of 'laid-back and sarcastic, yet friendly'. I once read an interview with her where she enquired what the journalist was reading, and I don't know why - but this made me love her all the more. Getting a chance to meet Alexa at a book signing for the paperback version of her book It meant I would only have a small window in which to say hi and impress her with my wit and charm, and thankfully - only a small window in which I could possibly embarass myself in front of her. Which I do EVERY TIME I MEET A CELEBRITY! Oh my god, right now I am cringing over the times I met Paul McCartney and Jude Law. Nothing can surely be as bad as the Macca meeting?... it was so mortifying I need to work up to writing about it in another post. I'm sad to say, this fleeting meeting with Alexa is now also added to my top five cringeworthy celeb encounters of all time.
The signing was held at the V&A Museum (by the way, loving their series of fashion talks! I'll have to tell you more about the Alice Temperley one another time too) after a dicussion between Alexa and Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman. Alexa talked us through some bits of the book, including her fabulous fashions moments like photographing Karl Lagerfield (above) and arranging shoes named after her on a hideous rug she bought for jokes (below). There were also questions from the audience that Alexa answered with enthusiasm instead of the stilted pursed-lipped replies you get from some celebs at such Q&A's (you know who you are). She even made a few silly puns, one of which got zero laughs ("Korea - it's good for your Seoul") and it made her seem so adorably geeky and approachable.
So why then did I get in such a panic whilst lining up to meet the queen of accessible cool? It might have been the V&A lady barking at us that we must KEEP MOVING and not make eye contact with Alexa (not really that last bit, but I bet she was tempted to say it). Or it might have been that I lose all power of speech and ability to communicate around proper famous people I admire. I almost floated out of my body as I approached Alexa (FYI, so beautiful up close), I defintely parted ways with my dignity. The milkshake sweets that had seemed like a cute gift now just seemed really creepy as I handed them over and mumbled something. I even started telling her about my blog because she had been talking about how much she liked interviewing people and writing - "I like doing these things too" I whimpered. Oh dear lord, did I give her a business card?! Whatever I wanted to say to Alexa about loving her work whilst being friendly and breezy, being normal even, fell by the wayside and I became a muttering fool that couldn't wait to scamper away (you win bossy V&A signing-organiser lady!). Alexa had been drawing hearts or smiley faces in other people's books - I got only a signature as she smiled the patient and polite smile of someone talking to a simpleton, before finally it was all over, and I wandered off red-faced and cringing for eternity. I still heart Alexa, and her funny and brilliant writing. But I do not heart my failed attempt to converse with her, and much like everytime I hear a Beatles song, I will probably hang my head in shame when I next read Alexa's journalism or come across the signed book of hers that is now a totem of my extreme social awkwardness.