From The Straits Times    |

Alexa Chung: Don't be a hipsterAlexa Chung loves fashion so much she can’t walk down the street without popping into a store.

The British star won the Style Icon prize at last night’s British Fashion Awards, marking the third consecutive year she’s received the gong.

Alexa used to feel a huge amount of pressure to look stylish at all times, but she’s now over that.

“There was a time when I started thinking about it too much and it got weird but now I just dress to please myself,” she told GraziaDaily.co.uk. “The main point is I’m still excited by clothes and excited by fashion. It’s innately something I’m drawn to so I literally can’t walk down the street without dodging into places, which annoys my friends.”

Alexa struggled to pick an outfit for the ceremony this time around, eventually settling on a black dress by Simone Rocha and funky Nicholas Kirkwood ankle boots. When it comes to choosing pieces for such an important event, the star usually turns to Style.com. She trawls the site for her favourite looks and then requests to borrow them from designers.

The 29-year-old star discussed her favourite looks from the last few years.

“I really loved the Christopher Kane dress I wore to the British Fashion Awards last year because it was really sparkly, but kept getting caught in everything,” she laughed.

“[I love denim hot pants.] Everyone’s sick of seeing them, but they’re really comfy and I wear them constantly. When I travel, I pack them in my bag to take in the plane so they don’t get lost.”

She also laughed off questions about how to follow in her footsteps and be a “hipster”. “My tip is to not be one anymore because I think it’s a bit commercial to be a hipster now… so then just turn commercial! That’s the ultimate hipster you can be,” she giggled.