My Style Signature: Alex Eagle On The Power Of A Great Shirt

“I think my style has evolved from regularly having to get up at five in the morning to catch a flight, and the reality of how you think you want to dress versus how you actually dress,” says Alex Eagle. In case the 5am comment wasn’t clue enough, the fact that we are squeezing this interview in post-PORTER photoshoot and pre-event is testament that Eagle is a very busy woman. “What do you really reach for when it’s the crack of dawn and you’ve got to look good all day?” she deadpans.

As one of London’s most pre-eminent multihyphenates, Eagle spins a number of aesthetically pleasing plates. Thus, her enviably effortless sense of style is defined by impeccably cut and practical tailoring, punctuated by sporty accents – sneakers instead of loafers, an irreverent logo cap with a blazer.

Today, we’re shooting at one of the River Lofts at 180 The Thames – a soon-to-be-unveiled development of 80 apartments and 15 River Lofts, of which Eagle is creative director.

“This River Loft is a great example of what [co-founder] Sophie [Hodges] and I do through [our interior-design firm] Eagle + Hodges.” The fruits of the duo’s decade-long labor of designing and collecting pieces – such as Noémie Goudal, Alex Prager and Richard Mosse photography, Donald Judd furniture, Brian Clarke screens and paintings, and Luke Alen-Buckley sculptures – can be appreciated within these immaculately curated walls. The wider development will essentially be a new neighborhood along the north bank of the River Thames, featuring everything discerning Londoners might need, from a fine-dining restaurant to a Japanese-style bathhouse.

There are also her two eponymous fashion brands – Alex Eagle Studio and Alex Eagle Sporting Club – and three retail spaces. She is an ambassador for Women for Women UK and a contributing editor at T magazine. In fact, fashion magazines were where it all began for Eagle, who cut her teeth on the fashion team at Harper’s Bazaar UK. “I was styling shoots and writing about real women and their wardrobes… It’s always been about how people actually live.” She then went on to work at the PR team for Joseph during Louise Trotter’s tenure (now the creative director of Bottega Veneta). “After that, I started styling friends and young actresses from my flat and somehow became an accidental antiques dealer.”

In 2026, Eagle is shifting gears. “For so long, it’s been about collecting – pieces, experiences, collaborators. Now, it’s about curating and sharing. I’m excited to show what we’ve been working on in 180 Quarter… It’s about collaboration with people who are passionate about food, art, design and wellness.” It’s a space Eagle, Wadhwa and their three children will soon call home, too, when they move into one of the large central lofts this year. No doubt it will have plenty of room for her highly coveted wardrobe. Here, Eagle shares her style secrets and why a shirt is her ultimate power piece…

“You don’t really think about navy when you think of shirting, but it makes it that little bit more day-to-night. It’s quite sophisticated; it feels sexy. I love navy with black, so I’m wearing Max Mara tailored trousers, and a Déhanche belt to tie it all together.”

“Good design is so many things, but with the kind of thing that I wear and design, it’s about the fabric and how it’s made. I really respect brands that are based on craftsmanship, beautiful fabrications – things made really well. Then, as a wearer, you feel great… A huge pillar of my brand is in making and manufacturing in England, and London. Shirt-making is huge for us, so we’ve been working on making [shirts] to Savile Row standards.”

“I love shirting with cashmere, and I love red – it’s a cool and unexpected combination with pink. My palette tends to be quite masculine, so I love that light pink feels pretty but still masculine and very London; pink shirts feel very British. The trench is a trans-seasonal piece you could wear all year round just by layering it differently – up the layers in this kind of weather! I’m styling Toteme jeans in a dark navy straight-leg, so they felt quite put together for jeans.”

“And I’ve added Christen loafers. I think [Nina Christen] is a genius – she designed for The Row, Loewe and Bottega Veneta. There’s something fun going on with these, but they’re also pared back, which I love in design – something not too obviously trendy or fashionable, but that gives an outfit edge.”

“A light-blue shirt works all week and into the weekend. It doesn’t feel too corporate in the country, but it also works well in London. I’m obsessed with shirts, and this Arma jacket is almost like a suede shirt. Suede is trendy, but it’s always in and out because it’s such a beautiful, luxurious fabric – so I think it’s a good, timeless investment piece.”

“There’s always space for something a bit bonkers, and because I don’t tend to wear patterns in my clothes, I think it’s fun to have [a patterned bag]. I have a really great old Fendi leopard-print baguette bag from the ’90s that just adds something that a plain bag wouldn’t if you’re wearing jeans and a white shirt. The Khaite zebra bag is a bit like that.”

“I love a pencil skirt. I like the way it’s quite daytimey for the night. And again, I love the mix of textures, [with] leather next to cotton. A shirt tucked into a pencil skirt is effortless because it’s really easy to put on and wear, but it looks sophisticated. It never feels over-styled; I hate things that look like they’re a real effort to put together. This look has a kind of old-school glamour to it, but it’s quite cool as well.”

“Because I dress so simply, I’m not scared of wearing fine jewelry or special watches during the day. I love mixing gold and silver. [For this shoot] I wore little silver and gold hoops and a really full-on David Morris diamond necklace – that was incredible. I didn’t want to give that back.”