Alex Consani is the moment. The model and social media personality has been everywhere lately — from the runway to viral TikTok videos and now the 2024 Oscar Awards.
This fall/winter 2024 fashion season, Consani walked in about 20 shows, including Mugler, Ferragamo, Simone Rocha, Marc Jacobs, Luar, Helmut Lang, and Thom Browne. After rounding out a busy and triumphant fashion month, Consani is in Los Angeles attending an array of events and making her red carpet debut at the film industry's biggest night — and she was invited by the Academy to boot. It comes with the territory as she slowly etches herself into the zeitgeist as the one to watch.
We caught up with the 20-year-old to talk about her jam-packed schedule, attending her first Oscars, and all the deets on the custom Ludovic de Saint Sernin dress she wore for the big night.
Teen Vogue: How are you feeling about your first Oscars experience?
Alex Consani: I'm so excited. I'm honestly feeling a little bit like I need to do some movie research, but I'm having a lot of fun being here. I'm just so excited. It's such a cool event, so I'm just grateful to be invited and can't wait to be there.
TV: My coworkers and I were laughing because I'm so behind on all the movies that are nominated. I do not have enough time and I've only seen one, but it's going to be okay.
AC: I feel you. I'm on Netflix at the two times speed.
TV: What is the transition like going from fashion month to this?
AC: I’ve been having one or two days off in between traveling and stuff, so I'm able to kind of balance it just by sleeping. I love some sleep. So the real transition is just the time difference. But other than that, it's kind of the same group of people. A lot of fashion people are in LA right now, so it's nice. It's not too much of a change, it's just the time.
TV: I would love to know the process of choosing your outfit for the Oscars. How did it get started? I know it's a custom dress, so I would love you to walk me through it.
AC: Well, I have a friend Ludovic de Saint Sernin and he offered to make me a dress. And so during Paris Fashion Week, I went in for a fitting and we just looked through the fabrics that he had. I looked at the last collection he came out with that I walked in New York and basically he was like, “So what's the material you want? What's the style you want? What's the length you want?” It's nice because when we were talking about it, he already had a vision in his head, and I had one as well. And when we started talking, we realized that we kind of had the same idea of what the look would be. And so we decided on this really gorgeous black pony leather dress.
Pony leather is like shaved leather. It's not actually a pony, but it's a gorgeous fabric and it has some shine to it, which is nice to have some sort of difference. And then we talked about the neckline. It has a nice little rock star resting neckline. It's like a little [halter] X with some grommets. I believe that's what you call it… eyelets? He made a sketch that day and I went back to New York and he produced a dress. And now my agent has it in his lap and has taken it to the airport.
TV: As a model who is constantly stepping into other people’s designs, what is it like getting to be a part of the creation process for this look?
AC: It's so amazing. I'm so blessed that I have the opportunity to work amongst people in this way because I really enjoy the creative aspect of fashion. That's what enticed me in the first place to get involved in the fashion scene as a whole. So getting to work with these people, especially Ludovic, I admire his work and I look up to the things that he does. I feel like we're making history with this moment and I'm grateful that I got to be with someone I knew.
TV: And how do you want to have your makeup and hair? What's the vibe that you're going for?
AC: I have an amazing hair and makeup team, so I'm working in a collaboration with them in the same way I did with my outfit. This is my first big red carpet moment. I've been to other red carpets, but I was still getting the hang of what makes me feel the most confident. I feel like this is where I'm going to be able to say, “This is what I want. This is what I think will look good.” I am trying to do pretty makeup, nothing too intense We'll see how it ends up, but it's more just about enhancing what's already there instead of adding to it, which I know is very expected but that's nice because the dress does a lot. For my hair it's going to be a really gorgeous Pam Ann style, kind of updo messy, but in a chic way. [Editor's note: Consani wore Pat McGrath Labs lust gloss, cream blushes, and pink blur powder].
TV: I've been following you on TikTok for a while, but I feel that on social media in general so many people now know your name and you're becoming this star in a sense. What has it been like for you being in the limelight the past couple of months?
AC: I've built a community of people that I really, really admire, that admire me as well, which is such a crazy concept to wrap my head around. But it's good because I think I have a voice that can be taken seriously, so I can speak on the things that I want to speak on. And outside of work, I have a say in what I do in my personal life when it comes to social media, which is amazing. I'm just really blessed that I've had the support from all of these people and I have amazing people online and in my personal life that understand and support me.
That keeps me going, and it's an interesting concept to wrap my head around because I always say I'm just a girl. I'm just really blessed. It's amazing that I've built this community, especially with a lot of my followers on social media, they're all generally queer, which is nice because I started modeling because I wanted to build a space or be a part of a space where queerness was a little bit more accepted. Having my voice be heard is incredible because it kind of perpetuates that, which is the goal for me.
TV: How would you describe your personal style right now?
AC: I would say chic, but I don't know if it's quite actually chic. I'm at an age where I'm still experimenting and finding my own personal style. I'll definitely say I like to be, not racy, but I like to experiment with showing off parts of my body that “shouldn't be shown off.” It's fun! Just being able to feel confident in what you wear is something that I've always kind of done since the beginning. The more and more time I spend in fashion, the more I realize that there are ways to do that in a chic and refined way.
TV: What are you doing to get into the mindset for the Oscars?
AC: I'm still figuring that out. Rght now, it's been a bit of a busy week, so I am just taking the time that I have to kind of just rest. I've always felt like I've been pretty good at socializing and conversing, which can be difficult when you're tired. But just taking time in between the craziness to be silent and be in my own moment so that I can go out and be the fantasy, is important. Skin care and beauty care-wise, I always do the least.
That's always been good for my skin. Wash it with water and use some Weleda Skin Food. That's always worked for me. I know a lot of girls are going to be on a crazy regimen and look crazy fierce, but it's still something I'm getting the hang of. Like I said, I have great people who are going to help me elevate myself [for the Oscars]. So I'm kind of betting on them to get me together.
TV: What is your advice to young people prepping for a big important night in their world? What are your tips for conquering those nerves?
AC: Just surround yourself with people who ground you and allow you to feel comfortable and not like you need to put a personality on or need to be someone else. When I'm stressed or anxious about doing something, I like to surround myself with people who I can just completely be myself around so that I can look back and use our conversations or our time that we spent as a reference for how I should be feeling. Because at the end of the day, a lot of events and a lot of parties and things that are put together can be blown out of the water sometimes. And for me, it's always good to remember that it's not that serious. Obviously it's an amazing event to be at, but at the end of the day, you're still just there because you're supposed to be yourself. So you shouldn't stress yourself out about how other people are perceiving you or how other people are looking at you or how you look. It's just about how you feel and enjoying the time and taking advantage of the amazing opportunities that you're being given.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
