Alex Consani’s Fashion Philosophy Is Very Leo: “Not Giving a F*ck”

Alex Consani is, in her own words, “a big motherfucker Leo.”

The model was born on July 23, the first day of Leo season, so Pandora couldn’t have found a more enthusiastic face for the new zodiac-inspired chapter of the jewelry brand's Talisman collection. Launched on August 26, the latest collection introduces more than 30 charms, rings, and chain necklaces inspired by the zodiac and four elements, with medallions, cameos, Latin inscriptions, and celestial motifs designed to evoke the qualities associated with each sign. Photographed by Cass Bird, the campaign featured Consani alongside Mahi Kabra and Jill Kortleve.

For Consani, the collection’s zodiac theme is personal. “I’ve really connected with myself a lot through my astrology sign,” she tells Marie Claire at the collection’s launch party, held at L.A.’s Hollywood Roosevelt and featuring attendees like True Whitaker, Ella Emhoff, and Vivian Wilson. And the trait she identifies most strongly with? “Not giving a fuck, for sure. I think that’s something that a lot of Leos that I meet kind of share.”

It’s an accurate description of her approach to fashion, too. While modeling requires her to inhabit many fashion personas, Consani says her off-duty style is guided by how she’s feeling that day. “Fashion is a really good way to express what you’re feeling internally,” she explains. “When I’m in a good mood, my clothing reflects that. I wear things that are maybe a little bit more scandalous or risqué—like, oops, a boob might pop out.”

For Consani, whose irreverent social media presence is every bit as unfiltered as her personal style, even a wardrobe malfunction can become a social opportunity. “Someone’s like, ‘Oh girl, your boob is out,’ and I’m like, ‘Thank you.’ It’s a nice way to talk to people... it initiates conversation,” she says. “You make a connection with people through fashion.”

Jewelry plays a similar role in her wardrobe. Consani calls herself “a light jewelry girl,” which, in her world, means that when she does accessorize, it’s “a statement, even if it’s minimal.” She uses jewelry strategically, “to accentuate my outfit”: a necklace to highlight the neckline of a low-cut dress, a bracelet to add interest to a more covered-up look.

In keeping with Pandora’s emphasis on jewelry with personal meaning, Consani is also sentimental about the pieces she wears. Some of Consani's first came from her mother—“not given, stolen,” she jokes. “They’re from someone that I love, so I know that the stones hold good vibes,” Consani says. “That’s a really big part of jewelry pieces, just making sure that they carry the right energy.”

The campaign’s focus on identity and self-expression also tracks with Consani’s own style evolution. She only has to look back a few years to see how much hers has changed. “A thousand percent,” she says. Modeling, she says, has become a fashion education of sorts, exposing her to designers, stylists, and collaborators who have helped refine her personal style. “When I look back at that version of myself, it’s not something that I regret. I honestly look back, and I’m inspired,” she says. “It just differs as you grow up and learn more about what you like, what you don’t like.”

Certain Consani-isms, however, remain permanent. “I’ll always be a slut in one way or another,” she says. “Even if it’s classy, I think that there are always elements of myself that I like to be a little bit risqué. And I think that that's something that is maybe a part of me being a Leo; maybe it's a part of just how I grew up and my own expression.”

Her look for the Pandora party proves the point: a strapless Blumarine dress with a thigh-high slit, topped off with a wig, a look she’s currently trying out. “This is a new thing for me, and I enjoy it,” she says, adding that style experimentation is something everyone could use more of right now. “We should be able to just say fuck it because I think we take ourselves too seriously.”

That refusal to take herself—or the fashion world—too seriously has become part of Consani’s appeal. Despite an increasingly public career, she credits her inner circle with keeping her grounded. “I’m around people that really make me feel special outside of the job that I do and make me feel special for the human that I am,” she says. “Having a chosen family is really important for me.”

This summer, she has also found a more literal way to tune out the noise: putting down her phone. “I’ve been off my phone, which is the first time I’ve done that in a while,” she says. “It’s been quite nice and inspiring to find the world again.” She’s been "feeling very '80s," listening to the radio instead: “I feel like an old-school bitch.”

Shop Pandora’s new Talisman collection now.