Alexandra Shulman and Alexa Chung at The Arts Club

Members of The Arts Club were treated to something of an exclusive last night in an intimate evening of discussion around the book VOGUE - VOICE OF A CENTURY with Alexandra Shulman and Alexa Chung. It was Alexandra's first public appearance since announcing last week that she is to step down as editor-in-chief of British Vogue after 25 years.

Asked how she was feeling having made her announcement she said:

"I broke the news last Wednesday, on Thursday I went to Milan for Dolce and Gabbana's Alta Moda couture show, and then it was the weekend. So today is the first day of confronting the reality of it and I feel a mixture of emotions. I'm excited for the future - that's why I did it - and I am nervous too. It's a bit like jumping off without a parachute. A friend said to me, 'You should never leave your job without having another one lined up because you'll sit at home and turn into an alcoholic.' So I'm nervous about that happening!"

Alexandra and Alexa had both selected their favourite images from VOGUE - VOICE OF A CENTURY and the subsequent conversation mesmerised the audience, touching on subjects such as whether a man could be the next editor of Vogue; what inspires Alexandra to get dressed in the morning; why Kate Moss deserves the tag 'iconic'; the Kate Middleton centenary cover shoot and the unique era of the Supermodel.

Commenting on why she commissioned the book, Alexandra said:

"I wanted to have a special book for Vogue. We'd never created a limited edition that would itself become a work of art. I met up with Genesis Publications, our publishers, and I was won over by a book they'd done with Lou Reed which had the cover of Transformer in leather. Always judge a book by its cover. Right now there is a real move toward creating things that people treasure."