We had the opportunity to meet Alice Bell in person at our dinner last month at Nine Orchard— and are more than thrilled to introduce her to all of you here. Alice got her start in fashion, interning and working for a number of top magazines such as Vogue and Women’s Wear Daily. And while fashion was certainly an area in which Alice excelled, it was during her time in fashion that she discovered her true passion: astrology.
Alice began by reading her own chart, looking up what everything meant. Soon, she was doing more and more research, learning about the planets and the stars, what it meant as they moved, and how that related to when you were born. “My mind was blown,” she said. But she also liked the soft touch of astrology, how it always warranted a longer conversation with the person whose chart was being read, and how it always explained what was happening in a way that Bell thought made emotional and intuitive sense. It also gave her a sense of confidence in herself that she had never discovered before. Today, she is a full-time astrologer, offering private readings through her website. Her first book, Trust Your Timing: How To Use Astrology To Navigate Your Love Life and Find Your Authentic Self, will be published in June of next year. Bell sat down with us to talk more in depth about how she fell into astrology, what her days are like, and more. She even gives a reading to her favorite Margaux shoe, the Penny.
Alexa: Tell us about your day, how does it usually begin and what do you do?
Alice: I have been trying out a new routine where I don’t look at my phone right away when I wake up. Instead, I do some Kundalini meditations, then I make coffee and read a couple chapters of a book. For fun, I read a lot. I try to get through 1-2 books a week. I also like to go for long walks around my neighborhood, and I do yoga. I know this sounds boring, but I also love doing astrology research for fun. Whenever I read celebrity news or hear about a world event, I’m always pulling up charts to see what was going on at the time.
Alexa: What was your childhood like?
Alice: I was born in Chicago, but I moved to Nashville, Tennessee with my mom and sister after my parents got divorced when I was four. My mom then remarried, and I was part of a huge blended family, with two stepsisters and a half sister. So there were five girls in total. I was very shy as a child. I liked to read a lot, and I spent a lot of time doing creative projects like painting, knitting, and playing with dolls.
Alexa: How did you first enter the fashion industry? What was your job at Vogue like?
Alice: I went to university in Switzerland, and then I got an MA in fashion journalism from Central Saint Martins in London. Through doing that course I found my writing voice, which has proven to be very important in what I do as an astrologer today. It was also during grad school that I got my first fashion internships. I interned at The London Times, British Vogue, and Women’s Wear Daily during my time there.
In 2017, I moved to New York after school was over and I applied to a job listing at US Vogue that I found online. I ended up getting a job there as a fashion assistant for vogue.com, helping put together clothing for all of the digital shoots and writing shopping stories for the website.
Alexa: What sign are you, and what does that say about you?
Alice: I am an Aquarius sun, and the cliche is definitely true for me about wanting to be different and going against the status quo. When I figured out I had planets in other signs though, like my moon and Venus in Pisces, my Mars in Cancer, and a Leo rising, I felt like that resonated a lot more with me than just being an Aquarius.
Alexa: When did astrology enter your life?
Alice: I found astrology right around my 25th birthday in January 2018. Before that time, I thought astrology was just your weekly horoscope. I never knew how complex it was, so when I taught myself how to read my full birth chart, my mind was blown. I felt so seen, and my chart helped validate all these challenging aspects of my personality I had always had trouble accepting. I wanted everyone else to realize that astrology went way beyond just your “sign”, so I started doing birth chart readings for everyone I knew. My obsession snowballed from there, I launched my own website and started making money off of doing readings, and I eventually left my job to be a full time astrologer.
Alexa: That’s so fascinating. What kind of education did that entail? What discoveries did you make about yourself when you read your birth chart?
Alice: I taught myself astrology completely, I didn’t go to school for it. I started out by reading a lot of books, listening to astrology podcasts, and Googling what everything in my chart meant. I would say I learned the most through doing chart readings for people though. There is no one size fits all interpretation for the planets and signs, so you really have to talk to people to understand how that sign or planet shows up in their life specifically. The discoveries I made about myself when I read my own chart, like why I had such an obsessive personality when it came to dating or why I struggle to confront people when I’m upset, were so validating that I wanted other people to understand they had all of their unique traits for a reason too.
Alexa: How do you think astrology helps people?
Astrology has brought me a lot of inner peace, and it has helped me to stop comparing myself to other people as much. A big part of my practice is making astrological predictions, and I love seeing how patterns repeat themselves every few years in people’s lives, and that there is a unique timing for everything. Nothing that happens in your life is random. I also think it’s helpful for people to understand that they are on their own timeline, and that if they feel stuck or not as accomplished as someone else, they’re not doing anything wrong. Everything happens when it is meant to, so you can release control over needing to have things done a certain way or at a certain time.
Alexa: I love that. What is one of the least understood things about astrology?
That astrology is just your weekly horoscope or your “sign” and that it shouldn’t be taken seriously. Your sign, which is your sun sign, is only one small sliver of your birth chart and in no way explains all of who you are. If you don’t believe in astrology just because your horoscope doesn’t make sense, then I urge you to read your birth chart and do some more research.
Alexa: How much do you let astrology dictate your own life?
I use astrology as a guide for my everyday life, I don’t necessarily let it dictate the decisions I make. For instance, I will check to see what sign the moon is in everyday to understand what kind of mood I might be in. Or if I see a Mercury retrograde coming, I will make a note that it might not be the best time to launch a new project. But I will never say no to an opportunity, just because of the astrology going on. You can’t control your life that much.
Alexa: From an astrology standpoint, how should we prepare for the new year?
Alice: I expect 2023 to be a much easier year emotionally for a lot of people. On December 20, Jupiter is moving into Aries and over the course of next year the eclipses will be shifting out of the signs Scorpio and Taurus and moving into Aries and Libra. So you may be more excited to take action on new projects or take a risk in an area of your life. With all the Aries emphasis, It will be a good year to go after what you want and put your needs first.
Alexa: Can you tell us a little about the book you’ll publish next year?
Alice: It is all about relationship astrology, so identifying your dating and relationship patterns in your birth chart and understanding what you really want and need out of a relationship. It’s about taking back your personal power in your love life. I want to spend the rest of my life writing books, so that is what I am focusing on the most right now.
Alexa: What about your own personal style? How do you like to dress?
Alice: I like to wear a lot of color, and I’m usually drawn to 1960s and 70s style clothing. When it comes to footwear, I need shoes that I can walk in so I don’t typically wear heels. If I do, it is always a low, block heel. I love Mary Janes and loafers.
Alexa: What is your favorite color to wear?
Alice: Red. It makes the biggest statement.
Alexa: In three words, describe yourself.
Alice: Creative, dramatic, sensitive.
Alexa: And since you’re wearing our Penny, we have to ask: if you could read its chart, what do you think it would say?
Alice: These shoes definitely have Leo in their chart, because they are a bold, statement color, and there’s a little bit of Taurus in there too, because of the luxe suede fabric.
Alexa: Lastly–and we ask this question to everyone–what does being a Girl on the Gaux mean to you?
Alice: I think being a Girl on the Gaux doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be working at all times, but more like you're not afraid to go after what you want. You don't let anyone else determine what hopes and dreams of yours are worth pursuing. You know your worth, and you lean into your unique passions and creative voice.
Shop The Penny, here.