Ashley Urban

Christian Dior scarf worn as head wrap and paired with vintage jewelry and dress

Timeless, elegant, creatively charged Ashley Urban ,

channels her love for vintage into beautiful visuals and lifestyle practices.

Your love of vintage is evident in your personal style, esthetic and interests. Why vintage?

There are so many reasons why I love vintage, specifically vintage clothing from the 1930s - 70s: the impeccable quality of fabrics and craftsmanship, the level of detail, the uniqueness, the flattering cuts and the timelessness. One could wear the same vintage pieces in their 20s or their 80s and still look chic. As for vintage decor and design in general, the same rules apply:

I love it because things were made to last rather than to be replaced every few years. Excellence in Design, beauty, and functionality was of utmost importance. About 85% of my belongings are vintage because there is simply nothing else like it. And I love the thrill of being a scavenger…flea markets, thrift stores, estate sales. They’re all marvelous! All of these pieces have a story to tell, a history, a love affair with their prior owners. Whereas shopping new simply depresses me. So many things are made as cheaply as possible, using slave labor, exploiting the planet’s finite resources, polluting heavily, and continually filling landfills just to make a quick buck. There’s very little about buying new items that excites or inspires me. 

Pierre Cardin coat w/ purse

Describe your earliest memories of vintage/fashion?

Can you share your favorite vintage piece?

My interest in shopping vintage and second hand came first from necessity. My family never had much money so we were always a second hand family. I started working when I was 15 and the minimum wage at the time was abysmal. Second hand was all I could afford. I discovered that if you rummaged enough, there were gems to be found at the local Goodwill and Salvation Army. And as the counter culture adolescent that I was, I discovered one of my favorite vintage shops on earth when I was 14, a place called The Leechpit, which I still shop at to this day. They sold vintage toys, old band t-shirts, used vinyl and cassettes, and lots of used and vintage clothes that suited my goth/punk sensibilities of that time. I would buy lace up patent leather skirts, fishnets, embroidered patches to adorn my jackets and purses, and band shirts that I would cut up and alter with my sewing machine. That love of finding unique, punk-inspired pieces at a bargain slowly transformed  into a much more feminine style, still fueled by an addiction to shopping second hand. 

One of the most exciting pieces I’ve purchased was bought at A Current Affair vintage market in LA. It’s a  1960s Pierre Cardin black and white geometric print coat with a matching purse that is affixed to the hip. Cardin is one of my favorite designers of all time. It’s truly a museum quality piece that was just so characteristically bizarre that I couldn’t pass it up. 

I also have a 1960s floral print blouse and skirt set by Guy Laroche which I found at Goodwill for $18. Another favorite staple that I wear constantly is a 70s floral print silk Dior scarf that I found at a flea market for 20 euro in Belgium about 10 years ago. I collect 1960s and 1970s Paganne maxi dresses designed by Gene Berk. His prints are so psychedelic and wonderful. I also adore my 1970s Speedy 25 purse by Louis Vuitton; its durable, neutral enough to wear with almost everything, the perfect size, and will forever be an absolute classic. And I love my collection of Paganne maxi dresses with prints by Gene Berk. The first one I ever found in the wild was at The Leechpit and I’ve collected Berk’s psychedelic, avant garde pieces ever since. His surface designs are to die for. 

What,who inspires your creativity?

The glamor of old Hollywood and vintage magazines, as well as Japanese design are both an endless well of inspiration and excitement for me. Nothing could be more aesthetically appealing.  I swoon over the pages of vintage Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, classic golden age and noir films, and the prolific couture fashion designers, fashion photographers and fashion illustrators of the last century. It’s no secret that I am obsessed with master illustrator, René Gruau. I strive to develop even a shred of the talent he exuded. 

I don’t think there will ever be a more prolific golden age of fashion than the post-war era that spanned the 1940s through the 70s…everything from the clothes, the masterful photography by Horst, Avedon, Wolfe, etc., the bold destination magazine editorials, down to the genius copywriting and layouts of the pages in Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue by Diana Vreeland. Those decades and the many fashion-adjacent art forms that came of them absolutely changed the way I look at design. 

I’m also obsessed with Japanese design from the same decades. Everything is designed with the best of the best in mind: functionality, form, natural beauty, materials, and even the thoughtful use of wabi-sabi philosophy. Nothing could be more perfect than Japanese design…from architecture, to hi-fi electronics, automobiles, cameras, furniture, handmade paper, ink, paintbrushes, the art of woodblock printing, handmade fabric, clothing, interior design, flower arranging, ceramics, tea ceremonies, to geishas…every effort, every movement, every thought is an attempt at making functional, elegant, and beautiful art. Everything is created as a ceremony, a ritual…it is mindfulness perfected. No detail is overlooked, yet nothing is over-designed or garish. Its masterful minimalism that is powerful yet serene.

Paganne dress. Photo by Elizabeth Reynolds

How do you stay creative? Where do you find inspirations? 

I always have music playing, especially when I sit down to create art. I can’t focus without it. Music and the freedom of dance are both a huge part of my life and always have been.  As I mentioned, I love the opulence and fashion of Golden Age Hollywood films. I also live inside of a Pinterest rabbit hole with thousands of images that inspire me, which I visit and draw from daily. Most of them are images of grandeur and glamor, from the pages of vintage Vogue and Harper’s…lots of fashion editorial shots and vintage advertisements. I also get inspired when I travel or walk about because I love interior design and historical architecture, especially Art Deco, which LA has so much of. I’ve taken thousands of photos of architectural details that I find fascinating. Few things make me happier than exploring a new city alone either on foot or on bicycle with a camera, a journal and a sketchbook. There is beauty and inspiration everywhere. 

Do you have a particular routine that gets you into the creative space before working?

Routine and consistency are my Achilles heel. But I’m working on improving that. The best way I function is either in an academic setting where there’s a level of accountability and parameters for a specific project, or if I’ve created a very detailed plan for myself. I’ll generally start with a list of art related goals that are a bit grandiose, and then break them each down into bite-sized daily actions that will eventually add up to accomplishing those bigger goals. I usually start my day with doing some quick sketches inspired by the images on my Pinterest boards. I also keep a memento mori calendar pinned to my wall. It’s basically a death calendar that reminds you that life is short and not to be wasted. Every Monday I cross off another box…another week of life, gone. It sounds morbid but it helps to bring a sense of urgency and accountability into your daily life. Our days are finite and life feels more precious when you keep that sentiment close to you. Nothing should be taken for granted…not our creative gifts, not our time.

How do you conquer creative blocks? Do you believe creativity comes naturally or it’s something you work towards?

Oh god. Everyday is a creative block and a struggle for me. Some traumatized part of my psyche consistently feels terrified to create. But I do it anyway and always end up feeling better once I’m functioning in that creative space. Creativity is something that we ALL possess but absolutely MUST push toward consistently. It doesn’t magically sprout out of nowhere and lay before us. We have to hunt it down day after day. My most effective reminder when I’m procrastinating is remembering that motivation comes from action, not the other way around. 

Best advice you can give about pursuing your dreams?

What I’ve learned is that anything is possible…as silly as that may sound. Just make a plan and some goals and go for it. Map out your plan, break it down into tiny, accomplishable pieces that you can stitch together daily.

Goals and the people that can help you reach them are more accessible than you think. Especially with our access to technology. Write your goals down. Put them on your wall so you can see them everyday and celebrate yourself when you have done the work to cross them off. Also, keep a journal. Journaling will help every aspect of your life, especially realizing your dreams. 

Dream project?

I want to design a print for an Hermès scarf. To get paid to do live sketching from the front row at Paris fashion week. To design/illustrate a magazine cover for Vogue or Harper’s.

Is there anything you would like people to know about your work/shop/blog?

Yes! I have so much of my work, including photography and writing on my website: theashleyurban.com. I’ll also be selling women’s vintage clothing on my website in the coming months.  I recently quit my day job to pursue my dream of being a freelance illustrator, so…hire me! My goal is to start creating a list of clients that want custom illustrations for their marketing. I’d be thrilled to create artwork that speaks to a customer’s desire for romantic femininity, beauty, luxury, and elegance.

Best advice someone’s given you regarding your career?

The best advice I can give is to find the professionals that are doing exactly what you want to do. Follow their work. Reach out to them. Ask them questions. Make a plan. Believe in yourself. Don’t be shy. Be persistent and proactive. No one is going to pluck you out of the ether and offer you your dreams. You must consistently advocate for yourself and make yourself seen. Keep going.

Also…When I thought I wanted to work in the gallery world, I offered to intern (work for free) at my favorite gallery in LA. No sane business owners will turn away free help. They said yes. This put me exactly where I wanted to be: in the company of all my favorite contemporary artists, seeing the back end logistics of how a major gallery actually operates in the day to day, and the politics of the art world. Even though I decided that the gallery world was not for me, this was hands-down one of the most useful, eye-opening, opportunity-creating positions I’ve ever put myself in. Even if you can only afford to intern for a few hours a month, it will change your life and open up unexpected doors. That gallery is at the very center of the web that is my current life. So many places, magical experiences, and people that I love are tethered to it. Get as close as you can to where you want to be in life and offer the management free help.

If you could have dinner with anyone-who?where?

That’s a tough one. If I wanted to be fascinated by pure genius, I’d probably choose Nikola Tesla or Leonardo da Vinci. If I wanted career advice and a lot of laughs, I’d probably choose Diana Vreeland…a style icon, hilariously witty writer for Harper’s Bazaar, editor in chief of Vogue, master of magazine composition, socialite, avid dancer, world traveler, a champion of up and coming creatives and talent, consultant for the Fashion Institute at the Met. She was a force to be reckoned with! Less being an illustrator, she was basically everything I’ve ever dreamed of being. No matter whom I dined with, it would absolutely be at the historic Musso and Frank Grill in Hollywood, my favorite restaurant.