035: ASHLEY STEWART RÖDDER

lives in blazers and trousers.

Hi everyone, and welcome to this week’s Habiter. This December I will not be hitting you with another gift guide. As a former gifting doyenne (I spearheaded W Magazine’s massive, and beautiful, gift guide in my role as the Accessories Director there), I must say it feels liberating to be the one receiving gift suggestions rather than giving them, and I am no less inspired to shop for my loved ones. If you’re looking for ideas, Lauren Sherman published a comprehensive gift guide round-up in her newsletter for Puck, a favorite of mine. Rather, Habiter will be sticking with its usual fodder, the most-worn of the most-chic, and I’m going to keep my introduction brief because a substantial and inspiring interview lies ahead. 

This week, I was lucky to speak with Ashley Stewart Rödder, a New York-based Director at Gagosian Gallery. In her role, she helps place artwork in both private and public collections, and works directly with some incredible artists including Deana Lawson, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, Titus Kaphar, and Stanley Whitney. Prior to joining Gagosian, Ashley held positions at Salon 94 and David Zwirner.

Ashley and I struck up a fast friendship when we met back in October, at an event for Veronica de Piante. I was struck not only by her warmth and kindness, but also by her crisp, polished taste. She has a reverence for style and chicness that I find refreshing. Ashley is by no means a fan-girl, nor is she anywhere close to fashion victim, but she recognizes the profound influence that dressing well can have on one’s life and career. I am often frustrated by fashion’s dismissal as frivolous, so it thrills me that someone of Ashley’s distinguished stature speaks as passionately about Phoebe Philo as she does about painting. From our interview you’ll notice that she is a purposeful shopper, investing in high quality clothing with significant intention and attention to detail. I loved getting a peek into Ashley’s world, and I have a feeling that you will too. Read on!

ASR: I'm busy so I don't want to have to think about what I'm wearing all the time. I've been building a capsule, or a closet, where things have a dialogue and nothing feels like what is that sequin skirt doing in there that doesn't go with anything. I've been trying to be really thoughtful about what I'm buying as well. I'm not a fast-fashion person at all. I will spend a year looking for the right, white shirt. Or if I find trousers that fit, I might continue to buy from that brand. I'm definitely a trouser girl. I just bought two pairs from Phoebe Philo. There's just something about, especially for a woman who has a career or is in an office, putting on a really great pair of pants and then building from there. In terms of trousers, The Row, old Celine, and current Phoebe Philo have been my go-tos. I also wear a lot of blazers, and I’m in the process of getting a suit made. It’s a custom suit from a cutter that was at Huntsman for 8 years, where he made garments for many people including Marc Jacobs. It's called Fitzgerald, his name is Ralph. There's just something really sexy about tailored clothes that fit you well.

There are things that I've liked that don't look great on me and I don't buy them. I've seen amazing things on you and I'm like, that wouldn't work for me but she looks so good in that. Or even my friend, our mutual friend, Laura, we have similar tastes, but there are some times where it just fits her better. So I try to buy things that just fit me well. When I’m comfortable in my clothes and there's an ease to what I'm wearing, I can put my energy towards my workday or personal things I'm doing. I don't really want to be fidgeting. I am quite visible with clients too, so I always want to feel confident and powerful. And a lot of times that’s a great pair of trousers, a beautiful blazer.

I don't really wear jeans. I mean, I think I wore jeans once and one of my friends laughed. She was like, “Wow, really? I can't believe you own jeans.” Yes, I own them. But for work, I'm always in more formal clothes, so I tend to wear trousers all through the year. Even in the summer, I have great cotton linen trousers. I wouldn't say I buy for seasons. I like for a lot of my clothes to work throughout the year and in different climates, things that travel well. I don’t want to deal with a bunch of wrinkly things in my suitcase when I go for a business trip. There definitely is an ease to the things that I like, quality materials. I won't buy anything that's itchy or cheap looking. I'm really into those details. 

CH: Where do you typically find yourself shopping? Are you an online person? Do you like to go in person? 

ASR: I buy a lot in person because it's really about the fit, and it's sometimes hard to tell online. I might love the blazer but maybe it's not the right cut for my body. There are a lot of things I love that are oversized, but I am 5’7, and I have friends who are almost 5’10, 6’, and things drape differently on their bodies. So I'm looking at shapes, how things drape on me. I'm not always going by the size because brands run so differently.  

I don't like to waste money. I ask myself A, do I need it? And B, can I wear it to work? Because I'm at work more than I’m anywhere else. I like to be organized and I've been trying to get rid of things, so I can really just wear what I have versus having all this excess. I keep a list of gaps, or things I’m missing in my wardrobe, so I don’t feel pressured to buy other things.

I buy a lot from The Row. From Jil Sander, I don't have that many things, but I do have a few staples. A handful of things from Bottega. I have this beautiful, knit sweater from Bottega. I love the texture of it. I mean, we all have a million navy sweaters, but I didn't have a sweater that had this texture. So I'm looking at texture, shapes. Some of the Bottega shirts have a kind of roundness to them in the back. I'm looking at those kinds of details as well. Someone might say, “Oh, the things that you're picking are plain,” but if you actually look at what I'm picking, there's always great tailoring. There's always beautiful shapes. There's always good material. Whether it's a great, cashmere sweater that I got from a men's store, or even socks. I am obsessed with Falke socks. When I'm in Germany, I just stock up because the quality is really great. They're not super expensive, and they have all these different kinds. There's wool socks, there's tech socks, there's socks that are more like slippers. It's actually really detailed. 

CH: People can be quite particular about socks.

ASR: My husband was buying them, or had them, and I think in some countries they're super basic, but the markup in the US is pretty insane. There's a certain kind of craftsmanship and engineering that go into them. I'm always looking at craftsmanship. I want to feel like everything I own has some kind of craftsmanship or quality to it. 

Another brand that I love is Dries Van Noten. I don't buy a lot, but I can appreciate him aesthetically. And then in terms of shoes, I feel like I've never bought a Row shoe I didn't love. And again, that's craftsmanship. There’s a pair of Row eel loafers that look similar to the Emme Parsons ones that you have. I love them because I've never gotten a blister and I’ve walked everywhere in them. With everything, there has to be practicality for me.

CH: Would you say that you have a pretty big wardrobe or is it edited and you wear the same things quite often?

ASR: It's expanded in the last two or three years. I started to notice when I was getting dressed, I was missing things, and I was annoyed by it. At one of The Row sample sales, I was able to get this amazing car coat. It's this chocolate, pebble leather, and it's just a great staple, super classic. Something that you can wear all year round, and it looks good with a lot of different things. I would say I've invested more in jackets recently. I was missing a lot of, not blazers, but just outerwear. I've been paying attention to that, and to not getting the thing that's sparkly and interesting, but the thing that I know will stand the test of time. The thing that, even if my tastes change, I would be able to give it to someone else or be able to sell it because I know it's a desirable item.

I typically like to have things that I don't see people in, or if I see someone in it, it's the chic woman walking down Madison Avenue. I love to see clothes in the wild. I think it's really interesting, getting outfit ideas from people I see on the street. I used to never stop women and ask them about their clothes, but if I see something that's really spectacular, I ask. I remember seeing this woman and she had on black leggings. She was going to the gym. I don't remember what shoes she had on, but she had this gorgeous, brown, leather trench coat. And then she had a black headband, her hair was in a bun, and she just looked really expensive and really chic, but easy. And the coat was from The Row. Of course (laughs). It was probably a $10,000 coat! But she wasn't trying to impress anyone. You could tell she felt confident in what she was wearing, even if she was going to Pilates or yoga, or wherever she was going.

CH: This makes me want to get a black headband. 

ASR: It was one of the cloth ones. You could probably get them on Amazon, but her hair was off her face, very simple, very beautiful. And I just thought, oh, that's so chic. It might've just been practicality, maybe she has bangs or she didn't want to get sweaty, and she has this headband on. You never know what it is. Sometimes when people put things together just for comfort or ease, they end up looking better than they would if they're trying to make something work. 

CH: Totally. Sometimes those kind of outfits are the best.

ASR: If I take one of my husband's ball caps because it's raining, or I'm having a bad hair day, that could look really great with my outfit. I'm not necessarily trying to be a cool girl, with this cap and this bag and these shoes. I don't get dressed like that.

CH: Right. 

ASR: But I tend to look better in minimal and classic clothes that have some level of detail to them, versus something trendy. If I'm trying to be too trendy, it usually doesn't work, even though on someone else that looks amazing. For me, it doesn't feel right. And also my husband is my second stylist, I run a lot of things by him. He has a really good eye.

CH: That's a very good quality to have in a husband.

ASR: Sometimes you need a second pair of eyes. He’s the person that sees me get dressed every day, so he helps me identify what I do or don’t have. I love seeing what real women wear because it takes much more skill to build a wardrobe than to just go after what people are telling you to wear. Building a capsule is so fun for me.

CH: Can you talk a little bit about dressing in the art world? How does it play a role in your career?

ASR: Well there's that phrase, dressing for success. I'm in meetings a lot and I just want to convey my best self mentally, emotionally, and physically. There's an element of being put-together that I was taught when I was really little. When we went to church, we would wear our Sunday best. I work in a gallery and I’m surrounded by beautiful objects constantly, so I would never go to a meeting looking disheveled, even with how much makeup I have on, or my hair.

This is just me personally, but I always want to look great but not stand out to a point where I’m distracting. Maybe I dress demurely but I feel sexy and confident, and I think people notice me more, because I'm not the loudest person in the room. Maybe some people may want that kind of attention, but I always just want to be really confident in my own skin. Whether I just got a facial, or I’m in a great, new suit that's perfectly tailored to fit me. People notice those things. People notice the detail and the care and the thoughtfulness that you put into getting dressed.

I used to study ballet and when you came to class you had to dress appropriately in pink tights, a leotard, and ballet slippers. You had to be prepared. There's a level of discipline and structure, and I think that has extended into my life now. It’s not that I can't be casual, I'm casual on the weekends, but I think in my day-to-day work I like to have some kind of structure, even the way I get dressed.

ASHLEY’S MOST WORN:

1. Blazers. Three to five days out of my work week, I wear a blazer.

   

   Jil Sander $3400 $1530, The Row $3350 $2010, The Row $1850 $1110, Studio Nicholson $730 $387, Dries Van Noten $1295

2. Trousers. I love The Row Cassandro trousers (ed note: sold out almost everywhere but there are a few pairs left on sale here, here, here, and here!). I've worn them a million different ways, a million times, in every type of weather. I feel like those have gotten me through the past two years. They look good with almost everything, even without a matching blazer. They have a beautiful cuff at the bottom. You can also roll the cuff down and just have it be a regular, black trouser.

   

   The Row $1590 $795, Matteau $580, The Frankie Shop $200, The Row $1250, The Row $1450 $725, Dries Van Noten $875

3. Well-designed shirts.

   

   Toteme $360, The Row $1490, Cos $190, Dries Van Noten $380, The Row $1290 $774, Dries Van Noten $615

4. Sweaters. There's a great cashmere brand called Drumohr, and it's not really so popular here. They’re sold at this store in Belgium, Frans Boone. I spend a lot of time in Europe, and I bought so many great sweaters there. There's no branding, there's no name. The quality is so amazing.

   

   Drumohr $239, Drumohr $183, Drumohr $255 $203, Drumohr $551 $440, Drumohr $194 $155

5. Outerwear and overcoats.

   

   Stand Studios $845, Rier $930 $620, The Row $2390, Proenza Schouler $1095 $657, Nili Lotan $2995 $1497

6. Quality shoes.

   

   The Row $990, Aeyde $495, The Row $750, Emme Parsons $495

Thank you for reading this week’s letter! Isn’t Ashley chic? This material girl is off to the Madonna concert this evening. I hope you have some fun plans too. xx