Ashley Muench, the epitome of NYC chic: closet portrait

Our fourth closet portrait features Ashley Muench! Ashley is a dancer turned brand consultant who has traded in her leg warmers and dance shoes for leopard print slip dresses and pointed mules. At the core of her style? Versatility and functionality, helping her brave the chaos of NYC.

Special thank you to the incredible photographer, Amelia Hammond, who made this closet portrait come to life.

How did you develop personal style & how did it evolve?

I grew up doing ballet every single day after school and was always in rehearsal gear and dancewear growing up. I wore a lot of transitional looks as I moved through different settings. This carried over throughout high school and college. 

I’ve always had a lean silhouette that highlights my natural features and is simultaneously striking. I attribute much of this to always being in dance classes. As a dancer, you’re in very tight pieces. It was fun to play around with different leotards, sports bras, and tights. When I moved to New York in high school, I went to rehearsals and dance classes with the real professionals. I was dancing with people in NYC ballet and their style was impeccable. I remember they would layer their legwarmers and wear these micro skirts over their tights and it always inspired me. Over the years, I transitioned from this performing arts world to working more in fashion and brand consulting. Finding my style was a layered process. I’m not just wearing workout gear anymore. The thing that has remained the same about my style is that it’s still very cross functional. I like sticking to clean, striking, and minimal lines. 

Do you remember a time in your life when getting dressed gave you a boost of confidence?

I can definitely think of a few times. 

Taking it back to performing arts – we were constantly auditioning and in front of new panels. Dressing the part was always crucial to how confident I felt in that room. This allowed me to represent myself in the best way possible, even if I was nervous. This has translated into my work as a professional. 

Every day, no matter what I’m wearing, I want to look collected. This is why I shop for pieces that I can still style and elevate. Because of my dance days, I am now naturally able to pair pieces together and layer them. 

How did the modern day Ashley’s style come to be? 

I have an edgier side that has come out over the years. I lived in London for a year after high school and that was my first exposure to other ways of dressing. I dabbled with different styles based on the groups I was around. Year after year, I just experimented with different styles. Now, a lot of my style is influenced by house and techno music and culture. I am inspired by the blend between music culture and fashion. I am a minimalist and prefer to really lean into creative silhouettes. The music scene has really influenced my style. I now have this dichotomy and can be “french street style/clean girl” and mix it with a “German techno vibe.” I’ve pulled a lot of inspiration from off camera looks – the minimal cigarette pant with a beautiful cashmere sweater. When you have the right pieces that are quality made, you don’t have to put as much thought into styling them. 

What do you think about when creating an outfit?

Living in NYC, when you leave the house, you know you’re not coming back for a while. The first thing that comes to mind is how many different scenarios am I wearing this outfit in? I could be meeting a client, co-working, running to a workout class, grabbing dinner with a friend! Versatility is first and foremost what I am looking for out of an outfit. I also think about how comfortable I’m going to be when I’m traveling. I take functionality requirements into consideration. Most of my pieces are suited for an insane schedule and for New York conditions. I have a core capsule of pieces that I wear on a regular basis. I’m such an outfit repeater and have built out outfits that I know will look great throughout the day. I have a lot of quality pieces that make it easy to style. 

Beyond music, where else do you get your inspiration from ?

I was always into the clean 90s looks that I saw on Sex and the City. Samantha’s outfits are so stunning and some of Charlotte’s. I love the strappy black dresses that grace their natural features. I love the off camera movie star looks. I love Audrey Hepburn’s and Cindy Crawford’s off camera looks. Some of my favorite brands are The Row, TOTEME, and Marc Jacobs.  I’m more of an undone gal. 

Favorite way to find new brands?

I discover a lot of brands organically. I have a strong network in the fashion industry so people are always tagging brands. I’m walking around Soho and Nolita a lot so I see a lot of pop ups going on. At this point, my algorithms are trained very well, so they are always sending me stuff. 

Your anti-gatekeeping advice for fashion?

Stick to you! Trends come and go from season to season and it’s a marketing thing. Some trends are amazing, and it’s great exposure to new ways of styling, but at the end of the day, it feels good to have pieces that you’ll love for years.

If you could swap closets with one person, who would it be and why?

Stephanie Shepherd – she’s the founder of Future Earth. She represents almost exactly what I described as my style. She leans into her natural features and gives a bold feminine look. I would take any one of her pieces. 

What's a major fashion red flag? 

Wearing designer brands just to flash a logo without putting any thought into the styling of the outfit. You can achieve a very elevated look with no logo. I say this because I come from the  the Midwest, and something I noticed coming from there and being exposed to New York fashion is that people are very subtle here. You know someone is wearing a high end outfit when there’s no logo to be seen. You can tell the quality and technicality of those pieces. In the Midwest, I remember people would wear a Gucci belt and let that compensate for the rest of the outfit. Or for the longest time, everyone had to have a Louis Vuitton bag and a lot of this was bandwagoning. 

Tell us about the four fits we shot and the occasions, styles, & vibes you associate with each!

Look 1: This is an ideal outfit for when I’m going out with my girlfriends. I have a friend group where everyone is very put together and I’m always inspired by them. In this outfit, I’m going to dinner or a cocktail bar or gallery and maybe we are going out afterwards. I also love to be out dancing to house music. This Gucci dress speaks to a different era. I listen to Donna Summers in my daily life, and this outfit encapsulated the essence of the music I love. This is a Manhattan look.

Look 2: This is a work outfit for me. I’m out and about on a weekday – bouncing around meetings. I might be co-working with a friend or going to a shoot. These pieces layer well without being stuffy. I look put together but feel comfortable and confident.

Look 3: This is a staple hair style for me. It comes from my dancer days. This is a go-to hairstyle for me – I like the predictability. This outfit is another versatile one. I could wear it working around Soho, knowing I’m going to dinner or somewhere later. I’ll wear this during a weekday, going to a wine night or evening dinner on the weekends. This is the most versatile outfit out of all of them. I love an all black fit. 

Look 4: I bought this dress recently and love how it’s fun and playful and cheetah is also neutral. It’s a really simple dress – you can throw it on and it’s an outfit in itself. I’ve worn during the day casually with a coat and a sweater and have also worn it to birthday dinners and dates. It’s so versatile.