It was marvellous catching up with sophisticated DJ, designer and now clearly watch model – Ashley Feraud. With a long list of titles to add to his name, you can now add – personality.
Ashley is one of those well-dressed trendsetters. Never ever have I seen him out in public looking unpolished. He is a diamond that sparkles all the time. In fact, he confesses - he doesn’t own track pants? Not even for the gym!
He describes how he likes unstructured formality or, in other words, certain classic gentleman finesse with a casual approach. That’s in line with his attitude to many things he does, professional but not mundanely corporate. He strives for a point of distinction without being loud. He hopes - that the way he dresses tells his friends and people he works with, that he respects them. What a thoughtful way of dressing.
I wanted to get inside his thoughts about fashion, so I asked him four key questions.
What piece can't you live without?
So want to say underwear but that’s just not classy so how about we say my watch. Yep that German Maistersinger has only one hand, not because it was a knock off made in Asia and the other one fell off but because there’s a theory behind it. We pay so much attention to the minutes in our lives that it ages us ….time flows much slower when you only pay attention to the hours. Saying that, I tend to keep quite bust so without my watch I’d loose the discipline that time sets. So there you go- that watch keeps me young but organised. All this slowing down of time also explains why I’m so immature at my ‘actual’ age.
What is your favourite piece of clothing you are wearing?
Oddly enough this pair of jeans. Even though the blazer is a classic piece that lifts every outfit from a boy to man, it is these jeans that I find especially versatile. They work equally well with a white t-shirt in summer as they do with a heavy coat in winter mostly due to the dark grey colour and slightly thinner denim. And yes they are skinny… very skinny, but despite my parents constantly making fun out of it that’s what I really like, so it looks like I’m going to be trapped in that style until I’m into my 90’s.
What is on your shopping list to buy next?
Flowers for my girlfriend, she really likes those. Oh wait you mean, clothing wise… a pair of blue black dip-dyed Oxfords with contrasting low stacked tan heel by Paul Smith I just saw on sale. I once read that ‘no man over the age of 30 should wear sneakers’, that’s not a good rule for everyone but it works for me. So all of you that agree with that statement will probably geek out over that shoe description I just gave. Plus you should see the box they come in… good enough to use as a wedding gift package.
Who is your fashion icon?
I have quite a few people I relate to well in terms of style and honestly they tend to be older gentleman whose sense of style demonstrates a certain effortless experience. One such person is Nick Wooster, he pushes boundaries more than I would ever have the guts to do but overall his aesthetic is very well balanced and celebrates a blend of old and new. Plus he has a great beard, which I could never grow and some mysterious job that is all about getting paid for looking cool. So jealous.
He has the same view on Canberra fashion as I do. If you asked Ashley the same question a few years ago he would have said: armies of miss fitting grey suits during the week followed by sportswear on the weekends. But haven’t we come far since then? Now you go through busy places and notice people expressing themselves in work and weekend wear. The change in Canberra’s social and entertainment scene has had a lot to do with this. The increase in access to new clothing beyond Country Road. It’s the best! people are experimenting here, aiming to stand out, blending styles, being creative, aligning their clothing to their personalities.
Check out his small check list before heading out:
1.Is this the appropriate thing for the weather or the work I’m about to do?
2. Does it look like I’ve put in some effort but not too much?
3. Is it comfortable?
4. All of this really is relatively easy.
Do you guys do this too? we'd love to hear it!
Nick Wooster once said that “setting up your wardrobe takes time but don’t rush it … then one day you realise that everything starts working together, the old clothes with the new, the colours etc. That wardrobe is you and you’ll feel comfortable every day.”
Break down of Ashley's look
Blazer by Zara,
Cardigan by UNIQLO
Shirt by Jack London
Jeans by Ksubi
Shoes by YCA,
Watch by Maistersinger
Hair by Ashley.
JL XO
Awesome photography by Kevin Landale