Nails of New York: Ashley Jones
Meet Paintbox client and Canadian creative Ashley Jones. Though she hails from Toronto, this graphic designer now calls New York City home, where she's cut her teeth working at some of the best agencies in the city. We met up with Ashley for a manicure (it was her first time getting a FW'14 look) and she gave us a tour of the NoHo offices of Partners & Spade, where she currently works. We got to peek into the daily working life of a graphic designer (who also does a fair amount of art direction, one of her favorite parts of the job) while we talked manicures and all-things-nails.
Though a minimalist when it comes to colors she puts on her nails, Ashley is not shy about embracing studs and sparkles. For our shoot she chose Crop Top in nude with tiny gold studs, the perfect complement to all-gold jewelry (including her gorgeous wedding ring, which was custom-made and features a family heirloom diamond).
Why do you paint your nails?
I paint my nails because it makes me feel like I'm all put together. Having your nails done for an occasion is one thing, but having neatly manicured nails at work is another. It makes you look like you care and pay attention to the details.
Do you have a favorite polish color, or a go-to look for your manicures?
I'm always drawn to nudes. I'll keep the same nude on for a month, then I'll get sick of it and move to a different nude. Once in a while, I find a red-orange that I love and wear it way more than I should, and sometimes I venture into a really dark—almost black—red. Though I'm pretty safe when it comes to nail color (sticking with neutrals and reds), I'm also really drawn to beads or something that looks like hardware of some kind in gold or silver. And I love an extreme amount of glitter, especially when applied to the point that nails look like a piece of metal.
Ashley photographed at the NoHo offices of Partners & Spade; reviewing Colorplan paper options (we were obsessed with this paper company's charming presentation of paper offerings).
Ashley wears Crop Top (in gel) from the Paintbox FW'14 collection.
Where do you find inspiration?
In my day-to-day life, I'm faced with inspiring things all the time—from the cool people I work with, my friends, people we collaborate with, and so on. In my work, I spend hours sourcing photos for art direction projects and that's where I find most of my inspiration. I'm really into Tumblr for sharing inspiration. I think I'm usually drawn to design that uses carefully crafted typography and a clean layout, has a smart concept and serves a function for the user. I like things that are a little understated, aren't too girly, and are timeless and elevated and I try to keep those qualities in mind with everything I wear, everything I design, and even what I put on my nails.
Ashley's Crop Top manicure pairs beautifully with her stacks of yellow-gold rings.
Reviewing paper options; the work of photographer (and Paintbox favorite) Roe Ethridge hangs in the lobby of the Partners & Spade offices.
View Ashley's beautiful work—past and present—on her website.