Ava and Tallulah Dashm whose mom is Rachel Roy and father is Damon Dash,
now call Austin home, although Ava, 25, spends much of her time in NYC, where she’s on hit Bravo show Next Gen NYC. The sisters dished with Austin Lifestyle on lessons they’ve learned from their fashion icon mom, what they like about Austin and more.
What’s a lesson you learned about fashion from your mom?
Ava: That effortless doesn’t mean boring. My mom can make jeans and a button-down look chic any day of the week.
Tallulah: My favorite is to never follow trends. Being in high school it’s easy to latch onto what other people are wearing and want designer labels. I’ve learned I prefer when you can’t see labels, when what you wear looks uniquely your own.
What’s a life lesson or best advice you’ve received from your mom?
Ava: My mom has always encouraged me to trust my gut, in all facets of life -whether that’s in relationships, fashion or in my career. It’s a simple but very powerful message. When I was a kid, I really wanted a Juicy Couture sweatsuit for the first day of 5th grade to match all of my friends. She wouldn’t buy me one, she said it was vulgar for kids to wear expensive labels and instead she made me wear two different pairs of earrings and told me that soon all of my friends would be wearing two different pairs too. I cried, but wore them. Within a week, my friends started wearing two different pairs of earrings. I learned a big lesson from that moment.
Tallulah: The best advice my mom has given me is to always be in a state of gratitude and gratefulness. This helps me live in the present and be able to adapt to all kinds of situations. When I’m feeling sad, I’ve learned that helping others is what helps me get back to ‘happy’ the quickest.
Where is your favorite place to shop?
Ava: My mom’s closet, obviously. But also The Real Real, Bergdorfs (in person), and sometimes I just go down a Moda Operandi rabbit hole.
Tallulah: Thrift stores have never let me down. Most of my closet is vintage and secondhand.
Where do you get most of your fashion inspiration?
Ava: I love looking at my mom’s old paparazzi or red carpet images. I love pulling inspiration from old Calvin Klein ads, people on the NYC sidewalks and Pinterest.
Tallulah: I get inspired by my environment, so traveling, exploring, and being in nature is what inspires me the most, not only in fashion, but all areas of my life. I enjoy seeing how other people live and what they wear in other countries and cities. This summer I went to Big Sur and was inspired to dress hippie chic. When I go to NYC I’m inspired to wear menswear.
What is currently on your career bucket list?
Ava: There are so many goals and dreams that I’d love to accomplish one day. I just signed with FORD models, which was a huge goal for me. I’d love to expand to the European and Asian markets. My mom and I co-authored a Young Adult novel called 96 Words for Love, which is a retelling of a famous Indian folktale. It has been a dream of mine to produce the novel into a TV show one day.
What’s something you like about Austin?
Ava: It’s a really diverse city that feels like a neighborhood, where people are friendly and down to chat everywhere you go. And I love that there are always so many different activities to do! From eating at new restaurants, to going shooting, to relaxing at the Lake Austin Spa, to going to different music or film festivals. I love that I feel welcomed in our community already.
Tallulah: Coming from a big city like Los Angeles, Austin feels like a big warm hug. I like going to a farmer’s market in Spicewood. There is an older gentleman that designs rings made out of old bullets. His stories and character is as interesting and different as his rings. I never take off that ring now. Another of my favorite places in Austin is H.E.B, it’s so big. When they said everything was bigger in Texas, they were right. There’s an aisle for every country. They even have my favorite Japanese soda which I normally can only find at sushi restaurants.