Fashion has a funny way of making yesterday’s wardrobe feel urgent again. Low-rise jeans, tiny handbags and velour tracksuits have returned to the conversation. For model and Next Gen NYC personality Ava Dash, however, nostalgia is only half the appeal. The other half is deciding what deserves a comeback and how to wear it without looking like you stepped out of a time capsule.
Dash, the daughter of designer Rachel Roy and music executive Damon Dash, grew up around fashion, but she isn’t interested in letting that background dictate her wardrobe. Her style moves between feminine, sporty and slightly edgy, depending on the day. That flexibility makes her a natural fit for the Crown Royal Regal Apple x Juicy Couture collaboration, an apple-green velour tracksuit that revives the unapologetic glamour of an era when matching sets were an entire fashion statement.
“My first reaction was definitely, ‘Y2K is so back!’” Dash tells EBONY. “I love that it has that classic Juicy glam with a Crown Royal Regal Apple twist. The apple green is such a fun statement color.” She isn’t planning to wear the look only as a set, either. For a New York afternoon, she’d pair the jacket with a white tank, vintage jeans and sunglasses, then change into the matching pants for happy hour with friends.
Nostalgia, Without the Costume
The original appeal of Juicy Couture wasn’t simply comfort. Its velour tracksuits turned casual dressing into a conspicuous style choice. That playful contradiction still appeals to Dash, who likes pairing sporty pieces with a heel, vintage bag or statement jewelry. The goal isn’t to faithfully reproduce a 2000s outfit; it’s to borrow its confidence.
“I’ve always loved how fun, effortless, and glamorous Y2K fashion felt,” she says. “It was a time when people weren’t afraid to have a little fun with their clothes.” For Dash, that sense of humor matters more than adhering to an aesthetic. She doesn’t want an outfit to feel too serious, even when the pieces themselves are polished.
She is selective about which trends earn a second life. Tiny handbags are firmly on her list, partly because they can function as accessories rather than purely practical objects. Dash even suggests turning the Crown Royal velour bag into a Y2K-inspired purse. Dresses layered over jeans, on the other hand, can remain in the archives for now. “I know fashion is cyclical, but I’m not quite ready for that one to come back!” she says.
The Art of Getting Dressed in New York
Fall in New York demands a wardrobe that can handle several temperatures and social situations before dinner. Dash keeps her essentials straightforward: a matching set, a dependable pair of jeans and a jacket she can throw over almost anything. The pieces earn their place by working together or separately.
“I think the trick is making sure every layer is cute enough to be an outfit on its own,” she says. “I love a little tank or fitted tee under an oversized jacket, and I’m a big fan of mixing textures.” It’s a practical strategy, but one that doesn’t require sacrificing the look.
Dash also has little patience for rules about what belongs at a particular hour. If she wants to wear heels to lunch or a dress to run errands, she will. Her one consistent guideline is proportion: something oversized on top usually calls for a more fitted bottom, or the reverse. Balance, rather than occasion, is what keeps her outfits from feeling accidental. A good pair of sunglasses helps too, particularly when she’s rushing around without makeup.
Growing up around fashion helped Dash understand that clothes can communicate before anyone speaks. But she doesn’t think that message needs to remain the same every day. “I hope it tells people that I’m confident, creative, and don’t take myself too seriously,” she says. Some days she’s drawn to romantic pieces; on others, she wants something athletic or sharper.
Learning to Be Seen Beyond the Outfit
That desire to define herself extends beyond fashion. On Next Gen NYC, Dash allowed viewers into friendships, relationships and the process of becoming more independent. Reality television offers visibility, but it also invites strangers to form judgments from a limited collection of moments. For someone who has tended to keep parts of her life private, participating meant accepting that not every scene would be interpreted the way she experienced it.
“I think this season taught me that being vulnerable is actually one of my strengths,” she says. “I’ve always been pretty private about certain parts of my life, so allowing people to see me navigate relationships, friendships, and becoming more independent was a big step for me.” Dash says people sometimes assume she’s more reserved than she really is, and she enjoyed letting audiences see otherwise.
The harder lesson was realizing how much context disappears when real relationships become television. A decision that looks spontaneous to a viewer may follow months of private consideration. Dash has learned to separate what she knows happened from the version an audience might construct. “I’ve learned that I can’t control everyone’s interpretation of me, and honestly, that’s been pretty freeing,” she says. “The people who know me know my heart.”
She approached the reunion with a similar perspective, hoping to say what needed saying without remaining stuck in old disagreements. “I think there’s a difference between making peace and pretending something didn’t happen,” she explains. Dash doesn’t enjoy arguing for the sake of it, but she is willing to defend herself. The distinction matters as she learns to be more public without making other people’s opinions the measure of her own experience.
Making Room for Every Version of Ava
Back in her closet, Dash’s ideal fall outfit is uncomplicated but hardly anonymous. She’d make the Crown Royal x Juicy Couture jacket the centerpiece, adding a white tank, vintage low-rise jeans, pointed-toe heels and gold jewelry. A tiny bag and oversized sunglasses would finish the look, with glowy skin, a nude glossy lip and easy hair keeping the beauty from competing with the green. For a fall happy hour, she’d pair the moment with a Crown Apple Daiquiri.
Her actual handbag, meanwhile, is less about spectacle than daily survival: hand lotion, headphones and multiple lip glosses. “I know that’s technically more than three things, but a girl needs options!” she jokes. She wants the freedom to make an entrance, but also the freedom to move through an ordinary day without treating every outfit like a production.
Ask Dash how she knows fall has arrived in New York and she offers a scene anyone who loves the city will recognize: leather jackets everywhere, outdoor tables still full and plans that somehow end in a dimly lit restaurant. The answer captures the atmosphere she dresses for, where an afternoon can become a night out with very little warning. As her public profile grows, Dash seems determined to keep that same spontaneity intact. The clothes can change, the trends can circle back and the cameras can keep rolling, but the person deciding what feels right is still her.