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Ashley Denton Wants Phoenix to Express Itself with Fashion -- And Be Less Judgmental

All of Ashley Eaton Denton's interests are beginning to come full circle. The 28-year-old -- born and raised in Phoenix -- used to run her own mobile vintage shop and is now focusing on shaping Field & Fellow, the new fitness, vintage, art, and D.I.Y. blog she runs with her...
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All of Ashley Eaton Denton's interests are beginning to come full circle.

The 28-year-old -- born and raised in Phoenix -- used to run her own mobile vintage shop and is now focusing on shaping Field & Fellow, the new fitness, vintage, art, and D.I.Y. blog she runs with her husband, Trevor. It's a lifestyle.

See also: ASU Student Gavin Plooster Explains His Health Goth Style

Denton used to run her vintage shop, Merry May Shoppe, out of a little trailer she would take to events and boutiques around Phoenix. The shop, which was often parked outside of Frances, was filled with a fun mix of thrifted finds and up-cycled vintage. Denton won a Big Brain award for the mobile boutique in 2012.

"I'm not completely done with it," says Denton, who has since taken a break from Merry May. "I work full time and it got hard to prepare for events. It's a lot of work."

Denton now works for her family's small business and can also be found at Urban Yoga in Phoenix, where she is training to be a yoga teacher.

While she's excited about getting more involved in the yoga world, Denton is also using her obsession with D.I.Y. and vintage to start new adventures and connect the dots with projects of the past.

The blog she shares with her husband, Field & Fellow, is a place where the couple explores all of the different things they're into, from yoga and fashion to recipes and wellness.

Whether she's blogging or working, Denton describes her style as casual and comfortable. She swears, however, that you'll never find her in just jeans and a T-shirt. Instead she loves the flowy style of long skirts and dresses.

"My style is comfortable but also kind of fashionable and bohemian," she says. "I really like to try to do stuff that's very versatile, but comfort is key."

One of her all-time-favorite style inspirations is singer and former model Grace Slick, known for her musical achievements with the band Jefferson Airplane. Denton loves Slick's grungy approach to fashion.

Denton's love of fashion was also deeply influenced by both sides of her family.

"My dad's mom is the one who taught me that fashion is art. She inspired the appreciation of it, but my mom's parents live on a farm in upstate New York, and they inspired the more frugal side of it. That's where my passion for vintage and D.I.Y.came from."

The lifestyle blogger loves fashion as art and self expression, but Denton says she isn't the type to spend a lot of time digging through popular fashion mecca, Last Chance, to find things.

"Old stuff was made better," says Denton. "That's why it's still here."

What are you wearing? I'm wearing a Free People dress, shoes from Target, and vintage jewelry.

Where do you usually shop? I do a lot of thrifting. I've been trying to steer away from that lately because I'll get all of this random stuff and wear it once. I'm trying to be a little more thoughtful and buy more stuff that will last. I've been shopping a lot at Free People, because I love the flowy look for summer. I get a lot of my Free People on sale at Macy's.

What was the last item of clothing you bought? I just bought some super comfy and cute fabric bell bottoms. I can wear them to work or dress them up.

Name five things every woman should have in her closet. 1) Good denim 2) A versatile maxi dress 3) Boots 4) A good basic T-shirt 5) Great sandals

What's a trend you can't stand? I don't really stick to trends, but I feel like some of them can be made to look cool. There isn't much that I absolutely hate. I do, however, hate neon and shirts with stupid sayings.

Give us a childhood memory of you and clothes. My cousin and I were raised like sisters, and we spent a lot of time with our grandma. She was super into fashion and had her own personal shopper. She showed us how to put on make-up and let us go into her closet and pretend we were fancy.

What's your one piece of fashion advice for Phoenix? Phoenix is a relatively judgmental city. There are a lot of other places where people don't bat an eye when they see someone expressing themselves through fashion. Just get over it. Express yourself! I'd love to see more of that. You should also invest in good vintage denim. It will last you forever.

Editor's note: This post has been modified from its original version.

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