Gabriella Ainslie

        Gabriella Ainslie is a retail and design consultant, the newest addition to the Bunkhouse team and an occasional Design Sponge contributor. Gabriella is also an avid traveler, a font of dead-on advice and quick with a killer smile. She's the gal you go to when you want to know the coolest up and coming designer (she's worked with tons of them), when you're hunting for the perfect fragrance, classic dress, want a sharp eye -- she's also the gal you go to if you want to down a dozen oysters and kill a lazy afternoon.

Recently I spent a rare rainy afternoon at Gabriella's airy East Austin apartment. We chatted while she casually threw together some flowers and munched on a bit of lunch. Fresh off a trip, well several trips, from Marfa she told me about her new job working with Bunkhouse -- the company that manages Texas' top boutique hotels including El Cosmico. She's sourcing all the goodies that give their hotels that je ne sais quoi. We also combed through her amazing closet which included work from some incredible designers she's currently working with: Jilsu, a Brooklyn based designer who makes gorgeous shibori silk scarves and Carleen, an up-and-coming New York line focusing on airy pieces that harken back to California's wide open spaces and early mythology. Classics from Apiece Apart, Growing jewelry and killer vintage sourced around the world were also well represented. Some quality play time with Ollie, her affable pup, was thrown in for good measure too - lucky me!

My personal style is… lots of black and white classic pieces with bold accessories on top.

My style icons are… lately, Solange has been on my mind in a huge way! Charlotte Gainsbourg is also an icon I look to. She always looks like she didn’t spend two seconds thinking about what she was going to put on, but she looks amazing! So effortless. Tilda Swinton.

I’m inspired by… dance and literature.

If I lived in another era I’d choose… Paris in the 1920s. The architecture and fashions were changing. Conversations about art and literature were going into the wee hours. Ballets Russes. Yes!

The last book I read was… “Important Artifacts and Personal Property form the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry.” By Leanne Shapton. I really recommend it!

Right now I’m obsessed with… Nails Y’all. She does the most amazing nail art ever! Also, Nova perfume. Their signature fragrance, Chakra, is insanely delicious.

Lately I’ve been listening to…  The Hood Internet’s “Ignition (1901 remix)” with R. Kelly and Phoenix. Also the Allah-Las record when I’m feeling a little less attitude-y and little more chill.

When I’m at home I love to… put on some music and have friends over for tea.   

If I were in a movie I’d be in… let’s take the set and costumes from “La Dolce Vita” and then add in some of the Latin American adventure of “The Motorcycle Diaries,” and see what happens.

When I walk up to the bar I order… tequila & soda with a lime in it, please. Thank you!

My go-to beauty product is… Weleda Everon Lip Balm

I’m crushing on… Jon Snow from Game of Thrones. Like WHOA!

The last time I surprised myself I… drove a 20 foot trailer with 3,000 of tile on it all the way to Marfa. I felt like an ultimate badass Texan lady, and I didn’t have to try and reverse that thing even once.

On a sunny afternoon I love to… sit outside with a good friend and my dog and watch people go by.

When I’ve got money to burn I head to… Whole Foods. Man, that place gets me into big trouble!

Five things I can’t live without are… my misbehaving dog, Ollie. My best friends & my big brother. A notebook. The sea! Also shirts and dresses that are silky.

I feel most myself when I am… sitting around in jeans and a t-shirt and drinking coffee and half eating a taco and looking at my dog to see if he is ready for a walk, or if he wants to join me on the couch.