In the norm of baggy T-shirts and running shorts, Asa Pilson is a pop of color and patterns on Auburn University’s campus.
Since she was a sophomore in high school, Pilson decided she wanted to be herself rather than try to fit into the trends.
“I love to clash colors and patterns. I like to put unlikely things together,” said Pilson, describing her style. “My favorite patterns to clash is cheetah print and checkers.”
Pilson’s mother went to school for fashion, so she was always dressed in cute clothes as a little girl. However, she did not always dress in the style she does now.
“I definitely had my awkward phase,” Pilson said. ”In middle school, I wanted to be in the trends. I was super into Vineyard Vines. I had the preppy and emo stages, all the stages middle schoolers go through.”
It wasn’t until her sophomore year of high school that she decided it was time to be the truest version of herself, and Pilson embraced the style she proudly wears today.
“I started gaining confidence when I started being myself and dressing that,” she said. “It just didn’t feel right how I was before. I was trying to fit into a group of people that wasn’t worth my time. I thought if I dressed and acted liked them, I would fit in, but I shouldn’t have cared. When I stopped caring, so much happened for me positively. Freshman year I made it my goal to be ‘best dressed’ as my senior superlative, and I was.”
Today, Pilson considers confidence to be one of her biggest strengths. Her creative nature shines through in her personal sense of style, and it has helped her gain confidence through finding and being herself without trying to fit into a mold.
Pilson is pursuing a graphic design major and hopes to move to New York right after she gets her degree.
“I want to work with local, smaller coffee shops and boutiques and do their graphic designs and be a tattoo artist on the side, possibly,” she said.
Her sense of style illustrates the artistic person she is.
“My favorite skirt is my checkerboard skirt,” she said. “It’s a jean skirt and has black and white checkers with a zipper in the front or my rainbow dots skirt. A primary color blocking, baggy T-shirt is my favorite.”
As for her favorite outfit, it is no surprise it is a clash of two unlikely patterns.
“My favorite outfit would be the cheetah print skirt with the primary color, color-blocked shirt. It works, I promise,” Pilson said.
She knows that she is not wearing today’s typical trends, but that is was makes her thrive in confidence and self-expression.
“I guess not a lot of people think to clash things, and that’s kind of my thing. I like to wear things that people don’t really wear. I like to stand out,” Pilson said in reflection on what truly makes her style herself.
Her go-to places to buy her clothes are thrift stores in the Atlanta area, where she’s from.
“A thrift store called Buffalo Exchange is my number one place to shop,” Pilson said.
Pilson’s style icon is the lead singer, Paul Jason Klein, of a group called Lany.
“He clashes a lot,” she said. “He does a lot of stripes and color, but sometimes he does a lot of black, and I do that sometimes, too. He has a lot of versatility in his style.”
Each day, Pilson has her outfits laid out and ready. She enjoys taking the time to make sure it is exactly what she wants to have on and does not just wake up and throw on whatever is most convenient.
“I plan them out every night,” she said. “It usually takes 10-30 minutes depending on how inspired I’m feeling. I always try them on.”
Pilson has a defined, signature sense of style, and part of it is her spoon rings.
They are not purely for accessorizing, but they have a story behind them. Each of her three spoon rings are from the same artist in Minnesota where some of her family lives.
“I started wearing rings when I was like 10,” she said. “I always wear a lot of rings. I feel complete with them. All are from different places and have a story. Some are bought and some are made by friends.”
One of her spoon rings is in honor of her late grandfather.
“This summer, I got one different from the other two,” Pilson said.
Instead of buying a floral one like the others, she chose one with a Native American picture on it to represent her late grandfather. His best friend was a member of the Ojibwe tribe, and made her grandfather an honorary member.
“My grandpa had passed away a year ago when I went to Minnesota this past summer. When I saw this ring, it reminded me of my grandpa, and it kind of looks like him. I just had to have it,” she said.
Style is personal, and Pilson has found a way to make it exude her personality.
Through her style journey, she has found joy in self-expression.
“Confidence in who you are will reflect in what you wear,” she advised.
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