Hey, I Like Your Style! Inside the wardrobe of Sydney-based actor Ash Williams
image via @ashhwilliams_/INSTAGRAM
words by daisy henry
“I wear whatever makes me feel sexy and also a little stupid.”
We know personal style is a journey (I’m looking at you, Tumblr years) and our series Hey, I Like Your Style! dives into the fashion psyche of our favourite creatives. We’re talking about the good, the bad and the 2007.
While the internet has made our fashion icons feel closer than ever before, even the most effortless outfits came from a closet with some (well-dressed) skeletons. Clickable product tags, photo archives and lives chronicled in 30-second clips just don’t tell the full story.
For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.
There’s a brilliance behind the way we choose to express ourselves and at FJ, we know every outfit has a story. For this instalment of Hey, I Like Your Style!, we enter the wardrobe of Sydney-based actor Ash Williams.
Ash finds her inspiration anywhere, from colours, shapes and patterns, to Pinterest, her menstrual cycle and naughty words. Her style is, in her own words, part “experimental Snooki” and part “Adam Sandler in his skating era”.
Although she has a distinctive personal style now, Ash remembers limiting herself growing up. “Being one of few black people in my schooling life, I hated the thought of looking or feeling different in any way so that reflected in my fashion,” she says. But as she’s gotten older, she’s gone from caring too much, to not caring at all. “I’ve learnt that taking up space in any capacity is something I’ve always deserved,” she explains. Now, Ash’s style is unapologetically her own.
View this post on Instagram
Hi Ash! Tell me about yourself and what you like to wear?
I’m Ash Williams, an actor, sometimes model, sometimes writer, sometimes content creator, always a bad bitch. When I’m not being utilised for my beauty and talent I’m doing a job artists do to pay bills.
Occasionally I shake ass for entitled men and spin on a pole they wish was theirs. I wear whatever makes me feel sexy and also a little stupid. Some days I give experimental Snooki (tight and barely there) and other days it’s Adam Sandler in his skating era, but in a baby tee.
What has your style evolution looked like?
I went from caring too much to not caring at all. It took a long time and I feel like I’m evolving in so many ways every day. I tried so hard to look like everyone else and it never really suited me. I had to go against a lot of societal norms and other people’s perceptions of me and once I started dressing like myself and for myself, my confidence naturally came back. Now I can’t imagine not feeling good in what I wear or putting on an outfit for anyone but me.
View this post on Instagram
Have you ever felt like you needed to fit into a particular fashion box?
When I was younger I tried to squeeze into any box that gave me the illusion of fitting in. Being one of few black people in my schooling life, I hated the thought of looking or feeling different in any way so that reflected in my fashion.
Thankfully I grew out of the need for validation and conformity and instead grew into my difference. I went from straightening my hair and copying fast fashion trends to realising the blessing that was growing from my scalp and getting strange looks from middle-aged white women for my “provocative” outfit.
I definitely limited my creativity with fashion growing up, but at my big age, I’ve learnt that taking up space in any capacity is something I’ve always deserved.
View this post on Instagram
Take us back to those awkward teenage years. Do you have any fashion regrets?
I grew up in the era of the Kanye West shutter sunglasses, Supré handbags and Dream Matte Mouse foundation. As awkward as it was, I regret none of it. The early 2000s will always be iconic. I can look back at myself in my teens and most definitely cringe but it’s funny and cute. I was fumbling through trying to find my style and I had no idea what I was doing! Nobody does at that age.
What are the most expensive and least expensive items in your wardrobe?
I’m big on buying secondhand but the two most expensive items in my wardrobe are probably my Clara Colette Miramon corset I bought myself and a pair of red bottoms that someone’s dad bought me. The least expensive is a pair of baggy brown jeans I got at a dump shop for $7.
View this post on Instagram
What is the most meaningful fashion piece you own?
A dress I wore for my birthday last year. My talented friend Youhan made it for me and it was very exciting dreaming up an idea and then trusting his talent and creativity to bring it to life. He ate!
Who or what influences your style?
Everything and nothing! I’m influenced by people, art, things I see online, colours, shapes, patterns, my friends, the weather, my menstrual cycle, Pinterest, naughty words like cum, being uncomfortable, showing skin, confusing people, having fun and most of all myself.
View this post on Instagram
What are the wardrobe items you wear on repeat?
A slogan baby tee and the teeniest shorts or baggy jeans with my Solomons or square-toed vintage boots.
Who are your favourite local designers?
I love Die Horny, Raga Malak, Candy’s Lingerie, Emily Watson, Bye Bambi, So Familia, Olivia Rowan, 27mollys, Sexiaz Lingerie, Karlaidlaw, Karameleon and Ramp Tramp Tramp Stamp. There are so many more I simply can’t name them all!
Keep up with Ash here.
Liked this? You’ll love these...
