by MIKE CHAIKEN
CTFashionMag.com
At the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen contest in Orlando, Payton May took to the stage in a Tony Bowls original dress in black with silver fringe, a red sports bra with red leggings, and two evening gowns.
But in her daily life, the new Miss America’s Outstanding Teen said her fashion sense is pretty simple.
“I only wear three colors in my day-to-day life,” said May, 17. Blue, black, and white.
This isn’t only true for the former Miss Washington’s Outstanding Teen life beyond pageants.
On the night she was crowned in Orlando, Fla. July 27, as noted, the Vancouver, Wash. resident wore a basically Tony Bowls black dress. She also wore a sky blue evening gown for that phase of competition. And when she sang “Over the Rainbow” for her talent, May wore a white gown. was white.
May’s friends have gotten so used to the teen’s limited fashion palette, when she does wear something outside of those hues, they ask what went wrong.
Talking about her fashion sense, May said, she tends to dress up for school, veering toward dresses and skirts.
Outside of school, May said she likes simple tops and jeans. Off-the-shoulder tops are a big favorite.
May said she’s not usually a shoe girl. She prefers to wear wedges. She said she only owns three pairs of heels.
Sometimes pageant representatives are asked not to wear the same outfit twice to appearances. May said she’s never been told that. But if she was, she’d have a problem.
Not only does she wear outfits twice, she wears them several times.
“I’m a repeat offender,” said May. “I have a few outfits and pieces — and I will wear them to death.”
May might not have a lot of preferred hues to her wardrobe, but she said, “I do love shopping.” When she goes to the mall, May said her first stop typically is Nordstrom. “They have everything I need.”
As for style icons, the national titleholder said she doesn’t have any celebrities in her mix. Instead, she said she prefers to get her fashion tips from a bunch of bloggers. Then she likes to pick and choose from their recommendations.
She’s also known to look to her friends as her fashion touchstones.
“My friends have the cutest wardrobes,” said the Skyview High School student, “and I’ll raid their closet.”
PHOTOS by MIKE CHAIKEN
