What Artists Wear

"Architects wear black. This seems to be a given, and has been addressed in the literature about the profession. Similar quantities of ink have been spilled on the subject of artists’ studios. Only this year, however, do we have an assessment of how and why artists dress as they do. In What Artists Wear, style luminary Charlie Porter gives us a written catwalk of outfits worn by artists, in the studio, on stage, at work, at home and at play. There are iconic looks that will be familiar to even casual observers: Andy Warhol’s signature denim , Yayoi Kusama’s polka dots . And there are the more subtle style signifiers like Georgia O’Keefe’s prairie minimalism or Yves Klein’s impeccable tailoring . “Part love letter, part guide to chic, and featuring generous photographic spreads, What Artists Wear is both a manual and a manifesto, a radical, gleeful, inspiration to see the world anew-and find greater pleasure and possibility in the clothes we all wear…. Most of us live our lives in our clothes without realizing their power. But in the hands of artists, garments reveal themselves. They are pure tools of expression, storytelling, resistance and creativity.” Other books about fashion and design that I’ve added to my ‘best art books 2021’ reference library include: Woman Made , the most comprehensive illustrated manual to women in design to date; and No Compromise: The Work of Florence Knoll, who was responsible for so many design hallmarks of the modern era."