I do, however, entertain one criticism: What Artists Wear certainly takes a bird's eye view of art history, and deviates little from the usual stars (Basquiat, O'Keefe, Kahlo). I fear that Porter suffers from his own critique, that he appears "desperate to appear diverse," by slotting in artists like Alvaro Barrington and Paul Mpagi Sepuya haphazardly in the final chapter, and the fact that there is not a single artist from the Global South seems a glaring omission. Timely ... intimate ... A leisurely, contemplative journey through the art world of the 20th Century, as shown through the medium of the artists' own clothes. Hypebeast Next summer we have been invited to Helmingham Hall, one of the most romantic houses in England, by Edward and Sophie Tollemache. It will be an exploration of Helmingham’s 500 years of garden history, and of the gardens designed in recent years by Xa Tollemache, Edward’s mother. An artist’s choice of clothing can become a further stem of their practice. A great example of this was in the section on Lynn Hershman Leeson. With ‘Roberta Breitmore’ the artist’s choice of clothing became integral to creating the artwork. Her costume, wig and make-up created the character she performed as for 5 years, her choices in clothes helped form a commentary on the treatment women within 1970’s culture. This subject opened up a bees-nest of artists who would fit into this surprisingly intimate investigation. Grayson Perry and Rebecca Horn immediately come to mind and could have perhaps replaced some of the dryer sections discussing Nicole Eisenman, who is a wonderful artist but perhaps wasn’t the best choice for this book. That said, provoking the desire to add artists into this investigation suggests how rich the subject is.

What Artists Wear’: Clothes as Tools of Expression • A ‘What Artists Wear’: Clothes as Tools of Expression • A

When he was at college, fashion was exciting: designers such as Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan were breaking through, and those who wrote about them had, he insists, a certain “intellectual rigour”. Porter mourns those days now, and worries, too, about where the internet will take fashion. But he believes things are also changing. People are thinking more about where their clothes come from and where they’ll go when they die. For his part, he is determined to wear as many of his old clothes as he can, for as long as he can (hence the ancient Gucci loafers). This entry was posted on Oct 4, 2021, 11:48 am and is filed under Author: Charlie Porter, Publisher: Penguin, Subject: The creative process. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0.According to Porter, the unspoken language of clothes – the intuitive, often mundane, everyday choices made by artists – can send messages that shine a spotlight on our cultural and social landscape. "For the last few decades, artists have been putting themselves at the centre of their work through video, photography and performance in a way that has never happened before," he says. "Therefore, the clothing they wear is right at the centre of the work too. They’re sending signals to the viewer." But his new book was born (initially, at least) of frustration with fashion as much as of fondness for it. “Fashion writing is often seen as fluff – and sometimes it is. But I always felt it was a way of writing about other things, too: the economy, psychology, society, communication, desire.” In fashion journalism, the industry sets artificial limits; those who report on it are, by necessity, obsessed with trends. But most people’s wardrobes have more to do with their emotional life than with some neverending quest for novelty. “Some clothes are utilitarian,” says Porter. “Some are sentimental. Some have to do with the community to which a person belongs, or wants to belong. Hopefully, my book speaks to these things. It’s not interested in best-dressed lists, or in so-called icons, even though many of the artists in it are famous.” Workplaces such as hairdressers, barbers, beauty salons and tattoo and photoshoot studios require close proximity to clients for extensive periods, meaning it’s difficult to maintain social distancing measures. As you’re providing a service, you should therefore wear further protection in addition to any that you might usually wear. Lucie Rie was born and raised in Austria, fleeing to London in 1938. She was a ceramicist of eloquent finesse. Here is Rie (above), with an example of her work, in her potter’s apron.

A Long, Detailed Examination of What Artists Really Wear

Sarah Lucas Self-portrait with Fried Eggs, 1996, C-print. Photograph: Sarah Lucas/Courtesy Sadie Coles HQ, London

The book is superficial under the cover of being about art, philosophy and psychology, it’s neither of those things Artists leave behind traces of their existence through material created that is more permanent than themselves. The average person might be able to tell you the difference between a Van Gogh and a Monet painting, but could they tell you what each artist chose to wear to his studio? Porter suggests, then a lens through which to examine how our relationship with clothing shifted over the last century. The book careers through almost every facet of modern clothing, from sportswear to denim, workwear to luxury fashion. Tailoring, in particular, receives significant discussion. “I was interested in suits as a symbol of white male power,” says Porter. “But I was much more interested in what artists did with that symbol.”

Review: ‘What Artists Wear,’ by Charlie Porter - The New York

Stop paying attention to brands. While brand names sometimes mean quality, more often than not you end up paying for the name. As an artist, that's a luxury you are not likely to afford. Besides, how creative can you look when you're dressed just like everyone else? What are you wearing right now? Why did you choose it? What does it say about you? These simple questions lie at the heart of a new book by writer and fashion critic Charlie Porter, What Artists Wear: a fascinating exploration of the clothing worn by the rebels, rule breakers and outliers of the artistic world, and what it means to live in it. Please note that the Festival is on a Friday and a Saturday, as on these days the gardens at Helmingham are closed to the public. For a moment, Porter looks at my long, striped wool scarf, which is also brightly coloured. “The other thing is that people give themselves pleasure and comfort by putting colour in their field of vision.”

Retailers:

In the time of punk, and in my time, as well, garments were a way you transmitted information about yourself and your interests—what you cared about, what you believed in. Garments no longer need to have that performative function. All 16-year-old boys in Britain wear Palace. I’m obviously generalizing, but queer kids, skater kids, posh kids, poor kids—everyone wears Palace. How do you delineate the different groups of people wearing Palace? Clothing is no longer used in the same very simple, tribal way that I used it in my time. Now, it’s become much more complex in it’s role, so I actually think clothing has become more sophisticated. It’s not dumbed down—the messages that are being sent out are more sophisticated, and weirder, and more complex than just you’re goth, you’re this, you’re that."