Fashion through the Phases

An artist made it onto VF's 09 Best Dressed List. 81 year old Cy Twombly who's personal style they describe as: Rumpled artist. Yawn, it's Old man Chic basically. I can't really talk about artist fashion collectively because depending on the type of artist it's either fabulously inspired or tragic.

There's what I like to call Monroe Eccentrics who can throw on any random thing and look good. Inspired by Marilyn who wore a potato sack back in the day and still looked the sexist woman alive. Bold black rimmed glasses are commonly featured with the more adventurous branching out into Jerykll and Urkle, a close cousin with added suspenders.

The Yoko OhNo's: conceptually based, ambiguous and believing they're on a higher level of conscious than you. Their dress is simple, somewhat classy, mostly mono-tonal. Dark glasses are an extension of their body and the fact they never smile intimidates the hell out of you.

A Lippy Hippy never shuts up. They have a cause or two hundred which they incorporate into their art. Their dress is based on two things: the aversion towards consumerism and lack of money. The material used for their ponchos is ecologically friendly and their hair colour is as natural as the plantations they live off.

The Cloney Pony. A group of artists - often with rich parents who support their way through a 18th Century French Literature course - who go out of their way to separate themselves from the masses but end up looking exactly like each other. A man's jacket atop a long vintage tee, stockings and ankle boots. Straightened hair, too much blush and pursed red lips sipping on Chai tea. Tend to hang around in packs or over their muso boyfriend.

Frank Banksy's channel all their creativity into their art. A reclusive type who goes to little fuss over their attire. There's no ego involved - what you see is what you get. The most down-to-earth looking of the lot. You can spot their shadowy figure through their window hunched over in a duffle coat brooding over the complexities of life and how nobody understands them.

Vicarious Various. Mothers, High School art teachers, the unemployed and various others who missed the boat and now live vicariously through their children, students or deluded dreams. They dress like a Monroe Eccentric except they can't pull it off. They think wearing different coloured socks is avant-garde, their paintings are of sunflowers in the same vase as last time and they sign up for watercolour lessons on the weekend.