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Friday 13 February 2009

Dress Like an Artist.....apparently

So below is the definitive guide to dressing like an artist....by somebody/some people who I really hope were joking. The bold bits are my favourites and the grey my comments.
I will start off by saying that I may have a particular hatred of this before even reading it properly as I despise the words 'arty' and 'artsy' and the latter overused spectacularly in this article.


How to Dress Like an Artist
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Whether you're heading off to art school, and want to fit in, or whether you're already there, and realize you don't, or whether you just want to be different at whatever school you're at...
Take these steps.

Steps


  1. Understand that the world, including your clothing, is a palette to express yourself. Find what makes you feel happy or alive, not what others tell you is fashionable.
  2. Look at your hair. Something has to be different about it. Choppy, bangs? Dreads? Dyed a unique color, or streaks? Shaved head? Mohawk? Teased, big, hair? Extremely short (girls)? Extremely long (guys)? You get the point. You really won't be taken seriously as an artist with a normal hairstyle, shave it all off immediately!
  3. Do you have any piercings? You're not required to, as long as you employ many other methods of stand-out-isms, but it can help. yup, piercings can definitely help you be a better artist.... if you can't bear to put holes in your face then maybe just wear a novelty hat at all times - this will help you stand out, get noticed and therefore make you a better artist. Consider your eyebrow, especially. Or if you want something a little tamer, your cartilage. Be careful about nose rings. They can look trashy on girls instead of artsy. fuck off
  4. Give up shopping at the generic department store, except for small staples like underwear, simple tank tops, and maybe jeans.
  5. Buy the latest and most fashionable pieces you can find at the specialty or thrift stores.
  6. Dress up any shirt or dress with awesome accessories, with a belt added to the natural waist (on girls) really pumps up the artsy. A well tailored trench coat is a good artsy investment. Most of the time you have to look like you don't care about what you're wearing, you just threw something on. It also helps a lot if it fits really well, especially on guys. Artsy guys should never wear ill fitting ruined dress pants or something. If you do wear jeans, make sure they're stylish and they can be ripped and faded. Shoes can be bought here too.
  7. Shop at 'vintage' stores or at tiny exclusive boutiques. This will be much more expensive, but, if you have followed all the above steps, you will already be a rich and famous artist, so won't care about the cost but you can find some truly original things. Perhaps a couple good, classy pieces mixed with other stuff is a good idea.
  8. Try Anthropologie, an artsy specialty clothing store.
  9. Look for jewelry that is interesting and unique, or ties together your look. Look for funky pieces, foreign pieces, expensive well made pieces, intricate wood pieces, and the 80's had a bunch of fascinating stuff.
  10. Stop shaving (if you're a guy), so a bearded lady is a little too much of a 'stand-out-ism' to get you noticed. It won't help. or give the impression you have. maybe draw on a little stubble, that way you can also show off your ace drawing skills as well as looking hot. No artsy guy is hotter than when he has a little facial hair.
  11. Black is a good tool you can use to unify your look, as is white.


Continued (follow the link below)
Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Dress Like an Artist. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.


Emilys Guide to dressing like an artist.

1. Find some clothes. Put them on. They will probably be covered in paint, varnish, glue and other un-named substances that you were experimenting with. That doesn't matter.

2. Find more jumpers. Studios are cold. Maybe find some fingerless gloves too. Again, paint coverage doesn't matter.

3. Understand that your trouser leg is a palette on which to mix your paint.

4. When having to leave the studio, and are forced to look a little respectable, find the least paint covered thing you own and wear it.


4 comments:

Frankie said...

Very educational post! :) x

Penelope said...

Oh no- that's where I've been going wrong! I have normal hair!! *covers long plain straight hair in shame*

"Give up shopping at the generic department store, except for small staples like underwear, simple tank tops, and maybe jeans"

So in other words, only buy half your clothes there.

I guess with my dreads and piercings a few years ago I was so much more an artist than I am now. All I can do is just wear my all-thrifted clothes with the handmade alterations and paint stains and keep making assemblage, in the hope that somehow...I will catch up.

asfjh said...

i like your version better! i've actually read that wiki before.. i wonder what the silly person who wrote it is like, looks like, etc. i don't think i like her/him even though i've never met her/him..

poet said...

I hope that person who wrote the wiki was not trying to be serious. What's the point of "how to dress like"s anyway? Just be yourself - put on what you like or what feels comfy and is appropriate for the occasion according to your own judgement, right? Therefore, your instructions are waaaay beyond this silly wiki post :)

Greetings,
poet