This book kept catching my eye in bookshops and galleries yet it's taken me some time to get round to reading it. But what a treat!

It's full of pictures (300!) and original interviews in a simply presented analysis of artists and their 'costumes'. We look at what Frida Kahlo, Sarah Lucas, David Hockney and George & Gilbert are all telling us through their particular style of dress, at work and leisure! 

It's interesting to consider what goes through our minds when we choose an item of clothing, and when we assemble an outfit. For artists, what they wear is another canvas for their self-expression, Charlie Porter argues in this wonderfully inclusive and accessible book. 

Whereas most of us will make 'daily compromises' when we get dressed for work, artists live differently. For a start, they don't usually have a 9-5 and their studios can become self-contained worlds. Many have become style icons for their individual and distinctive dress - like Georgia O'Keefe and Barbara Hepworth. But others see their clothing as an extension of their work, their sense of purpose.

The author, a fashion journalist, describes how artists seek to present themselves at work, at home and in the public eye. He looks at how some artists have developed a 'brand' identity. He compares the challenges facing female artists as opposed to male. He looks too at fabrics and colour, tailoring and workwear, and clothing in art. It's fascinating!

There are little gems of information too - it never really occurred to me but apparently when an item of clothing enters the collection at the V&A, it cannot subsequently be cleaned. It is preserved as it is.

A great book which is fabulous to dip into, though I found I couldn't stop turning the pages and devoured it in a couple of sittings!