Rose Wylie

When you visit Rose Wylie at her house in the country near London, you meet an energetic 91-year-old woman. She was 82 years young when she painted this rare self-portrait. Wearing an elegant black dress, she appears ready for a party, as the title suggests. Wylie always wears a skirt and stockings because she is obsessed with legs. She often represents legs that do not conform to the norm or to prevailing ideals of beauty in her work. This figure’s distinctive shoulders also stand out. Indeed, the artist likes to stuff paper in her jacket to define her shoulders. The dark red lipstick completes her look. Wylie has become a true style icon; well-known photographers, including Juergen Teller, capture her image for design labels such as LOEWE.