During her time as an art student at Rutgers University, Jamian Juliano-Villani dyed her hair green to avoid Thanksgiving. The New Jersey native knew her parents—a “guido beach boy” and “Carmela Soprano to a tee”—wouldn’t let her come home looking like that. She had giant plugs, too, “which is, like, the worst mistake ever.”

Her deviant status didn’t stop her from being captain of the cheerleading team, though, and it is this balance of abrasive disregard for decorum and overachieving work ethic that has made Juliano-Villani an art world magnet. 

Her personal style penchants—“disgusting Stouffer’s-covered T-shirts” in the studio, “semi-professional fake Prada suits” at O’Flaherty’s, and miniskirts and knee socks when she needs to look like a “halfway decent human”—don’t make her any less noticeable. A fast-fashion apologist, Juliano-Villani loves the thrill of buying tons of things that she can lose immediately. But she’s not allergic to haute couture—her fever dream would be to inspire a Gucci and Mary Quant collab: “I have a whole line in my head, and they gotta pay attention.”

Jamian Juliano-Villani's Rules to Live By

1. Always spray tan two days before the event.

2. Never ask advice from lawyers or doctors. They look for problems, not for how to solve them.

3. Always buy cheap liquor—you’re just going to piss it out.

4. Never fuck anyone who doesn’t have a clean blazer.

5. Always have transitional sunglasses for antisocial situations.

6. Never be worried about looking like Christmas and Easter.

7. Always combine black and navy.