How a Lady Gaga–Approved Performance Artist Dresses for Art Basel

Millie Brown's artwork is not distinguished by subtlety. The British-born provocateur began her career at 17 as a "vomit artist," chugging bottles of colored milk and then throwing them up onstage in Berlin. In 2014, she reprised the act, vomiting on Lady Gaga's chest for a performance during SXSW. Later that year, she transformed herself into a human installation titled Suspended by Optimism, in which she hung from giant balloons for four hours during Art Basel in Miami. Another puke-free performance had her lying on a bed of flowers and subsisting on a botanical diet (only water and sun) for seven days.

This year, the performance artist attended Miami's Art Basel as more of a spectator. "I decided to skip performing and go to support my friends, see the artists I love and meet the ones I haven't yet met," says Brown. "The highlight for me was the celestial drone performance art piece created by Studio Drift—300 drones fit with alternating lights lit up the sky in a choreographed dance-like formation above the ocean and amongst the stars as we were serenaded by delicate classical music."

And while she was off-duty, Brown still stood out from the crowd with a personal fashion sense that's just as outré as her performances. During the fair, Brown opted for some out-there glitz, including a glittering mesh dress by Mark Fast for a meet-up with model Slick Woods. Her other looks were by turns pared back (a distressed gown by Olya Kosterina) and architectural (flared bustier by designer Aliona Kononova). In terms of accessories, Brown was typically bold, showing off a fistful of ring bling.

Here, take a look at Brown's Art Basel fashion diary.