Without the eccentrics, where would we be? In a world of predictable normality, surrounded by civilians wearing jeans and boring old jumpers, of course. 

The fashion industry would lose most of its joy and glamour without the eccentrics – those free-thinking souls who pay no attention to the rules that the rest of us abide by. They're creative types who see their very appearance in a room as a means of expressing themselves, who treat clothes and make-up as a language with which to communicate ideas. They strut – not walk – to the beat of their own drum, and make lasting impressions everywhere they go. How many of us can really say that? 

For some of history's most stylish eccentrics, like Quentin Crisp or Edith Bouvier Beale, being an outsider has been tied up with sad circumstances. But where others would succumb to the pressure to 'go native', they continued to do their own thing. Without their example, we'd be lost. So in honour of those brave and stylish men and women, from Iris Apfel to David Bowie, we present our 40 favourite fashion eccentrics.

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