Illusions in fashion and their origins

The catwalk is full of looks that use trompe-l’œil (“trom-ploy”). The French term literally means “deceive the eye.” In fashion, it refers to a technique in which designers create an optical illusion. This is done by playing with perspective and dimension, making 2D seem like 3D. In other words: you see something that isn’t there.

Who invented this trick and how do we see it again today?

Schiaparelli: Mother of Illusion

The Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli, Coco Chanel’s greatest rival, made her breakthrough in 1927. Her ‘Bow Knot’ sweater featured a bow prominently displayed on the chest – or so it seemed. The ribbons were knitted into the pattern in great detail. Her collections quickly became imbued with such surrealism. False bows, clasps, buckles, collars and scarves. Such knitted deceptions became their trademark and even survived the closure of the original establishment in 1954.

In 1937, she had her friend, the poet and artist Jean Cocteau, draw a woman on the left breast of an elegant jacket. Her golden hair was wrapped around her sleeve. A year later, the ‘Tear Dress’ followed, in which thick, purple tears seemed to drip from an evening dress. This print was by her close friend Salvador Dalí. And the ‘Woodgrain Dress’, a trumpet dress whose ‘fabric’ seemed to be made of wood grain.

At the beginning of the 1950s we also saw fake bags, fake buttons and belts at Hermès. The painting technique used anticipated the work of British designer Steve O Smith. Last year, this championship earned him the coveted Karl Lagerfeld Prize.

Trumpet, tromper, trumpest

Trompe l’œil experienced a real boom in the 1960s. This was partly thanks to the Pop Art movement, which was pioneered by British and American artists from the 1950s onwards. The effect was evident in the miniskirts of Mary Quant, the initiator of ‘Youthquake’ – the movement of rebellious youth. Surrealist layers became her specialty. Pierre Cardin deceived the eye by playing with confusing shapes. His ‘Target Dress’ from 1966, with colored circles around a black center, became a classic, as did the sweater with the bow.

Later, in the 1990s, Jean Paul Gaultier became known for the naked male torsos that he printed on blouses. Duran Lantink took up this idea again in his much-discussed debut for the house in 2025.

John Galliano used trompe l’oeil at Dior in 2000. He presented a summer collection full of seemingly layered denim ensembles. He recently did this again for Maison Margiela’s summer 2024 theatrical couture show. The Belle Époque-inspired dresses played with proportions, shadows and materiality. As a result, the models appeared to have wasp waists and hips. For Galliano, trompe l’oeil is a means to perfect his trademark: the fashionable deformation of the body.

Alessandro Michele was equally enthusiastic about the effect during his time at Gucci. He explained it to fashion magazine Vogue as an obsession with the “idea that something exists and doesn’t exist at the same time.” In the 2015 summer collection, Schiaparelli’s bow trick was also used at Gucci under his leadership. This time in the form of colorful sequin tops. The silhouette was borrowed from another designer and virtuoso illusionist: Roberta di Camerino.

Pixel shirt

Just as monsters in imaginative blockbusters are becoming more and more real thanks to artificial intelligence, fashion illusions have also gradually become more credible thanks to textile innovations. These include highly detailed 3D knitting machines and AI-powered printing utilities.

At Loewe’s 2023 presentation, social media was full of comments about a novelty: a lifelike pixel shirt. It came from Jonathan Anderson, the creative director at the time. It seemed like the model had stepped straight out of the Metaverse. The ‘Screen Time’ collection of a dozen pixel garments set the new standard for fashion illusions.

In 2025, Anderson will use the same trick in classic ‘bow-knot’ style for his Dior debut. He used it as an illusionary additional layer of fabric under cardigans and a crisp white blouse.

Deception becomes fraud

One hundred years after trompe l’oeil was introduced to fashion, there is now a new wave. Louis Vuitton created the illusionary ankle boot for fall/winter 2023. This is a hand-painted calfskin boot that looks like a black pump with a ribbed white sock.

At Comme des Garçons Homme Plus, Rei Kawakubo presented jackets for Spring/Summer 2024. These were printed with images of cut-out shirts and other jackets. A great print, but the layers were fake. At Acne Studios, jeans were printed with keychains that appeared to dangle at the waist. They looked so real that a thief on the subway would see his chance. Ottolinger chose the simplest route. The Berlin brand used hyperrealistic prints to print a shirt, a tie and a blazer onto a bodysuit made from the same fabric.

Moschino presented white suits and coats with printed pinstripe details for SS25 – and not for the first time. Anyone who has been paying close attention will also remember the predecessor in the action film ‘Kill Bill’ from 2003. In it, actress Daryl Hannah wears a white Moschino trench coat with the same workmanship.

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Traître-l’œil

In the just-ended winter season, alongside Gaultier and Dior, Belgian designer Julie Kegels also presented her own version of trompe-l’œil. She used glued-on jewelry – practical, so the real jewelry can stay safe in the safe.

But it was clear who the heir to such tricks was. At Schiaparelli, the models looked like mannequins who had stepped out of the shop window. A tailored jacket and dress in skin color, made from layers of jersey and cotton, created curves on the size zero models. Suddenly they had hips and a bust. An editor from FashionUnited who was present can confirm: This is also a deception.

The new methods of deceiving the eye require more attention. Unlike Schiaparelli’s ‘Bow-Knot’, you can’t just read the modern tricks off the screen. You have to know the background and have knowledge of the materials in order to recognize the ‘trompe’. They are treacherously misleading. Traître-l’œil is perhaps a more appropriate term.