Trompe-l'œil, 'fools the eye': an exploration of illusion in fashion

The catwalk is flooded with looks using trompe-l'œil ('tromp-loy'). The French term literally means 'deceive the eye'. In fashion, it is a technique where a designer creates an optical illusion by playing with perspective and dimension, making 2D appear 3D. In other words, you see something that is not there. Who invented this trick and how is it being used today?

Schiaparelli: mother of illusion

Elsa Schiaparelli, designer and greatest rival of Coco Chanel, had her breakthrough in 1927 with her ‘Bow Knot’ sweater. It featured a bow that appeared to be tied prominently on the chest. The ribbons were realistically knitted into the pattern. Her collections soon became steeped in such surrealism, featuring fake bows, fastenings, buckles, collars and scarves. Knitted deceptions like these became her trademark, even outlasting the closure of the original house in 1954.

For instance, she had her friend, the poet and artist Jean Cocteau, draw a woman on the left breast of an elegant jacket, her golden hair wrapped around the sleeve (1937). A year later, the ‘Tear Dress’ followed, featuring thick purple tears that seemed to trickle down an evening gown. (That print came from her close friend Salvador Dalí.) Then came the Woodgrain Dress, a trumpet gown whose 'fabric' appeared to be made of wood grain.

During that period, we also saw faux pockets, buttons and belts at Hermès (1952), using a painted technique that foreshadowed the work of British designer Steve O Smith. Last year, this mastery earned him the coveted Karl Lagerfeld Prize.

Trompe, tromper, trompest

Trompe-l'œil truly took off in the sixties, partly thanks to the pop art movement, which had been fuelled by British and American artists since the fifties. The effect emerged in the miniskirts of Mary Quant, the instigator of the Youthquake – the rebellious youth movement. Surrealistic layers became her speciality. Pierre Cardin deceived the eye by playing with confusing shapes. His 1966 ‘Target Dress’, with coloured circles around a black centre, became as much a classic as the bow sweater.

Later, in the nineties, Jean Paul Gaultier became known for printing naked male torsos on blouses. Duran Lantink adopted this idea in 2025 for his much-discussed debut for the house.

John Galliano applied trompe-l'œil at Dior in 2000 with a summer collection full of seemingly layered denim ensembles. He used it again very recently for Maison Margiela's theatrical couture show in the summer of 2024. The dresses, inspired by the Belle Époque, played with proportions, shadow and fabric expression, giving models the appearance of wasp waists and hips. For Galliano, trompe-l'œil is a means to perfect his trademark: the fashionable distortion of the body.

Alessandro Michele was just as fond of the effect during his time at Gucci. He explained it to Vogue as an obsession with “the idea that something exists and also does not exist.” In the summer 2015 collection, Schiaparelli's bow trick also found its way into Gucci under his direction, this time on colourful, sequined tops. The silhouette was borrowed from another designer and virtuoso illusionist: Roberta di Camerino.

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Pixel shirt

Just as monsters in imaginative blockbusters become increasingly realistic thanks to artificial intelligence, fashion illusions have also slowly become more believable. This is due to innovations in textiles, such as highly detailed 3D knitting machines and AI-driven tools for prints.

At Loewe's 2023 presentation, social media was flooded with comments about one new item: a lifelike pixel shirt from Jonathan Anderson, the creative director at the time. It was as if the model had stepped straight out of the metaverse. The collection, Screen Time, featured ten pixelated garments and set a new standard for fashion illusions.

And indeed, in 2025, Anderson used the same trick in the classic bow-knot style for his Dior debut: as an illusory extra layer of fabric under knitted cardigans and a crisp white blouse.

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Deception becomes deceit

One hundred years after the introduction of trompe-l'œil in fashion, a new wave is now emerging. For autumn/winter 2023, Louis Vuitton created the illusionary ankle boot: a hand-painted calfskin boot that masquerades as black pumps with a ribbed white sock.

For spring/summer 2024, Rei Kawakubo at Comme des Garçons Homme Plus presented jackets stamped with images of cut-out shirts and more jackets. It was a great print; the layers were fake. At Acne Studios, jeans were printed with keychains that seemed to dangle from the waist, so realistic a thief on the tube might take their chance. Ottolinger took the easiest route, printing a hyper-realistic shirt, tie and blazer onto a matching bodysuit.

Moschino styled white suits and jackets with printed pinstripe tailoring (SS25), and not for the first time. Those paying close attention will also remember its predecessor in the action film Kill Bill (2003), where actress Daryl Hannah wears a white Moschino trench coat with the same finish.

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Traître-l'œil

In the recently concluded winter season, alongside Gaultier and Dior, Belgian designer Julie Kegels also presented her own version of trompe-l'œil with stick-on jewellery. It is a convenient option, allowing real jewels to remain safely in the vault at home.

However, it was clear who the heir to such trickery is. At Schiaparelli, the models looked like mannequins that had walked out of a shop window. A tailored jacket and dress in a skin tone, constructed from multiple layers of jersey and padding, created curves on the size-zero models. Suddenly, they had hips and a bust. A FashionUnited editor who was present can confirm: that too was a fake.

The new ways of deceiving the eye demand more attention. Unlike Schiaparelli's bow-knot, you cannot simply discern modern trickery from a screen. You need to understand the construction and have material knowledge to see the 'trompe'. They are treacherously misleading. Perhaps traître-l'œil is a better term.