MORE THAN IT SEAMS

Who says lace can’t be hewn from leather? Or that paper can’t sit on the body like a weathered old sweater? In a time of rampant production and boundless creativity, is material the final frontier for designers? When all else seems lost to the algorithm, fashion’s deceptive ingenuity requires us to look a little closer

- PEMA BAKSHI ART KIMBERLEE KESSLER

During the 4th century BCE, rival artists Parrhasius and Zeuxis struck up a competition to challenge each another's artistic capabilities. As the fable goes, Zeuxis managed to paint grapes that were so realistic birds even tried to reach for them. When he eventually visited Parrhasius' studio and tried to lift a curtain to get a look at his rival's artwork, he was staggered to discover that the curtain itself was the painting. Acknowledging defeat, Zeuxis conceded that while he had tricked the birds, Parrhasius' curtains had deceived the man- and a fellow artist, at that. And thus, the earliest artistic employ of trompe-l'oeil claimed its first victim.

A French term that translates to "deceive the eye," trompe-l'oeil is a design technique where through perspective, dimension and placement, an optical illusion is created, typically to mimic something else. It has long been utilised in art, but as creatives endeavour to probe what is possible in clothing design, it has found fertile ground in the world of fashion, where designers are using it to push the boundaries of materiality, silhouette, and perception. Arguably, it all began with Elsa Schiaparelli, when the Italian couturier debuted a sweater with a knitted illusion of a bow necktie in the 1920s.

Designed in collaboration with Armenian refugee and knitwear designer Aroosiag Mikaëlian, the design became a hit when Schiaparelli wore it to a dinner party in 1927.

While Schiaparelli's experimentation with trompe-l'oeil continued, the '60s saw the technique take off once again alongside the Pop Art movement and a fascination with technology. With major historical events taking place in the realm of space exploration, design of this era reflected a shift in focus for clothing, where textile innovations like screen printing and the use of faux pockets, zippers and other utilitarian details were trending over the formflattering cuts of the '50s.