Trompe L'oeil

Moschino S/S'06 - illusions

Trompe l'oeil (pronounced as "trum ploy"), literally meaning "trick the eye" in french, is an art technique that creates and employs an apparently realistic image as a type of optical illusion.

Other than in art and murals, trompe l'oeil has been featured in many episodes of Looney Tunes, such as the Road Runner cartoons, where Wile E. Coyote paints a tunnel on a rock wall and the road runner races through the fake tunnel. This is usually followed by the coyote foolishly trying to run through the tunnel after the road runner, only to smash into the hard rock.

Though it originated as a painting technique in Greece and Rome, and has been used decoratively in home furnishings throughout the ages, it has also been applied to clothing and accessories to make it playful, fun, and whimsical.

Franco Moschino (pronounced Mos-kee-no) has always been interested in inventive tricks on the eye. Even their store showrooms have trompe l'oeil chests. After all, Franco Moschino had a taste for surrealism and pop culture as could be seen from his cheeky and humorous fashion. It is thus not surprising to discover that Franco Moschino worked as an illustrator until he launched his own moschino label in 1983.

This spring, even though Franco Moschino has passed on, the house still lives up to his reputation of everything tongue-in-cheek with the clever usage of trompe l'oeil for imaginary chain-belts, ruffles on skirts, buttons on swimsuits, ribbon ties, pleats, pinstripes.
In their neon peeptoe platform heels (peeptoe platforms are so Spring 2006!) and dressed in old classics like black chiffon dresses and pearls matched with fun heart-shaped Lolita sunglasses, the sassy Moschino girl looks as if she just raided her attic, digging out treasures from the black-dress 20s till the excessive-poufy 80s and boldy put them together.

Meanwhile, if you want to get your hands on some trompe l'oeil for fall now (oh you fashionista!), there's a Moschino turtleneck at net-a-porter.

'I think fashion is something you can laugh about forever but in the end, it's the most difficult thing to laugh at because people take it so seriously.' - Franco Moschino (1950-1994)

Now playing: Some might say by Oasis

Meanwhile, I'm going to go on a hiatus soon. Very soon.