"Buée"

Design House Chloé French

Designer Karl Lagerfeld French, born Germany

fall/winter 1983–84

Not on view

Karl Lagerfeld's irreverent humor is very pertinent in this iconic trompe l’oeil (optical illusion) “Shower Dress,” which he created for the French house of Chloé, where he was artistic director from 1966–1983 and from 1992–1997. The embroidered showerhead, water stream and wraparound hose are camp examples of "a double sense in which things can be taken," as Susan Sontag wrote in her 1964 essay "Notes on Camp."

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Title: "Buée"
Design House: Chloé (French, founded 1952)
Designer: Karl Lagerfeld (French (born Germany), Hamburg 1933–2019 Paris)
Date: fall/winter 1983–84
Culture: French
Medium: silk, glass, plastic
Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2020
Object Number: 2020.53
Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

"Bain", Chloé French, silk, acetate, crystals, French — "Bain"
Design House Chloé
Designer Karl Lagerfeld
fall/winter 1983–84

Evening dress, Chloé French, silk, plastic, cotton, French — Evening dress
Design House Chloé
Designer Karl Lagerfeld
Maison Hurel
fall/winter 1967–68

Saint Peter's Seen From the Pincio, Rome, Henri-Joseph Harpignies French, Pen and black ink, brush, gray and blue-gray washes — Saint Peter's Seen From the Pincio, Rome
Henri-Joseph Harpignies
1856

"L'Eléphant Blanc", House of Dior French, silk, metallic thread, glass, plastic, French — "L'Eléphant Blanc"
Design House House of Dior
Designer Yves Saint Laurent
Manufacturer Rébè
spring/summer 1958

Choker, Chloé French, synthetic, French — Choker
Design House Chloé
Designer Karl Lagerfeld
Designer Ugo Correani
spring/summer 1983

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.