"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
  • 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

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