Shirt
The trompe l'oeil (optical illusion) tattoo t-shirt is an early emblematic design by conceptual Belgian designer Martin Margiela. It was shown during his first Paris runway show for spring/summer 1989 and became one of the most widely publicized pieces of that show. The motifs were taken from a nineteenth century encyclopedic illustration about tattooed men on the island of Nuku Hiva, in French Polynesia. The trompe l'oeil effect of the skin-colored netted top makes it unclear where the skin starts and the fabric ends: it looks as though the model wears no clothing and has tribal motifs painted onto the body, like a tattoo. Similar motifs can be found in the work of avant-garde designers Issey Miyake and Jean Paul Gaultier, whom Margiela assisted from 1984–1987.
Artwork Details
- Title: Shirt
- Design House: Maison Margiela (French, founded 1988)
- Designer: Martin Margiela (Belgian, born 1957)
- Date: spring/summer 1989
- Culture: French
- Medium: synthetic fiber
- Credit Line: Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 2018
- Object Number: 2018.386a–c
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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