In 1950, Lillian Bassman was told her fashion photographs were too abstract—you could barely see the clothes. She kept going. Bazaar and Beyond at The Met highlights the influence and audacity of her magazine career at Harper's Bazaar, where she distilled gowns to their essential silhouettes through darkroom distortion, tissues, brushes, and bleach. Rare vintage prints, collages, and maquettes chart her course from design apprentice to one of fashion photography's most daring voices.