In the fairy tale, The Emperor's New Clothes, an emperor hires two swindlers who claim they can weave a magical cloth that is invisible to anyone who is "unfit for his office or unforgivably stupid". The Emperor hires the weavers to make material for his councillors so he will know who's unfit.
The swindlers work late into the night and pretend to weave on empty looms. The Emperor's prime minister and councillor are sent to monitor the work. They can't see the material but if they admit that, they'll be exposed as stupid or unfit for office. Instead they praise the work, say the cloth is beautiful, "What patterns! What colors!"