Outfit look-alikes #4

[LostInNJ]

I think cynically we call it stealing, but as with anything, fashion repeats itself. Cycles occur, things ebb and flow, and you're likely to see that blast from the past from time to time. You see it with models, you see it with trends, so it's not surprising you would see it in the fashion designs themselves. While I find it humorous, I don't necessarily think certain designers steal for the sake of stealing, but rather, just having that moment of great minds thinking alike. However, certain designers do get pegged because there is a pattern that they've established over the course of their careers where it's extremely questionable whether they're ignorant of works from other designers and just happen to come up with the exact idea at a different period in time, or whether they're really copying.

I see your point on this, especially about certain designers who consistently reference other designers' work in their collections. It makes sense that history will repeat itself in fashion, for sure, but it still doesn't take away from the fact that the looks are very similar, even in terms of cut, fabrication, color, or print.

 

[Uemarasan]

I never said that the reason behind putting the look in any of these collections didn't carry any weight, however, it is quite matter of fact: the outfits in that post are almost identical. There are know two ways around that. I can appreciate the thought that goes into say, the Celine coat being "based" off the GBeene "to fit in with her collection of clothes that embrace and enfold its wearers in softness", but in the end, none of these looks were a completely original thought, and my point is just that - the design was copied. I'm not accusing the designers of lacking in skill, just calling it like it is. The outfits "look-alike."

Of course, clearly the outfits look alike. But I don't necessarily see how lack of originality is a bad thing in these cases, since the look-alikes make sense (and acquire new meanings) in the context of the collections.

 

[dior_couture1245]

A few designs do not make a collection. I think that's the problem with concentrating on single, individual designs and not considering the overall vision of a collection. And with the thousands of designs and ideas produced each year, it is perfectly natural that there will be repetitions.

Besides, who said that originality was the only virtue of design? Repurposing something to suit your own vision or aesthetic is a valid exercise. In any field. For instance, that Geoffrey Beene coat just had its sleeves tied. What Phoebe Philo did was use those sleeves as a decorative element, to fit in with her collection of clothes that embrace and enfold its wearers in softness.

The accusation of "copying is copying, stealing is stealing" lacks the nuance that is necessary to understanding the creative process. It's like comparing a single line that two poems share, and saying that one is already copying the other. What happened to comprehending allusion, reference, pastiche, parody, satire? It's an inadequate argument and risks not seeing the forest for the trees.

Completely agree with you.

I see it like this: these designers in question (Prada, Raf and Phoebe) are very much like musicians. Think of some of the greatest songs in our cultural vocabulary - you'll start to notice that a good majority of them are covers or use heavy sampling from other songs/musicians. Does that make them a lesser artist? Not at all. Songs like Madonna's "Hung Up," although blatantly sampling ABBA's "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" is a totally different song to me - both equally as catchy and fun to listen to. I like both and don't think that by sampling the song, Madonna is "lazy." This is true for most other artists (in reality, 99% of hip-hop/rap music is made up of layers upon layers of direct sampling from other artists of the genre all the way to classical composers.)

For a designer to take an outfit from the past or from another designer and incorporate it into their vision - even if it is a direct copy - is far less bothersome to me than a designer who may not copy seam-for-seam, but who has no original ideas of their own. It's the difference between a song that samples another song as a means to arrive at a new composition, and a song that sounds exactly like another (think Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" vs. Madonna's "Express Yourself.")

So, yes - in conclusion - that Celine coat may be a pretty obvious replication of the Geoffrey Beene one, or that Prada may be rather similar to the Courreges coat, but because they've been incorporated into a vision that makes that original piece mean something different I find it entirely non-offensive. So, like Littleathquakes so eloquently stated, designers that tend to not get the "free pass" are ones that consistently lack any personal point of view and instead are constantly reworking entire ideas of previous designers with little interpretation. Where Altuzarra or Alexander Wang could be accused of being Ghesquiere-lite on many an occasion, when else can we point the finger at Philo and say she's been spending too much time in the Beene archives?

 

[Uemarasan]

^Yes, thank you for further articulating what we've both been arguing And excellent example with music sampling!

And for all we know, these pieces could be tributes, and no one says tributes have to be properly acknowledged or cited, unless you're writing an academic paper. It happens in films all the time, for instance. Like here: http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/ozus-cinephilia

The difference between this sort of borrowing and a fake Prada bag is a matter of time between the creation of the objects, and the fact that the fake Prada bag seeks to profit from pretending to be a Prada bag, the designer (or counterfeiter) behind the copy being erased by a pretense to authenticity. With the Prada and Courreges outfits, Miuccia Prada and Andre Courreges both take responsibility for their designs, with authenticity not being the perceived problem but originality.

 

[Littleathquakes]

I see your point on this, especially about certain designers who consistently reference other designers' work in their collections. It makes sense that history will repeat itself in fashion, for sure, but it still doesn't take away from the fact that the looks are very similar, even in terms of cut, fabrication, color, or print.

Yes. I don't see anything wrong with posting comparison pics - this is the Outfit look alike thread, after all. I know some people do and always chime in about who actually did what first from 3,000 B.C. which I don't care for. I see the humor in the thread and enjoy it.

 

[Kite]

Custom Vivaz VS Versace Fall 2008

fashionbombdaily.com/style.com

 

[pen6693]

Same dress, different fabric.

 

[Marc10]

Kinda embarrassing for Karolina to wear that dress.

 

[mistress_f]

Kinda embarrassing for Karolina to wear that dress.

took the words right out of my mouth. one would think a model of her status wouldn't end up wearing cheap knock offs

 

[CommanderTMugler]

Ha, I has just opened the "When Stars Wear Runway Looks" as well as this one, I was about to post how great it is that Karolina wore that Versace dress then I caught myself.

 

[Vladita]

^ Hahahaha!

 

[dsamg]

The Versace is much less tacky. (Something I'd never say about Versace these days)

 

[Kite]

Ha, I has just opened the "When Stars Wear Runway Looks" as well as this one, I was about to post how great it is that Karolina wore that Versace dress then I caught myself.

When I first saw it, I said to myself "Oh its a shame that Versace made the straps all different and the colour..." then I looked at the designer and was like "Ah, thats why!!"

 

[Littleathquakes]

It's especially worse when you remember Gisele wore that Versace to the Met Gala.

 

[Kite]

Kimora Lee Simmons once said "I'd never wear anything that Carmen Kass wore on the runway, as Id always look second best"....

Not only have Carmen Kass AND GISELE worn the Versace dress, Karolina has the nerve to rock up in a knock off....Hilarious.

 

[chloesaab]

Gucci Spring 2013 l Stephane Rolland Spring 2013 HC

stylebistro

 

[Eterna]

Balenciaga .............................................................................Damir Doma
585€ (textured patent leather).....................................................920€ (printed leather)


matchesfashion/thecorner

 

[eizhowa]

^Are they the same season?

 

[Chanelcouture09]

Balenciaga have done that Sandal for a fair few years now, but in different styles and fabric combinations so I find those Damir Doma's on the verge of offensive, especially the price comparison.

 

[Ives927]

Wang Fall 2013 | Pringle Fall 2010

style.com