Taylor Tomasi Hill's Fashion Misadventure

Previous Marie Claire style and accessories director, regular fashion girl-about-town, and The Sartorialist street style favorite Taylor Tomasi Hill launched her much-anticipated mini collection for Lane Crawford this week in Hong Kong.

The seven-piece capsule collection, priced from $250 to $510, instantly made Hill's famous trend-setting style accessible to the world masses on LaneCrawford.com, making a lot of girls everywhere very happy.

However, Elle.com's sharp-eyed news editor quickly pointed out that the strapless dress from the collaboration is basically identical to one that Marc Jacobs sent down the runway four years ago for his Marc by Marc collection. The piping, tailoring and asymmetrical ruffle of the Marc Jacobs dress made it easy to spot Hill's knockoff.

Unfortunately, a blue striped shirt with cutout shoulders in her collection also bares a very unsubtle striking resemblance to a Commes des Garcons shirt that she was street-style snapped wearing in September 2009.

The copyright issues and potential lawsuits that Hill will face remain to be seen. A pity, really, because the rest of the collection is pretty darn cute.

Text Olivia Fleming
Source The Huffington Post
Image Fashionologie

Double Take: Guess Rips Off Rodarte?

There are a lot of things in this industry that walk a fine line...what's too short? What's too high? What's too retro? What's too modern? But one topic that is walking a thinner and thinner line by the day is the difference between looks that are inspired by other lines, and looks that are being directly stolen from other lines. Sure we can all tell the different between the knock offs that have three lines on the Louis Vouitton, or have C's monogrammed with weird tails to look like G's...but what about the one's that aren't so obvious?

The blog Fashionista recently brought up a case in their "Adventures in Copyright" that caught my attention; a dress made by Guess, that looks identical to one sold for the collaboration with Target and Rodarte a few years ago, but selling for roughly 10 times the price. To top things off, the Target dress was recently re-released and can currently be found in stores. Sure, I guess target could go to court over it, but shouldn't there be a level of respect in this industry that deems such blatant thievery a disgrace?

What are your thoughts? Has the line been crossed?

Text Corinna Fabre

Source(s): fashionista

Copycats on the Catwalk

Okay so this post is going to be a little different. I'm not going to be concentrating on the latest trend or which fashion designer is about to retire, I want to introduce you to the idea of something called The Design Piracy Prohibition Act.

For years it has been pointed out how the fashion industry has been an example of a high creative industry that has thrived without the use of copyright. Now all of a sudden some big name designers have been lobbying Congress to pass new law that would institute a special copyright for fashion design. But what's the point?

For as long as I can remember I have always been told that history always repeats itself. And fashion has proven this statement to be very true. Nothing ever goes out of style completely. It may go out of style for a couple of years or even a decade but it will always come back one way or another.

I can't understand how this act is going to be a good idea because if it is passed a designer can go out claim that pants and shirts and their design therefore meaning that no other designer can make pants or shirts. How does that make any sense?

The fashion industry is all about being incredibly innovative and involves an enormous amount of competition. It is the job of a designer to try and take an old design and enhance it. Now if that design becomes copyrighted fashion will start to get very boring. Designers will not be able to draw on a historical design for inspiration. No one will be able to come up with fresh ideas.

Personally I really don't think The Design Piracy Prohibition Act is such a good idea. I mean I understand the idea of not ripping off someone else's work but the world of fashion is different. Styles from different era's are always recreated and this new act is going to drive fashion to a halt.

Question for you: Can you tell which dress from the picture above is the knockoff?

- Erin Jones