while it is clear that the line between being a blatant copy and a garment inspired by some designer is somewhat vague, there are several really clear cases which cause too many headaches to my liking. to my detriment, the same dilemma applies to furniture and jewelry, as well, and when i see a jacobsen "inspired" chair, i cannot help feelings of betrayal flowing over me.
i am not exactly sure what the reason behind all this is, but it has something to do with knowing i'm abusing a designer's talent. knowledge changes behavior. in other words, i've internalized the fashionista's command:
"thou shall not knowingly purchase designer knockoffs."
in case this sounds too mother theresa to you, let me assure you my tendency to abuse younger designers is much more prominent than my ability to ignore known tokens of fashion history. perhaps it is because of the often apparent difference in quality and craftmanship; i can create something similar myself when it comes to young designers and, moreover, their designs are not as iconic -- so down to the lower levels of hell it is for me, then...
the fact that i do follow fashion (and design) -- luckily quite sporadically compared to a true fashionista, to be honest, since my interests are far too wide for concentrating on runway shows and buying glossies -- i guess i tend to spot copies around more than the average person: i see mouret dresses and faux spy bags everywhere around me and, therefore, fake prada or vuitton bags (which i do not claim i recognize nor care to) are just the beginning of my consumer neverevers. because my style is not about owning the latest and the trendiest garments, but rather a collection of seasoned favorites and some oddities (and obviously, several tragic do-not-evers), i can ignore the temptation at the store when i realize i'm seeing a knockoff product.
nevertheless, from time to time, i wish i wasn't aware of the original source because i can't bring myself to purchase an item i really like just because it isn't an original. for example, louis vuitton's iconic leopard scarf was copied by zara this fall, but i'm still torn for not being able to bring myself to buy it because i just cannot afford the original (retails at a mere 470€). at the moment my fave rant is directed the abundance of red soles on cheap and crappy shoes...
in addition to the aforementioned scarf, there are a few classics i would like to own. two of them are chanel, which is prolly not a huge surprise from such a monument of a fashion house.
the first is the quilted handbag known as 2.55. i'd like the reissue jumbo (or large), in black caviar leather and silver hardware. before i can afford one, i will not buy a quilted bag. the other one is the classic boucle tweed jacket. i want mine all black and would not mind some military inspired detailing like in this photo i snatched from some blog (sorry!) a while back. both are eternally stylish and can be worn from now, combined with jeans and a flowing tee, till i've got my other foot in the grave and the other one on a banana peel.
obviously, my problem is not exactly severe. if i'm never able to afford a chanel original, i can manage quite well without a quilted bag or a tweed jacket: there are still a number of exciting styles to choose from. the stylist in me will no doubt suffer, but my elitist claims the moral upper hand. such is the baggage one gathers from knowledge... (hahaha!)
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