Anything you can do, I can do better: Issues of Copyright in Fashion

Fashion rarely reinvents the wheel. More often than not you can trace the origins of certain sartorial choices to historical periods, cultural overtures, or even a particular designer of the past. It is a bit of an Ouroboros by nature, but lately it has transgressed the boundary of referential good taste.

Fashionista has been keeping tabs on this in their Adventures in Copyright Series. Just take a look below and you will see exactly what I am talking about.


It is not a new phenomena exactly as it has been endemic in some form to fashion retail in America for quite some time.

"Couture houses sold their patterns to American department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue in New York or I. Magnin in San Francisco for one-year reproduction rights...It wouldn't be a a Paris creation per se, but pretty close...Middle market garment manufactures would pay a fee in 1957, it was $2,000--plus royalties to Dior to incorporate elements of Dior's design into dresses and suits that retailed for $50 or $60 in the United States".
-- Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas

The only difference between this situation and the current state of affairs in fashion is lack of due credit. I think it evolved as such because consumers simply do not care about the lineage of the products they purchase. Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster examines this disconnect in luxury retail, but I cannot comment definitively on it as I have yet to finish it. From what I have read so far, it seems mass production of luxury is responsible for dulling the senses of consumers to the finer qualities of design. Thus devaluing its importance in the eyes of consumers and creating the widespread belief that superficial similarity is "good enough".

I cannot say that I have not fed into the system myself as I have been known to pour over "get the look" pages in magazines from time to time. There is, however, a big difference from taking inspiration from the runway and blatantly ripping off a designer. Capsule collections are probably the best solution for consumers that are hungry for luxury trends. It creates a market for those more apt to opt for the knockoffs that litter canal street to purchase "true" designer goods at an affordable price. It also ensures that the designers the recognition and control over the final design they deserve. Win - win right?

The other option for consumers who are low on cash is to support indie designers. The goods do not have the price inflation of high end designer garb, the cookie cutter look of luxury brands, nor lapses in production values that occur sometimes in haute products. I mean how can you go wrong?

Thoughts on it? Leave it the comments.

A Different Kind of Green for St. Patrick's Day

St. Patty's Day is about many types of green. Green clothing that represents Irish pride, greenbacks used to buy one off shamrock paraphernalia, green beer drank in copious amounts, and green faces when you go a bit overboard.

I would like, however, to talk about another type of green: green living. Today is one of those days when you really see the excess of our culture. Essentially, we desecrate a religious by buying all these tchotchkes to celebrate and also by getting rip roaring drunk. Not that I will be attending church today or anything, but I thought it might be a good time for a post on eco-awareness.

I also just finished this amazing book by Raj Patel called The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy, which despite some out there ideas is a pretty solid read on how to change society for the better in regards to the environment and treating others humanely. So, maybe I just have it on the brain!

Enough with the diatribe as I am sure you like me have some serious drinking to do today!

Here is a list of 5 unusual ways you can go green:

1. Use Open Source Software: OS software can run leaner and meaner thanks to the millions of coders working on the program. The more efficient the code the more efficient the computer runs and as a result the more green your web surfing becomes. A great example of this is Linux, which I have yet to use myself as I am an Apple fangirl. It is actually more customizable than the MAC OS and better yet it is free! The only reason I have not made the big switch is because I am tied into Apple due to programs like Adobe Creative Suite.


2. Cut Back on the Booze: I know it is a strange thing to say on St. Patrick's Day, but by cutting back just a smidge on your drinking you can help save the environment. According to Treehugger, if I would save myself $1,304 and the earth 1,472 lbs of CO2 per year! Translation: that could put one hell of a fancy handbag on my arm.


3. Buy Vintage: I love vintage. If there was a vintage god, I would visit it's temple everyday and pray for lovely vintage goodies to rain down upon me. Since, unfortunately, that does not exist in real life I depend on awesome re-sellers. In NYC, I normally go to either HousingWorks or this thrift store in the 20s whose name escapes me right now. (I guess I started a bit too early - eh?) In cyberspace, I go to VintageSparkles and LA Vintage. The former has an awesome selection of accessories, and the latter believe it or not has PLUS SIZE vintage!


4. Join Shared Ownership Programs: I love movies. I literally cannot resist buying the bargain basement priced DVDs from Target. It is my secret shame, because obviously I don't watch these movies often enough to justify owning them. That is why I joined Netflix. The same goes for driving and living in the city, which is why we chucked the car and joined ZipCar. Books are another sore spot for me as I love them, but I normally never read them more than once. That is where companies like BookSwim come in for people like me. Not only does it curb spending, but helps me live a little bit greener. Finally, I can't consider myself a fashion blogger without mentioning Avelle formally known as Bag, Borrow, or Steal. Normally, I get to stare at these pieces behind glass but this company puts them within reach.


5. Mend What You Own: We live in a disposable culture. I mean when is the last time you ever heard someone say they were going to mend their socks? I buy pretty expensive shoes when I can scrape together the cash, and I make sure that I maximize the purchase by making sure they are in tip top shape by visiting a cobbler on the regular. I also have had the lining on my coats repaired numerous times, because plus size limitations aside I am extremely discerning when it comes to my clothes. This not only helps me save money and stimulate the economy at the same - it also helps me green my life a bit by cutting down on unnecessary purchases.

I hope that was helpful and I promise I have an awesome post coming up soon. I just had an interview to prepare for and that took a lot out of me!

Enjoy your day of drunken debauchery, religious observance, or regular old Wednesday goodness!

Framing the Modern Fashion Mythos: The Beautiful Fall

I had a post ready for today about bridal showers. I have to go to one today and I was racking my brain for what to wear and decided that might be of interest to my readers. Key word is HAD, however, as my computer just swallowed it whole.

So, instead we are going to do a short and sweet review of one of the greatest books in modern fashion history.

One of my favorite books to read about fashion is The Beautiful Fall by Alicia Drake. It has provides great insight into how ready to wear came to dominate the fashion scene and how all the major players came to be. The main focus of the book is on the relationship between Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent, and if that is not your cup of tea it is still worth a read for the decadent descriptions of fashion in the 70s.

The reason I decided to do a post about this book in particular is that we all come into fashion differently. I came in via stories - well one in particular. My best friend and I were watching television one day and the history channel was doing a special on Coco Chanel. This was before the fashion craze went mainstream, and as such this was the first time I ever really heard of Chanel outside perfume.

Watching the program on a lark, I was in awe of her grit and determination to be the best despite her humble upbringing. She literally turned the fashion world on its head simply by being the best. That is no easy feat mind you and she did it all through sheer force of will. As you can imagine, I found her story to be mesmerizing and fell in love with fashion via Chanel that very day.

So, when I came across The Beautiful Fall I thought it was an amazing opportunity to learn about the man who took over the reigns: Karl Lagerfeld. I took away a lot more than I bargained for as I learned about all the ins and outs of the modern fashion business and its evolution from couture. In short, if you are interested in fashion it is a must read.

Normally, I would write more but I have to go pick my dress up for the bridal shower I have to attend today. Wish me luck as I have to endure a 1 hour commute in the rain to reach my destination in NJ. Let's just hope the PATH train isn't flooded by the time I get there.