Copycat; Meow.

DKNY S/S15 vs. Prada S/S11 Balmain S/S15 vs. Givenchy Haute Couture 97.
Now that the Fashion Month has finally come to a close, it's time for my favorite copycats of the season. I only use that term for its slight association with the feline persuasion, as most of you may or may not know i love cats.

Usually you experience a degree of déjà-vus' when you look at some collections, but some are more obvious than others. The question is: when can "drawing inspiration" be called "copying" and couldn't it be that two people just randomly had two similar starting points or ideas? A question I deal with on a daily basis, as a fashion designer. We surely always take inspiration from somewhere and something, its inevitable, whether we realize it or not. Rather often it is, unfortunately, from clothes that already exist. What I think is interesting is that you can call the act of close reproduction "inspiration" and "copy" at the same time. Legally the the case might be clear (the people at Zara know) but when it comes to real life the lines are often blurred. Maybe it's just a strange coincidence, maybe strong inspiration. What I think is sad is that people made quite a fuss about Balmain this season. Hey! it's one look. It happens to everyone, fashion designers included. They are not some kind of magic bottomless well of ideas that are able to pull out timeless classics and innovative ideas season after season.They all have to (ideally) open books and archives to get the fuel. Enjoy the magic while it's there. And that's coming from not the biggest Balmain fan!
all pictures from style.com