Fashionista Fodder

I'm an avid reader of the Fashionista blog. In fact, that blog kept me updated on little things over the summer and every once in a while gave me fodder for the BlackBook blog. And now, I take those skills into my own and publish something here. The subject: knock-offs. The main players: Steve Madden and Forever 21.

Anyone who stumbles upon Fashionista on any given day can probably find a story on the first page about how either Steve Madden has ripped off a designer shoe or how Forever 21 redid a designer dress. Hell, Forever 21 does double duty knocking off shoes and apparel. Most of the time it is blatant. If Forever 21 takes something it spins it by adding lace or changing the color, but never something as vital as a pattern or cut. When Steve Madden takes something, not much is changed either. My editor this summer had it right when he said "Steve Madden is the Forever 21 of shoes." Never a truer statement has ever been uttered.

It shames me, as a budding fahsion journalist, to report on such indecencies as what these two retailers do what seems almost daily, certainly every season (um, Steve Madden - Dior gladiators much? too bad SM was a season late on that nab). Today, Fashionista reported Steve Madden taking the YSL tribute sandal - yes, the tribute sandal - and tweaked it a little in order to produce a shinier, cheaper (looking and priced) version. The real YSL is on the left and the knock-off Steve Madden is on the right, but I doubt I needed to point that out.


I do hope that I'm not the only one offended. Trends are meant to be followed, but specific designs are not meant to be knocked-off in this manner. This belongs in Chinatown, not Macy's.