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Posts for April 2008

Business of Fashion
ShoutOut

Business Of Fashion Shoutout: Intellectual Property Debates

Plagiarism is a hot topic these days, and the fashion cognoscenti are taking notice.
by coutorture Plagiarism is a hot topic these days, and the fashion cognoscenti are taking notice. The Business of Fashion ponders a very relevant question: at what point does "referencing" another designer's work start to infringe on intellectual property? As Imran Ahmed points out, it's one thing to be inspired by someone else's design, but wholly another to blatantly rip it off. He turns a critical eye to the subject, highlighting a case of obvious copycatting by Steve Madden, as well as a subtler, "did-she-or-didn't-she" case involving a Diane von Furstenberg design. For the past several years, it's become a heated moral issue in the fashion world. Having seen clothing in just about every possible incarnation, it's increasingly difficult to produce something new and innovative. Therefore, almost all design is referential in some way, and a designer's inspiration can often involve revisioning and putting a new spin on an existing look. In this world of the postmodern pastiche, as fashion cycles become shorter and shorter, and modern media allows for immediate, worldwide access to the fashion world, it becomes difficult for the designers themselves to even distinguish whether or not the inspiration truly came from themselves, or whether it was tucked away somewhere in their mind after having glimpsed another person's work. For the more brazen cases of outright theft, there seems to be little consequence. The dizzying pace of fashion and the costs of taking legal action make it difficult for designers to stop the unauthorized duplication of their work en masse, as the legal process will take far longer than the fashion season and won't happen in time to stop the copycats.
The Best Body Butters
body butter

Sugarshock Shoutout: Butter Me Up

The last traces of winter are finally disappearing.
by coutorture Image of Korres Body Butter TrioThe last traces of winter are finally disappearing. April showers have occurred, May flowers should presumably follow. But why does our skin still feel so parched? This question seems to still be on the mind of community partner Sugarshock who has developed a yen for Korres Body Butters. We love the natural beauty line from Greece too but we admit to being shocked to discover the market for body bodies was so saturated. We aren't sure if there is a pun there or not but good lord there are hundreds of options to choose from when looking for deep skin moisturizing. We found options from the $1.99 Palmer Olive Butter Formula to the $55 Kai Body Butter in our search. And of course if you want to test out Sugarshock's suggestion we have a trio of Korres butters so you can give them a test run. Otherwise we suggest a big glass of water and dunking yourself in olive oil. To read more shoutouts click here.
Palmer's Olive Butter Formula with Vitamin E Concentrated Cream Mango Body Butter 100% Pure Shea Butter by Les Karites Palmer's Olive Butter Formula with Vitamin E Concentrated Cream Mango Body Butter
Shop This Look
Fashion News Fast With Lanvin
fashion news

Fashion in 50 Seconds 4/30

No one likes to play around with the pricing of fashion more than pricey boutiques.
by coutorture

Collete Store WindowNo one likes to play around with the pricing of fashion more than pricey boutiques. Or at least that appears to be the joke at Colette with their two armor suits on display in the window made from destroyed Marakami bags. Its a collaboration between Andrea Crews and Tokyo-based French artist Item Idem and the set designer A. Bertin & Fils Ltée. It's about reappropriating the empire," said Maroussia Rebecq, the creative director of Andrea Crews. Commenting on fashion's arbitrary approach to pricing, one suit retails for around $11,000, while the other is half-price, she said.

Parson's raised 2 million dollars at their benefit on Monday. Tuition is still pretty pricey though.

Though Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz did let it be known that he was designing a denim line with Acne jeans at the benefit. The only way Acne denim could get more expensive has now been revealed!

Lord and Taylor wants to expand overseas. Considering that the venerable retailer isn't doing so hot in the domestic market we aren't sure if this is a great idea or retail suicide.

Fashion designers continue to not be politically savvy. Australian designer Kate Sylvester showed her collection Royally Screwed with models decked in war medals such as the New Zealand Operational Service Medal. She had to apologize. Much head shaking ensued.

Coutorture Community's Morning Must Reads 4/30
Beauty

Coutorture Community's Morning Must Reads 4/30

Sometimes a gal just needs a new pair of shoes.
by coutorture Sometimes a gal just needs a new pair of shoes. Discover your new Spring footwear in today's Must Read posts from: Style...A Work In Progress wonders if the evil eye of the peacock draws her to a necklace. What woman doesn't love a well designed tank top? Spork Fashion fell for Gail Schneider's line. NY $pender puts a new tourmaline wet-dry flat iron to the ultimate test. Gladiator sandals are the main focus of The It Lists' Spring wardrobe. Discover the best picks for your budget. The Manolo discovers a pair of Roberto Cavalli shoes that aren't that expensive.