Replicas

After a fruitful time in Santini (post to come later) I was wandering around Chadstone in a bubble tea trance-like state when I wondered into Bardot, my favourite slutty dress shop and found this dress glaring at me. I got all excited because it was very much like a Helmut Lang dress that I wanted after I saw it in Melbourne Boutique Green with Envy, styled as below.

Loving me some elbow bangle too.

In Green with Envy it was $200+ and I couldn't justify it so I held off, knowing that it was online If I ever changed my mind. This is kinda the last dress I would ever think a high street store would copy because I would think it's bit too alternative and drapey for them and for Bardot, definitely not slutty enough. So imagine my delight when I see this dress just chilling there for $70. When I went to try on the Bardot dress I realised it was in fact exactly the same as the Helmut Lang dress, even down the the weird-ass confusing slip dress on the inside (which is more of a 'I'm too dumb to know what holes my arms go through' issue than an aesthetic or comfort one.)

 

Helmut Lang Asymmetric Maxi Dress (left) and Bardot Asym Knit Dress (right) 

Change room shot. Ps Bardot - the lighting in your change rooms is terrible.
It really impedes my ability to take pictures of myself and post them to the internet, okay?

So I didn't get it for a number of reasons

1. The length was too awkward. It's like make up your mind - finish full length (like the original) or slutty length

2. Not super flattering

3. No occasions to wear it and it's coming up to winter and stockings with maxi dresses looks weird

4. I felt bad. It's just not the real thing

So the question is: Is it wrong for the high street to copy real designers?

Well I feel like I should say yes, it is wrong, but I buy designer copies all the time... So I can't exactly act like I'm morally opposed to it. My head says to me "geez you really are stingy buying the imitation. This is morally wrong" but my heart is like "OMG this is so cheap buy the WHOLE SHOP REBECCA. I LOVE LIFE."

So I went around Chadstone not even looking for designer copies but once I had it in my head I found them... EVERYWHERE.

Alexander Wang's Prisma (left) and Dotti's copy (right)

YSL Arty Ring (left) and Forever New's version (among many bad copies - right)

I could really of gone on forever taking photos however it was getting embarrassing... and as I would like to go to Chadstone to buy more fake designer things in the future, I decided to stop taking pictures and preserve some of my dignity. 

So shame on you selected high street stores (but quietly, keep up the good work please). Cheers, hope you don't get sued!

Bec xx