Hi, my name is Emma (Phileda) and I write a blog called Stolen Style about intellectual property in the fashion industry. Our goal is to inform college-age consumers like you of the prevalence of legal copies, legal and illegal knock-offs and illegal counterfeits in the fashion marketplace. You can visit the blog here, but also check back every Thursday for this series on BlogDailyHerald entitled ‘Splurge, Steal, or Something Original’ . Each post will focus on a current trend and feature one splurge purchase, a cheaper copy of the splurge for your instant retail satisfaction, and a third option—a well-priced, on-trend purchase that isn’t just a cheaper copy of the original splurge purchase but is something special. An example of this third option might be a vintage piece, a piece from an unknown designer, or a handmade find. I hope that this column will make shopping and getting dressed each morning just a little bit more fun for you —I really believe that being able to evade pressure from the marketplace to simply buy ‘Stolen Styles’ is a key to finding joy in fashion.
Right now I’m absolutely obsessed with Jil Sander’s Spring 2011 RTW Collection, which is all about maximalism and couture gigantism (think t-shirts and ball gown worthy skirts) and the inspiration for this weeks post.



These images courtesy of Style.com, which has been making Runway shots available to the public for years.
Of course, most of us aren’t going to wear anything like this sauntering down Thayer Street, so what the retail industry has done is taken Raf Simon’s work for the house of Jil Sander and made bright color, maxi skirts and graphic prints a major trend. Let’s try to channel that this week. Continue Reading