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Adventures in Copyright Dec 10, 2008 @ 10:48am

Adventures in Copyright: “We’re Not Groupies.. We’re Band-Aids”

by Natalie Hormilla

larsen gray loves the herve leger bandage dress.jpgFact: There’s nothing like jumping on the Herve Bandage Dress revival to say, “I’m a starlet, and you know it.”

Fact: It was only a matter of time before somebody rummaged through Herve’s laundry bin and reappropriated the dress in a slightly inappropriate fashion.

Fact: It was Larsen Gray, with their “Banded” dress, at right.

The funny thing is, girls don’t forego dinner to sling themselves in a bandage dress for the way it looks - the dress is secretly famous for “sucking you up” with a full body Spanx effect, while making other people (men) think you just look like Gisele. So if Larsen Gray’s version’s made of anything other than the magical stretch fabric Herve uses (it is), then the purpose of the dress goes out the window, and you’re just left with a vaguely familiar stripe pattern on 100% cotton.

PS. Does anyone else think it’s a little gutsy for these knock-offs and semi-knock-offs to tout names so evocative of the originals?

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Posted in Adventures in Copyright and Blake Lively, Dresses, Gossip Girl, Herve Leger, Lars Gray, Oak

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Comments

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1

posted by guest

Dec 10, 2008 10:56AM

It's Larsen Gray. The lead designer was on Project Runway a few seasons back. Their stuff is typically not that exciting.

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2

posted by guest

Dec 10, 2008 10:56AM

It's Larsen Gray. The lead designer was on Project Runway a few seasons back. Their stuff is typically not that exciting and apparently unoriginal.

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4

posted by guest

Dec 10, 2008 11:55AM

Goodness alive! That Bebe dress is the most hideous thing I've seen all morning. Gross.

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5

posted by mollymc18

Dec 10, 2008 12:28PM

I have tried on both Leger and that Bebe dress, and I must say the Bebe did almost as good a job "sucking me in."

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6

posted by guest

Dec 10, 2008 12:38PM

Why hasn't forever 21 created a bandage dress?

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7

posted by guest

Dec 10, 2008 12:39PM

Kelly Brook wore the dress on the lft to the British Comedy Awards which was sponsored by Higland Spring Water.

Personally, I don't think it suited her and I also think that the dress on the left looks better anyway.

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8

posted by guest

Dec 10, 2008 1:02PM

But the distinguishing feature of the Herve dress is the fabric and fit, not the stripes. The stripes are sort of incidental to the spandex factor. The dress on the right is just a dress with bands of color across it... I wouldn't associate it at all with a bandage dress, even with the name.

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9

posted by guest

Dec 10, 2008 1:34PM

As for the question, is it gutsy to use knockoff names so close to the original (I.e.: Bandage vs. Banded). I think no, it is not gutsy...the name of a certain outfit should not (and does not)determine whether or not said outfit will look good on your body. The Herve dress is made out of high quality material and is crafted beautifully. The knockoff "Banded" dress is poor quality and poorly crafted...therefore no one will choose to purchase the Banded dress just because of a similar name.

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10

posted by guest

Dec 10, 2008 1:53PM

Forever 21 has created one. I saw it when I was there a couple months ago, I don't think it would be on the internet anymore though.

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11

posted by guest

Dec 10, 2008 1:55PM

Guest #6, Forever has created a bandage dress...

Surprised?

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12

posted by guest

Dec 10, 2008 2:37PM

that bebe dress reminds me more of narciso rodriguez than herve...but that still doesnt belittle the fact that its BUSTED.

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13

posted by guest

Dec 10, 2008 3:16PM

Love the title of this post.
Almost Famous is one of my favorite movies.

And the Larsen Gray dress is so hideous. No one would look good in that.

14

posted by AshBash44

Dec 10, 2008 3:35PM

I've tried on the Larsen Gray dress and it actually looks super cute on!

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15

posted by guest

Dec 10, 2008 5:42PM

I'm in general a big fan of your site: it's informative in a really wide variety of topics related to fashion, it's concise, and it's fun to look at.
However, I think you guys need to give "Adventures in Copyright" a rest. They're okay in moderation, but the amount that you post makes them tedious, petty, and slightly bitter-seeming. I think most people have come to terms with the fact that smaller companies knock off items from well respected fashion houses. It's exasperating, sure, but...get over it. The quality of the knocked off good is usually so much lower that no one who'd consider buying the more expensive original in the first place would ever be swayed by a cheap tacky imitation from Forever 21.

To me, it just makes no sense to harp on about this so much.

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16

posted by guest

Dec 10, 2008 5:58PM

amen guest #15

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17

posted by chartreusegirl

Dec 10, 2008 11:05PM

Guest #9 has clearly not seen the Larsen Gray in person - super cute, carefully crafted, and made of organic fabric. I'll take less "sucking" for more earth-saving any day, but then again, neither the original nor the knockoff is really my style...

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18

posted by guest

Dec 11, 2008 2:54AM

#15...admittedly, Adventures in Copyrights is one of the main reasons I read this site. I suppose as a soon-to-be graduated fashion student, it's nice to know who is copying whom. I will admit this one is not as blatant as some, but still interesting.

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19

posted by guest

Dec 16, 2008 11:00PM

adventures in copyrights gets an added twist for this one - since the Herve Leger dress featured is not actually designed by Herve Leger - it's by Max Azria, who has owned Herve's name for several years after a nasty, messy "partnership" sale. If you're going to be loyal to a name, go for Herve "LeRoux" Leger himself!

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