It’s undeniable that Givenchy’s SS10 collection was a landmark moment for the house and designer Ricardo Tisci. A little bit tribal, a little bit psychedlic, the clothes are über popular, most recently seen on the backs of the attendees of the Marina Abramhovic dinner at MoMA.
Most popular, it seems, is the black and white blazer seen at left. An optical eye-catcher, this design was a hit on the runway, and a hit in stores–only without the Givenchy label. Both Zara and Anthropologie have created blazers highly resembling the Givenchy piece.
Anthropologie
The striping in almost exactly the same, with larger white stripes and thin black ones spaced evenly apart. The collar shape is similar, with the stripes on the Anthropologie blazer making a slight V, as opposed to Givenchy’s straight lines. The Anthropologie blazer also has not buttons, just like the Givenchy. There’s really no way that this isn’t intended as an affordable copy of the Givenchy piece. And at $98 it’s still pricey for not-the-real-thing.
Zara
While it mimics the striping of the Givenchy, it’s tailored to nip in at the waist, and it has black piping trimming the collar, sleeves, and pockets. We can’t really say this is a copy of the Givenchy, but it’s probably an attempt to get in on the striped blazer trend started at Givenchy. A little less expensive at $79.90, it’s not a totally ridiculous buy.
Would you rock a faux Givenchy, or are you holding out for the real thing?
Tags: Anthropologie, Givenchy, Zara
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neither of these blazers are the same shape at all. streeeeetch
Not a stretch at all. The Anthropologie blazer is indistinguishable from Givenchy's. The Zara blazer—as Fashionista pointed out—is quite different, but still inspired by the look.
I don't know if it was intentional or not, but the tone of this AIC is much less hysterical than previous AIC posts, and I really appreciate that. Thank you!
the jacket is a copy of one that david bowie wore in the 1970s. not original at all.
I think Jane has a point here: most things we see in fashion by now aren't original, as it's incredibly hard to come up with something that hasn't been done before. Trends are trends, and this style/striped jacket has been all over the place for months. Yes, I see the similarities between the Givenchy and the Anthro jacket, but when are you guys going to get over this stuff? It would be one thing if it were illegal…
I agree that the Anthro blazer is a blatant ripoff, but I'm a little struck that you guys define $98 as “pricey.” Not that it isn't, but in earlier posts you've talked about multi-hundred-dollar dresses as “affordable.” Can we get some consistency?
Thank you for calling out Anthropologie. They have been long time offenders and every time I walk into that place I find myself surrounded in a sea of Vivienne Westwood knock offs. And truthfully, if you look on eBay you can find authentic Vivienne Westwood Anglomania blouses priced almost the same as the Anthropologie interpretation.
I thought the same. $100 vs $1500? Inexpensive in the scheme of things. I don't think you could find much cheaper, maybe Forever 21 but who knows what the fabric content would be or if your buttons would pop off after one wear.
Probably inspired by Givenchy, but as Jane and Anna mentioned, not an exact copy and striped blazers aren't an original idea.
I don't think there's anything wrong with one brand taking inspiration from the creation of another, so long as they figure out the details on their own, as Zara has done. Cross-pollination is good for the environment! Anthropologie's version IS kind of one Bolex short of Chinatown, though.
It's nice, but it's not original. It looks like an English public school blazer, but done in stripes.
Besides, nobody who knows clothes and has an eye for detail would confuse the Givenchy and the Anthropologie versions, and there probably is little overlap in their consumer bases.
it is easy to say that it is ok that one company is ripping off another when you aren't the one coming up with the original idea, and therefore losing sales because of it.
somehow i don't think givenchy is losing sales to anthropologie….i would be really concerned about who givenchy's customer base is if that was true…in fact i would go as far to say that most of the people who buy givenchy runway clothes have never stepped into an anthropologie store.
that said, this has been the best AIC I have read yet…the writing is not condescending nor irritating, there's an actual valid argument that tisci designed a striped blazer in an innovative and fresh way and its quite reasonable to say that anthropologie wasn't copying any random striped blazer design but the specific givenchy one pictured. AIC is fun to read (both to see what was considered worth copying but also the reader comments) but I hope the tone of the writing stays at this level.
this was a pretty generalized statement on my part, for any designer. of course the two companies have different consumers. whenever the AIC posts come up, there is always seems to be an arguement that copying is acceptable.
Oh yay! I sent in the tip about the Anthropologie blazer. This made my day.
frankly the original jacket was ugly if you ask me, I WAS NOT a fan. where's the leather and denim and eyeliner and crystals gone ricardo??!!
I agree – those who can afford it would buy the Givenchy with far superior fabric, finish and detailing. The Anthropologie version annoyingly does not match the stripes on the sleeves very well. The Zara jacket does reek of a certain Oxbridge boat race, but it has a classic retro look for the Art Decophiles and a reasonable price tag. None of them are very original. It is a classic item which keeps turning in various guises.
So did I. haha