We went to Gen Art last night and did some serious damage to our already weak wallets. On our way out, we approached a rack of chain jewelry, wine in hand and announced, "Wow, this looks just like Erin Wasson's."

We were impressed, just like we were when we first saw Erin's pieces, until the girl standing next to the rack, Bliss Lau, looked like she might cry. Apparently, allegedly, her work looks like Erin Wasson's because the model bought one of her necklaces, re-cast it and threw the copies over Alexander Wang's Fall 08 collection on that dirty Chelsea runway.

All would have been forgiven, maybe, until Wasson wore the original Bliss version in her Nylon write up.

We love Erin, and now we kind of love Bliss, and it's impossible to know exactly who's right or who's wrong, (though Bliss has been making her body chains since Fall 2007).

So we sighed, bought the necklaces from Bliss because they're super pretty and got the hell out of there before we spent any more money or heard any more scary stories.

Sometimes we see an adventure in copying and wonder, after our usual head shaking, why, if someone took the time to rip something off, they didn't do it better and faster.

Like this Topshop star necklace sent in by reader MaryAnn - it's a descendent of YSL's, but why are they making it now? We've already seen it around Meredith Melling Burke and Anne Slowey's necks so you'd look plain silly wearing a copy six months after everyone else wore the original. (They might not be your everyone, but they're ours).

More importantly, if Topshop can manufacture and sell red plastic stars for $24, why couldn't they throw in some different colored stars? Blue, purple and silver can't be too much harder to make than red, right? And then they'd have a legit rip off instead of a half-hearted watered-down version.

In related star necklace news, Faran found a real YSL one in a thrift shop in the East Village. We'd like to be happy for her, but we're way too jealous.

Sent in by reader Moye:

We know the Marc by Marc dress at left would be difficult for pretty much anyone to wear.

But the Mod Cloth rip-off to the right? Impossible for everyone.

The even more impossible part is that it's $75, considerably more than the Forever 21 send-up from a couple months ago (though yes, so much cheaper than the original Marc by Marc).

But we're wondering - who would wear a knock-off of an already unsightly dress?

And why are people still knocking it off?

Since Topshop seems to be pretty bow-obsessed these days, it comes as no surprise that we came across this on their site today - this bowtie top that's very déjà vu of this Marc by Marc blouse.

Now we know what you guys will say: This is just a white shirt with a bowtie! But notice the similar pleating along the front, the color scheme of black bowtie and creamy white, the slight ruching around the collar, and of course, the final nail in the coffin for most knock-offs, the timing. All these add up to safely declare this a copy of the Marc by Marc, regardless of how much we're anticipating the Topshop opening in New York.

Not to mention that sleeveless, pleated, georgette silk tops with black bowties are actually harder to come by than you might think.

--HAYLEY PHELAN

Every day, we troll the online stores to know what's cute, what's ugly, and what's just bad. And every day, we find ourselves staring directly into the face of Forever 21's cap-locked logo.

So today, while doing my daily clicks, my dear friend Jyll glanced at my screen and exclaimed "Fendi rip-off!" It took me a second to notice, probably because the Fendi original walked the runway last Fall, which was basically like eons ago, but Jyll couldn't have been more right.

The Forever 21 version on the right features nearly the same color-block design as the Fendi original, right down to the rectangle shape near the zipper that, in the Fendi, handily allows you to convert the clutch to a shoulder bag - but in the Forever 21, well, just tries to look like it's the Fendi.

That being said, the cheaper colors are considerably uglier. The dark green and muted yellow look far less cute than Fendi's original zippy yellow, blue and pink. Not to mention the cheap patent leather looks, well...

-- HAYLEY PHELAN

Imagine being an independent designer known for your beautiful clothes - not for plastering your name all over shorts or being on a reality show.

You've received great press, you have a cult following, celebrities love your clothes - good celebrities - and your store is a cornerstone of NoLiTa's indie-mall.

Now imagine Forever 21 ripping off your dress, your design and your embroidery.

Are you pissed?

We would be, and we're sure Jane Mayle is, since Sarah from her office just e-mailed us this link.

Sure, the one on the right is black and missing the drawstring, but the design on the front is exactly the same.

We don't approve - as if you didn't already know that.

What would happen if Forever 21 sold original Marc by Marc dresses next to all of their rip-offs?

Chaos would surely ensue.

Reader Jasmine alerted us to this black and white scalloped Matty M dress which originally cost $148 at Nordstrom. It's simple, cute and its retro design is actually an exact copy of the Karta dress to the right - which debuted a full year ago and, though now sold out on Nordstrom's website, cost around $225.

Which means you could have bought the original, well made, independently designed dress for about $75 dollars more and supported an up and coming brand. Or you could have bought the barely cheaper version without the extra details - stitching, a-line shape etc. that you need to see in person - that set it apart from the racks of summer dresses at H&M.

But, well, you know where we stand on this one.

To be honest we were sort of waiting for this moment.

Ever since Luella's eclectic punk Spring 08 show, the collection has been making ripples through retail stores. First, there was the resurgence of floral ra-ra skirts, and the prominence of cat-eye glasses, then the sudden popularity of neon Docs. So it really came as no surprise when Topshop put up this replica of Luella's yellow and black batwing tee.

Besides the label, we really can't tell what the difference could be between the two - both feature black batwing shapes of exactly the same size up against the same shade of yellow. And between the rest of Topshop's collection (read: floral ra-ra skirts, neon doc martens, punked up prom dresses), the London shop seems to be taking a lot of 'inspiration' from Miss Bartley.

Then again, we're not exactly sure if Luella can claim rights to a superhero symbol that's been around for decades...Still, she got there first this season.

-- HAYLEY PHELAN

We love Prada. We love black. We love gold. And we love the 70's.

Unfortunately, a combination of all of the above doesn't necessarily make for a fabulous pair of shoes. See Prada's Fall '08 stompers. They had us asking "Why Miuccia, why?"

That's when we decided to explore another aspect of 'Adventures in Copyright'. As in, what happens when the fake is actually better than the original?

A perfect example of this can be found at Topshop, where you can buy a similar shoe to the one that marched down Prada's spring runway. The directly inspired, less expensive shoe improves upon its more dramatic muse and not just because it's more wearable.

We still won't buy it. And we don't think it's ok. But we're man enough to admit, it's just a bit cuter.

Let's call it 'Improvements in Copyright'.

--AUDREY SMITH

Those cool kids from London may need to do something besides signature t-shirts.

On the left, you'll see a tank from David David, the British line hyped by rave babes and shown during Topshop's New Gen celebration last year.

David David has partnered with Fred Perry and Henry Holland on various projects and parties, and sells for $75 - $100 per shirt.

It's in Vogue UK a lot, and in Super Super and Dazed, and on the kind of kids who sleep on a mattress of old Kate Moss photos.

On the right, a $19.99 tee from Forever 21.

This shouldn't be surprising, and it isn't, it's just, well...

Bummer.

People seemed uneasy about Stefano Pilati's use of heather gray jersey on YSL's spring '08 runway - until Kate Moss wore this dress in the ads and everyone else wanted to wear it, too.

The thing that keeps it from being a glorified American Apparel-esque sweatshirt tube dress is the expert tailoring, the thin fabric and the sharply cut front 'V'.

Unfortunately, when Topshop decided to copy it, they left out those important factors. The color's the same, so are the darts and the length, but you can tell, just from seeing it float in internet space, that it won't be flattering on anyone.

Not even Kate - and that says a lot.

p.s. Olga's shoes are way on sale at Barneys!

We love Givenchy.

Ricardo Tisci's pumped the label full of rock star elegance and some incredible accessories and some seriously edgy shoes including these strappy, buckled, Gwyneth-approved heels.

Yes. They're amazing.

Steve Madden thinks so, too. In fact, he's selling his copy for a whopping $200. Which is about $800 less than the originals. Unfortunately, $200 is far too much for anything from Steve Madden, especially yet another plastic looking imitation shoe with a too-short heel.

Steven, please stop ruining pretty shoes.

Oops. We put some time and effort into a Sergio Rossi DIY a couple of months ago.

They didn't look perfect, but they were still fun and definitely had more character than these.

The paint drip started popping up in places both vintage and new, but Steve Madden got so distracted by Carrie Bradshaw's shoes, he forgot to copy one of the coolest summer trends.

Which gave GoJane time to make what they call the "Stripe Colorblock Heel". The drip is almost exactly the same. The problem is the high cut toe, the chunky-too-short heel, and the plastic looking sheen.

And for $18.99? We dare you to wear them more than once.

There is life yet for Chloe Sevigny's Opening Ceremony collection.

While on Topshop, we came across their new Post-War Precision collection (originally called the Valerie Collection, though we don't know why they changed the name). Topshop describes it as "1950s pin-up styling with a rockabilly twist", but between the checkered pieces, acid wash jean jacket and ditsy floral print dresses we thought "We Wish We Were Chloe Sevigny" would have been a more apt description.

Just take a gander at these high-wasted checked pants. Remind you of anything? We thought so. Similarily, this blouse by Topshop is almost an exact replica of one Chloe turned out for Opening Ceremony (although in the picture it's shown in floral, Chloe also made one in basic white), one of the more wearable pieces of the collection. And these tiny floral printed shorts are very reminiscent of Chloe's floral skirt. Topshop even went as far as a floral bustier, one of the more signature pieces from Chloe's collection (ps. we're still not sure who's buying these). [Editor's note: Natalie loves Chloe's floral bustier!]

The Topshop stuff is actually really cute (thankfully, they stayed away from midriff baring tops) but our reaction was overshadowed by the same sneaking suspicion we had when we tried the items on last March in Opening Ceremony, or maybe it was last April and at Urban Outfitters. Either way, we're wondering why, amidst less than positive reviews, the Sevigny collection has had such a strong influence on retailers.

Perhaps Chloe was on to something, but it's a shame her designs are being copied more often than worn.

--HAYLEY PHELAN

This is either a major mistake or a brilliant undercover ad ploy:

Fred Flare just released a t-shirt that screams "I Love New York."

It's fitted, it's green, it's pretty cute but not, you know, amazing.

The thing that makes it interesting is the type face. It's the same type face that New York Magazine uses. In fact, it really looks like the t-shirt is saying, "I Love New York" - the glossy, not the city.

I mean, we love New York too, but somehow, we're guessing the t-shirt isn't talking about all that.

The shirt sells for $24, which is actually more expensive than a NY subscription.