Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Let me start off by saying that John Galliano x Christian Dior is untouchable. I don’t think there will ever be a collection I won’t find myself in love with. Christian Dior plays in its own league and, for me, is the definition of high fashion, couture & French elegance. For Spring 2010 Galliano sticked to the lingerie theme he first introduced us to in his Fall 2009 couture show where models were pantless and everything was presented with garters and semi-sheer knickers.

What I also really liked were the film noir references. Galliano said he designed this collection with actress Lauren Bacall in mind. Hourglass silhouettes, lamé dresses, short trenchcoats, transparent chiffon gowns – all in all a solid, romantic & feminine collection with the usual, flawless quality you’ve come to expect of Dior and its mastermind Monsieur Galliano. Already looking forward to Spring 2010 Couture.

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UPDATE: Just wanted to let you all know that the Sam Edelman “Zoe” booties are now also available at Zappos, Endless and Footnotes. Go grab them if you haven’t already!

Whenever I stumble upon designer knockoffs, I normally post them on my other blog called InTheirCloset.com (go check it out if you haven’t already), but since I know how coveted Sam Edelman’s Balenciaga knockoffs are, I just had to share the news with ALL of my readers.

Remember Balenciaga’s Fall 2006 harness platform boots made famous by Mary-Kate Olsen? Sam Edelman released a great knockoff version called the “Zoe” boot in 2007 and these boots were so popular they sold out super fast. Now, 2 years later, due to popular demand Sam Edelman decided to bring the “Zoe” boot back! If you missed out on these back then, this is your second chance! They are expensive, but still going like hot cakes, so you better hurry and place your order right away as the first shipment of these boots was sold out within 2 days.

Sam Edelman “Zoe” Boots
($345, Jildor)

P.S.: Also available at Zappos, Endless and Footnotes.

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Time for a shoe battle. And this one’s a battle between shoe giants! It’s rather seldom to see a high fashion label copying from another high fashion label, but it happens occasionally as in this case. There’s no denying one or the other has been “inspired“, but the question is – WHO?

Personally I prefer the Jimmy Choos because of the heel (you all know much I love an iridiscent high heel), but that doesn’t neccessarily mean that he was the first to come up with the concept for this shoe. Hard to choose. What do you think?

Go Shopping:

• JIMMY CHOO: Jimmy Choo Eliza Sandals, $665
• VALENTINO: Valentino Patent Leather Peep Toe Pump, $675

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For Spring 2009 Bebe was heavily “inspired” by Balmain. For their latest Fall collection they took inspiration from the darkest creatures to roam the shadows: VAMPIRES! Ever since Twilight has become the next Harry Potter phenomenon letting teenagers faint by the dozen, it is utterly impossible to NOT stumble upon vampires EVERYWHERE.

There are vampire books, vampire movies and a whole lot of vampire merchandise. And thanks to Bebe you can now dress like your favorite vampire. The trend has finally pushed its way into the fashion world.

Bebe’s Fall 2009 lookbook features a dark and moody setting. The color palette is mostly limited to black and the clothes give off this distinct romantic gothic vibe with victorian details like lace, embroideries, hair pieces, frills, ruffles and beaded necklaces.

VISIT BEBE.COM!

What do you think of this trend? I find myself liking a few of the pieces and am curious to see more. What about you? Can you imagine being a fashionable vampire fashionista?

BTW: I wanted to know what the fuzz is all about and watched Twilight last week. And while I realize that this film is rather targeted at a teenage audience I really had to pause it once in a while to laugh out loud because the majority of the dialogues were beyond gaudy. Too sticky & sweet.

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Balmain is everywhere these days. Everyone and their neighbour is trying to snap up some Balmain 4 less. Jeffrey Campbell has a great pair of Balmain knockoffs. Solestruck has restocked Jeffrey Campbell’s “MEL” Balmain knockoffs… AGAIN! They tend to sell out within a few hours, so you better be FAST and order now before they are gone… AGAIN!

All UK and European based fashionistas can grab a pair of the Jeffrey Campbell rhinestone sandals at Bunnyhug who are selling them in either black or beige for £150. But you better hurry, there are only limited sizes left.

Jeffrey Campbell MEL Studded Sandal
($164.95, Solestruck.com)

Looking for other Balmain knockoffs? Click HERE!

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I recently wrote about Bebe’s Spring 2009 collection which is basically a pool full of knockoffs. The “Marianna” sandal which is a knockoff of the famous Balmain studded sandals from their Spring 2009 collection wasn’t available at the time I wrote about it, but now it FINALLY is. So without further ado…

Bebe Marianna Studded Platform Sandals

Bebe Marianna Studded Platform Sandals
($169, bebe.com)

Check out InTheirCloset.com for more Balmain sandal knockoffs!

UPDATE: Just wanted to let you know that Bebe is currently selling their Balmain knockoff sandals in gold ($169). Be quick to place your order, I’m sure they will sell like crazy.

Jeffrey Campbell THE MEL Studded Sandal

UPDATE #2: Since Bebe’s knockoffs seem to be permanently sold out, I thought you might be interested in Jeffrey Campbell’s Balmain knockoffs instead. Solestruck has restocked them for a short time only, so you better be fast and order now.

All UK and European based fashionistas can grab a pair of the Jeffrey Campbell rhinestone sandals at Bunnyhug who are selling them in either black or beige for £150. But you better hurry, there are only limited sizes left.

Jeffrey Campbell MEL Studded Sandal
($164.95, Solestruck.com)

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Today seems to be copycat day. First we had Zara Spring 2009 designer knockoffs and now I stumble upon Bebe’s Spring 2009 preview with LOADS of “inspired by“-pieces from big names like Balmain (of course!), Louis Vuitton (sure!), Stella McCartney (again!), Alexander Wang (yeah!), Valentino (always!) and Christian Louboutin (not one to forget!). And these are just the ones I spotted. Who knows how many are left unidentified.

Let’s start with the Miami Vice look. I instantly thought of Alexander Wang’s Spring 2009 blazer/shorts combo when I saw the pink blazer, then my eyes went down to the shoes which are an almost identical version of Stella McCartney’s Spring 2009 mesh heels. And finally a bag k/o which looks very much like the Valentino sequin satin glamorous tote recently seen on Victoria Beckham and Fergie.

Alexander Wang Spring 2009 vs. Bebe vs. Valentino & Stella McCartney Spring 2009

Balmain Spring 2009

Balmain gets copied A LOT these days ever since Decarnin took the lead design for the French fashion house. Not only did Bebe rip off the famous studded and rhinestoned sandals (also copied by Zara and Aldo,) but they borrowed some of the dress styles, too.

Balmain Spring 2009 vs. Bebe vs. Balmain Spring 2009

Balmain Spring 2009 vs. Bebe vs. Balmain Spring 2009

Louis Vuitton Spring 2009

Bebe has taken a lot of inspiration from Louis Vuitton’s African Safari collection (Spring 2009) as well. There are no 100% matches, but the look and feel of the Bebe items are very Louis Vuitton-ish. The standout LV heels have made quite a statement in the fashion world as a lot of celebrities rocked them recently, so Bebe did their best to deliver “low”-cost fashion to the masses I guess.

Louis Vuitton Spring 2009 vs. Bebe Spring 2009

Christian Louboutin

These badass Louboutins are a must-have shoe this season. Celebrities like Heidi Klum and Jennifer Lopez have been wearing this style and helped propel this shoe to super stardom. Of course, Bebe did not want to miss out on this shoe obsession, so they created the “Delaney” sandal, a watered-down version of the buckled Louboutin.

Bebe Delaney Sandal ($159) vs. Christian Louboutin Multi-Buckle Sandals ($1.495)

So, what do you think? Do you like the Bebe knockoffs or do you prefer the real thing? If you find more designer references, please drop me a line (profashionelle[at]gmail.com).

Most of the items haven’t hit the shelves yet, but expect them to be up for sale in a few days and I’m pretty sure the knockoffs, especially the Balmain-esque rhinestone stilettos will be sold out fast. I will let you guys know when these are available online, so if you haven’t subscribed via E-Mail yet, now is the time to do so.

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A few days ago I found first shots of the Zara Spring 2009 Ad Campaign with Lara Stone and fell in love with it. Not only the campaign was great, but the clothes were stunning as well. There was clearly some heavy inspiration involved as a lot of the pieces were reminiscent of this year’s Spring 2009 collections (thanks to FC@Red Carpet Fashion Awards for pointing it out). Zara channelled this year’s fashion darlings like Balmain (the first 2 dresses), Alexander Wang (grey/white pants/top ensemble) and Stella McCartney (the nude oversized blazer as previously worn by Amber Valletta).

The shoes were Balmain-esque as well. Rumor says Zara had to remove all of the rhinestone studded sandals from the shelves because they were infringing on another fashion house’s copyright. The nude lace booties remind me of Ann Demeulemeester’s Spring 2009 lace up boots.

I can’t wait to hit my Zara store this week, I’m probably going to buy the whole store empty. My favorites are the lilac draped dress, the LBD and the oversized blazer combo. And the Ann Demeulemeester knockoffs of course! Too cute.

Visit Zara.com to see more Spring/Summer 2009 looks.

P.S.: I ♥ Lara Stone. She’s so damn gorgeous.

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Does anyone else see a pretty gross Marc by Marc Jacobs “Alessandra Pussy Bow” dress knockoff here? I don’t even know where to start, it’s such a hot mess.

First, they got the material all wrong. The original is pure silk while the knockoff version seems to be polyester. They also gave the model that dress 2 sizes too big. See how it just hangs like a tent from her body while it hugs the model’s curves on the left? But the worst thing about it is the messed up bow on the collar. I mean, come on, don’t they know how to loop a decent looking bow?

Albeit looking very cheap the dress still costs freakishly $210. Considering that the original Marc by Marc Jacobs went on final sale at NeimanMarcus for $150, it’s blatant usury. Even Forever 21, where such a dress would cost $30 max, makes better knockoffs.

If you hoped to find a link to the original dress here, I’m sorry to disappoint you. The dress sold out fast after it was seen on Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl…which directly leads me to…

Blair Waldorf vs. Fergie

… A Fashion Faceoff! Leighton Meester (aka Blair Waldorf) has been sporting this cute preppy dress in the second Gossip Girl episode of season two called “Never been Marcused“.

Fergie did the same by wearing it to a Marc by Marc Jacobs fashion show with…sunglasses…in a dark showroom. Yeah, classy!

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When I saw Samantha Harris‘s fierce red gown, I knew I had seen it before on someone else. And that someone else was no other than Katherine Heigl who wore an almost identical gown to the Oscars 2008. Katherine’s dress was Escada of course and it landed her a spot on my Oscars Best Dressed list.

I knew Samantha’s gown couldn’t be Escada, no reputable designer would ever give away a dress that has made such a big entrance to a red carpet event before, twice. The dresses also weren’t 100% identical as Samantha’s version didn’t look as exquisite as Katherine’s and the chiffon train on Samantha’s dress was missing as well.

I wondered who designed Samantha’s red gown and all of a sudden it hit me like a hammer. Samantha’s dress must be a knockoff version from Katherine’s Escada dress! And who is the first to turn to when it comes to red carpet dress replicas? Of course, Faviana!

One Shoulder Celebrity Inspired Red Gown by Faviana
($338, eDressMe.com)

See what I mean? The same dress as seen on Samantha Harris. I feel like this is a total “Oh no, she didn’t“-moment. You just don’t wear a knockoff gown to a major red carpet event. I mean it’s not like Katherine’s dress went unnoticed by the crowds. It was huge and everyone loved it, so I wonder if Samantha did really think no one would find out?

Katherine easily wins this. There is simply no competition between Escada and Faviana. And the fact that Samantha tried to get away with a knockoff gown at the SAG Awards really takes all the class out of it.

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