On Page 44 of Bergdorf Goodman`s spring catalog, there`s a photo of a very striking yellow jacket with black detailing that outlines pockets and gives the effect of a notched collar. The jacket is in summer wool and costs $350.
Two weeks ago, there was an ad in The New York Times Magazine featuring supermodel Linda Evangelista in what appears to be the very same jacket. Same color. Same black detailing. This one costs $2,035.
Trouble is that, though they look alike, they`re not the very same jacket. The one worn by Evangelista is part of a Chanel ad and is an original designed by Karl Lagerfeld. The one in Bergdorf`s catalog is what is known as a ”knockoff,” an exact or very close duplicate of an original design.
Knockoffs, reproductions, copies or clothes ”influenced” by top designers aren`t too unusal in the garment industry.
Victor Costa owes his success and his popularity (even with rich society women and the likes of Ivana Trump) to his dresses that even he admits are
”inspired by” designers such as Christian Lacroix and Emanuel Ungaro. (In what seems to be a matter of ”If you can`t beat him, hire him,” the house of Christian Dior contracted with Costa to make a special line of party clothes for the United States.) And, even Calvin Klein and Donna Karan have been known to design a few little numbers for their own collections while under the spell of Giorgio Armani.
However, Bergdorf`s outright copying of a Chanel-especially within the same season-is quite a surprise. After all, the store also is a Chanel
”client”-meaning it has a Chanel boutique and can conceivably be carrying the real thing on one floor and its clone on another.
A legal question
Can they get away with outright copying of a design-without crediting it to the designer, and also saying ”Only at Bergdorf Goodman”?
Legally, yes.
”Design is not protected in the United States,” said Barbara Cirkva, senior vice president of Chanel`s fashions in this country. Trademarks, such as Chanel`s distinctive back-to-back, interlocked C`s, can be protected, she noted, adding, ”Chanel is known to be quite active in protecting its trademarks. There have been prosecutions.”
However, clothing design is another matter. Whether the design is by Lagerfeld for Chanel, by Armani, Gigli or any of fashions` other influential creators, it is open to downright copying or pirating by anybody. (Patricia S. Smart, chairman of the Chicago Bar Association`s Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights Committee and a partner in the Chicago firm of Pattishall, McAuliffe, confirmed that ”as a general rule, design of an article of clothing is not protected” by law.)
”When a house has a designer like Lagerfeld who is a genius and who is known to be very influential, we are used to seeing his influence going into others` collections. In a way, this is complimentary,” said Cirkva, ”to know that your designer has such an influence on accessories or ready-to-wear.
”But there is a fine line between being influenced and copying. This,”
she said, referring to Bergdorf`s jacket, ”is line-for-line copying.”
A ”distressed” Chanel
Chanel`s reaction?
”It is distressing. We have respect for Bergdorf`s as a fine store. And they are a client. This is talking about a partnership,” said Cirkva.
When asked about possible action, she said that she had spoken to Burton Tansky, Bergdorf`s vice chairman, ”and it will be the first of several conversations.” Legally, nothing can be done, though something like this is
”detrimental to a relationship.” (At deadline time, Tansky had not returned phone calls.)
Beyond this single incident, there are assorted ramifications to the entire matter of ”influences” and copying.
For a woman (no, make that customer, since copying is just about as rampant in menswear as in women`s clothing, especially with Armani and Polo)
who loves fashion but lives on a budget, the cloning of designer clothes is an answered prayer. What these customers want is a particular look, whether it carries a designer`s label or not, whether it fits or feels like the real thing or not. They want fashion at a price-their price. (For them, Bergdorf`s catalog`s order number is 1-800-662-5455.)
For others, the real thing is the only thing. They know that copies are really never the same as the original. In designer clothes, be it Chanel or Armani, the cut is essential to the look, as is the fabric. No matter how hard they try, nobody can really duplicate Armani`s colors. On Chanel jackets, for example, the buttonholes work and the linings are still made of silk, not acetate. For some, such quality, workmanship and the cut are musts-as is, of course, the label itself.
For people who buy the originals, seeing copies isn`t exactly the most pleasant experience, because they know they`ve paid much more for their originals. But obviously, they know what they`re paying for and that`s their choice. (For them, the style number of the original Chanel is (No.) 21178, and it can be ordered through the Chanel boutique at 940 N. Michigan Ave., 787-5500.)
But, over and above the commercial aspect, is the whole matter of out-and-out copying, which certainly must be much more than distressing to the real designers around the world who use their creative juices season after season and year after year, knowing they`ll see their jackets and dresses, coats and suits showing up everywhere and probably duplicated in all manner of fabrics they loathe or colors they despise. Perhaps their one consolation might be the knowledge that they`re making many a poor soul quite happy.
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Sal Ruggiero, well-known to many Chicagoans and suburbanites during his tenure as fashion director for Marshall Field`s, joins Henri Bendel in New York this week. He`ll be buying and merchandising designer sportswear as well as helping to discover and develop design talent for Bendel`s Studio.
Bendel`s, incidentally, will bring a group of very fashion-forward young designers from Europe to Chicago on Feb. 27. Best-known among fashion aficionados are Graham Fraser and Richard Nott, whose label is Workers for Freedom and who were named Designers of the Year by the British Fashion Council in 1989.
Coming from Paris: Franck Joseph Bastille (yes, he borrowed his name from the revolutionary French landmark) and Philippe Ambert, both known in Europe for their lively young clothes.
