Nature Versus Nurture

7/15/2014

Well here's something super girly for ya. ;D Hehe. I really, really, really like this hot air balloon dress, though. I received it through my clothing swap group and apparently, it's an imitation of this $110 ModCloth dress. Some people are probably going to be miffed by this and understandably so. There's a big debate going on right now about whether designer knockoffs have a place in fashion. I personally don't mind going to Payless, for example, and buying cheap shoes that look like designer shoes. I don't pay too much attention to labels (so I have little interest in the, "oooh, who are you wearing?" thing).

On the other hand, there's a fine line between using another designer's work as an artistic springboard and doing a flat out copy without meaningful variation. I think this dress would fit the latter description and I think the original designer would and should be upset about that. I remember how pissed I got when some girl leaned over her desk to copy off of my math test in school. It's the same sort of thing with an original design. You need to do your own work. Don't use someone else's and call it your own.

That being said, I feel good that I didn't actually purchase this dress, but I do carry the knowledge that the original idea belonged to someone else and that sucks. It's right up there with thrifting a garment made out of animal products. The purchase doesn't subsidize an (in my opinion) abhorrent practice and it prevents an otherwise wearable garment from going to waste. So, that's what I think, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! I really did mean for this to be a happy post, though. Sorry about that!

Happy, happy, happy! Yay! OK. :DDD So, on the day these photos were taken, I was feeling musical, whimsical and quirky. To make the outfit a little bit more fun (and dress it down), I added my favorite ghetto blaster pendant, thrifted converse sneakers and obnoxious noise cancellation headphones. The oversized cat-eye glasses were a nice touch, too, I think. They're just so fun to wear! :D

This blue spiked zipper bag was an XMAS gift from my dear mum. :3 It's my only blue bag (I need more colorful bags, like woah). >_< I was thinking about wearing a bright yellow bag and I might try that eventually, but I think the dark blue was a better choice this time. It adds a burst of color without taking too much attention away from the dress. That balloon print is just so damn cute and cheery. Bah! >_<

I'm embarrassed by how much I adore this dress. I don't consider myself a girly girl at all, but I feel like the dress is right up there with baby animals. It doesn't matter where you're from or whether you're male or female or whether you're some hardened criminal or a ruthless dictator. You know those little critters make you instinctively happy! Haha. You just have to like this dress. Nature commands it! ;D

Thrifted - Hot Air Balloon Dress (Swap Group), Oversized Tortoise Cat
Eye Glasses (Swap Group), ModCloth Blue Bag (Gift), ModCloth
Stereo Pendant (Sale) & Converse Sneakers (Swap Group)
Chicwish - Gold Gilded Belt Bracelet in Cream

♫ Thank you so much for your comments! Though I may not respond to each one, I read and appreciate all of them! ♫

48 Comments

Anna

7/14/2014 06:25:52 pm

You guys! YOU GUYS! I just realized I made it through an entire post without using a single (very un-ladylike, offensive e.g. f-bomb territory) expletive! I've kept it pretty clean lately. *Checks self for dry mouth/fever* Holy sh*t! ^__^ Oh. Oops. Heh. >_<

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Keit link

7/14/2014 06:44:10 pm

I really don't care if I'm wearing cheap knock offs or branded fancy ones, in my opinion some brands are just another overpriced garbage. Not everyone of course, but most!
Damn I love this dress too you know, it's so freakin girly and cute. And love the headphones, so awesome!!!

Anna

7/15/2014 10:58:20 am

This is another reason why I love you. You have a black and white way of looking at things that is refreshing. I used to make a living off of the so-called grey area. Hehe. After awhile, it becomes difficult to see just one or two sides to certain issues. >_< I agree that some brands really are overpriced garbage.

Some of my favorite clothing stores, which I shall not name, carry brands that are priced high and quite frankly lack the quality to match the price tag. I call it "cheap expensive clothing." At least "fast fashion" stores like Forever 21 and H&M don't try to hide the ball in that respect. The clothes are made cheaply and the prices more or less accurately reflect that (though ironically, much of what I buy from them are better quality compared to some of the other higher priced stores). It's a big toss up.

The whole, "you get what you pay for" thing just isn't that clear nowadays. People want to look their best, but also buy what they can ultimately afford. You're an avid thrifter just like me, so of course you see the value in getting all you can from your hard earned money. I'm 100% behind that. Still, there's a part of me that feel guilt about where that money is going and what it may be subsidizing. For me, this is a very complicated issue. Hehe.

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Daniela link

7/14/2014 08:46:31 pm

You look cool in red . I love the necklace ! kisses

http://fabulousfashioncorner.blogspot.ro/

Anna

7/15/2014 11:00:36 am

Thanks so much and thank you for visiting! <3

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Ruxandra link

7/14/2014 10:31:54 pm

The dress is so adorable, I love the combination between girly dresses and sneakers, it's super chic and comfortable at the same time <3 The bag is awesome!

Anna

7/15/2014 11:04:42 am

<333

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Agnes link

7/14/2014 10:36:44 pm

I love how you describe everything you're wearing. It's cool because I like to read it, not only watch photos. Anyway, you look great in red. I am and will be always impressed by your outfits!
http://fringiela.blogspot.com/

Anna

7/15/2014 11:03:02 am

Aww, thanks! I'm just a freak when it comes to details. I like to be thorough and (unfortunately) technical. So, I get into the nitty gritty of things a lot. You're not the first person to say that you appreciated the details, though. So, that makes me feel better! Haha <3

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Lhurve link

7/14/2014 10:39:08 pm

Totally cool outfit,love the dress and your bag. You look stunning!
www.ironyoflhurve.blogspot.com

Anna

7/15/2014 11:04:26 am

Hey! Good to see you again! <3 Thanks! ^_^

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[email protected] link

7/14/2014 11:41:41 pm

Love your pretty casual look and so playful as always :))

Anna

7/15/2014 11:05:23 am

Thanks, babe! <3

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Mariah link

7/15/2014 12:16:50 am

I love this cute dress! ModCloth and vintage styles in general are my favorite things to wear. It's flattering no matter what your body type!
About knockoffs. I know that slightly guilty feeling but you still love it. Fast fashion stores like Zara and H&M will buy a designer piece and then just copy it to a T for their stores. But that model works for them because look at their success! I think if you love and you can afford it, labels really shouldn't matter.

<a href="theatricalitybymariah.blogspot.com">Theatricality by Mariah</a>

Anna

7/15/2014 11:23:35 am

Exactly! It makes you wonder whether the practice is OK because it is tacitly accepted by the masses. I mean if Zara, H&M and Forever 21 aren't mired in law suits over this, then it seems that there's a lot more latitude on this issue than perhaps I once thought. Even so, there's a palpable moral component in my view. I guess it just comes down to personal ethics, an analysis of the deleterious consequences and purchasing power.

Who is really being hurt the most? Consumers or designers? It's certainly arguable. This is why I make a comparison to animal products in clothing. It's pervasive, it's more or less largely accepted. People still buy fur and alligator skin boots, leather boots, etc. (I have a leather Cambridge satchel and I didn't know this until after I had received it, but I didn't return it and I'm certainly not proud of that). I think if the damage has already been done, then thrifting the leather boots or fur vest or whatever isn't as bad as buying those things new.

It's still a choice, though. Well informed consumers can choose not to buy the knock offs and they can choose not to buy clothing made from animals under any circumstances whether the clothing is at Nordstrom or a small thrift shop. But we can't forget that the more money you have, the better your options. One could argue that designer knockoffs exist because not everyone can afford them and everyone should have the right to wear what they want as long as they can afford it. So in addition to being a moral (and legal) issue, it's an economic and social one, also.

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MilanoTime link

7/15/2014 12:27:49 am

Lovely!
kisses
http://www.milanotime.net

Suzanne link

7/15/2014 01:25:10 am

As an artist myself I have had more than one person copy my work and it sincerely pisses me off. So needless to say I really dislike other people creating knock-offs. They just need to use their own imagination.

bisous
Suzanne

Anna

7/15/2014 11:31:25 am

I 100% totally agree. The question that arises is what to do with the knock offs as well as preventative measures (if there are any). As some people have already brought up in the comments, clothing stores are selling these re-creations and making bank. They'll end up in thrift stores and vintage shops somewhere along the line and people will end up buying those used goods and the cycle will continue.

Also, I'm somewhat familiar with the copyright issues concerning original artwork. It seems like there may be stronger protections and it may be easier to litigate?

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Makayla

7/15/2014 01:41:26 am

I love the color of this dress! The hot air balloons are so cute. :)
roseylittleme.blogspot.com

Amber link

7/15/2014 02:41:54 am

I've seen this dress floating around everywhere (both the original and the imitation, and I feel the same way that you do. The original is no longer for sale, but I have seen the imitation out there and want so badly to buy it, but I don't just because of the ethics behind it.

Anna

7/15/2014 11:35:27 am

That's the crux of it. I mean, I realize that some people just wouldn't know any better. They would see a beautiful dress for a great price and just buy it. That's pretty much all of us, in a sense. You'd have to know a little bit about fashion, designers and keep up with that sort of thing to pick out an iconic print and be like, 'woah, this definitely shouldn't be on this dress or shirt or whatever.'

So, yeah. For people like you and me (I lurk on clothing store websites for hours each day to the point where I feel like I have a lot of designs memorized haha), we'll have that guilt to wrestle with.

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Kristian link

7/15/2014 04:03:55 am

Like you, I don't tend to pay that much attention to labels, but it is an interesting debate.

Also, I do like this more girly, playful look from you :)

Anna

7/15/2014 11:36:52 am

I need to temper these feminine looks quickly or I fear might lose myself to them. Haha. <3

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Kate link

7/15/2014 04:23:40 am

For writing, plagiarism is the ultimate faux pas. But there's no law against mimicking someone else's writing style if you like it. In fact, my journalism professors encouraged doing just that. Try writing like your favorite writers; mimic their style.

Designer duds are nice, but most everyday people (like me) can't afford them in real life. If I invented the floral print, or the polka dot print, or re-did it in a special way, and someone else mimicked it, would I be able to claim it as my own? I understand that writing and fashion aren't 100 percent comparable, but that whole argument that only one person can have one type of design is silly. A design can become one's own with a few simple tweaks.

I'm more concerned about the bigger consequences of mass produced, fast fashion. The system as a whole can't be sustainable forever. I think the designer argument touches on that, but it misses the point by focusing on the designer. Focusing on fashion industry models is more important.

Sorry for the book.

/rant

Anna

7/15/2014 11:48:48 am

That's basically what defines inspiration. You see something that had a distinct impression on you and then you take the ideas conjured from that thing and use them to make something different. It's all about those tweaks. I think the problems stem from a lack of meaningful variation in the design that could be characterized as unimaginative laziness. Heh. So, for a designer to see someone making a profit off of the exact same print, that has got to leave him/her feeling pretty raw and I wouldn't want to dismiss that given what I know about this dress. Hence the conflicted feelings I harbor at the moment.

You're right about the fast fashion industry, too. The dress I'm wearing is basically symptomatic of that broken industry. Designers, consumers, manufacturers, shareholders, CEOs, laborers, etc. They're all involved. Absolutely!

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two birds link

7/15/2014 06:29:48 am

What a great dress and a great outfit. I love the whole look, the shoes are the perfect balance!

Anna

7/15/2014 11:39:43 am

Rad! Glad you like it! :D <3 Thanks for stopping by, too! ^_^

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Sydne link

7/15/2014 06:35:53 am

Love the dress and all the little details you paired with it! That pop of color in the blue bag is great! xx Sydne

Anna

7/15/2014 11:40:12 am

Thanks so much and thanks for visiting! <333 *^_^*

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Missy May link

7/15/2014 07:39:20 am

Super cute! :-) Love the dress.

missymayification.blogspot.co.uk

Dana link

7/15/2014 08:03:09 am

Great post!
You have such a way with words and yes, this dress is instinctively meant for you :)

Look how much you're gushing just taking the pictures in it! Aaahh!! :)

Http://Ivegotcake.wordpress.com

Anna

7/15/2014 11:50:46 am

Aww! Thanks, man! :D <3

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Elana link

7/15/2014 08:54:09 am

This dress is SO adorable! I've been eyeing it for ages, and it's just darling. I do absolutely understand the debate though. I've been trying to shop more socially responsibly lately and not buy knockoffs, but it does get hard when you're shopping on a budget. I'm trying to stop buying cheap things for the quantity, and instead buy a couple of better quality things/support people. It's tough though. Shopping consciously requires far too much money and effort, especially when you see cute things like this!

www.room-334.blogspot.com

Anna

7/15/2014 11:57:17 am

You're exactly right! It's about opportunities and choices. Both of those are directly impacted by income. This is why power of the purse arguments tend to rub me the wrong way, because most people forget that not everyone can just choose to refrain from buying certain things (like in a boycott of a brand, for example). There's actually a brand of pasta I refuse to buy at the store because I learned that the owner of the brand supports discrimination with regard to homosexuals. I can afford to take that stand, though. Heh. Some people can't and I'm not going to fault them for it. Same goes with cheaper clothing. I can't be pissed at someone for buying what they can afford (even if it happens to be a knock off). So, I certainly don't think the blame lies with the consumer, though there is still that personal guilt factor. Hehe.

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Olivia link

7/15/2014 09:19:28 am

Hmmm I'm not really one for the whole designer stuff. I wear what I think looks good whether it be something designer or thrifted. I'm actually a really cheap person and buy something for 30-40 dollars is a big deal for me. So designer clothes are off my limits. I don't think it should matter too much just in the fact that the majority of people cannot afford designer clothes.
Anyway, love this dress too! I'm all for the cute prints like hot air balloons, foxes, or even randoms like sewing machines or something like that.
xo Olivia

Anna

7/15/2014 12:02:00 pm

For real, man. I come from a very modest background where every dollar counted for us. So, spending $50 on shoes kills me and I try to avoid it at ALL costs. Haha. I can't imagine paying $80 for a pair of jeans or $100 for a dress. Splurging is one thing, but spending that kind of cash regularly is just so foreign to me. So, I get where you're coming from!

Omg sewing machines! <3 I would totally cave for a print like that and it would be so ironic for me, because I can't sew for sh*t. Haha.

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Kreyola link

7/15/2014 11:25:42 am

I don't care much for designer stuff either, I like things that look and feel good (material wise). Most of my expensive stuff are given as gift, because my people know I'm not going to spend a huge amount of money on designer stuff. The dress is beautiful, and I understand how you feel about people ripping off designs (I work in that field), but in the end it was a gift, and it looks really beautiful on you.

I have a dress that is very girly like this, but I don't know if is too girly, you have me thinking though...so I may get it after all.

http://www.kreyolasjourneys.com/

Anna

7/15/2014 12:05:53 pm

Right! I'm the same way, for the most part. I figure out what I like, then I look at the tag and I think, 'OK, this dude makes decent clothes, I'll stick with this brand.' I mean we all do that, I think. We stick with what we know works for us. So, I've slowly come to find that there are some brands and designers that I really love (though many are out of my price range and I can't afford to enjoy their stuff unless there is a sale heh). And you're right, luckily I received the dress as a gift, but I still feel bad about it? Hehe. I'm just that way, I guess. <3

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Magda link

7/16/2014 08:20:40 am

I love that dress. And yes, you look girly;-) And tell yor mum the bag is great!
Kisses

Anna

7/16/2014 03:52:21 pm

Aww, thanks! *^_^* <3

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Rebecca link

7/16/2014 02:27:19 pm

The dress is way cute but OMG love the bag! The perfect colour of blue, too!

Yes, there has been quite a discussion lately of designer knockoffs. Haha, maybe I should stop posting on how to create your own designer knock off dresses?

Seriously though, I don't think I would class any of the dresses I've suggested could be made yourself as "designer". Certainly modcloth carries some designer brands (Eva Franco, etc.), but most of those dresses can't be copied exactly.

So is it a knock off if I've made it myself? There is something for the blogniverse to ponder for a while. :D I would say yes. But if I have the ability to make the exact same dress for cheaper than what I could buy, then why wouldn't I? Or better yet, I can make an "inspired" dress which fits me better, and maybe I will make some small tweaks (longer, shorter, different neckline, etc.) to make it more perfect for me. That is the joy of sewing, friends!

-Rebecca
Idealism never goes out of fashion
http:mn2nz.wordpress.com

Anna

7/16/2014 03:55:59 pm

Haha <3 "That is the joy of sewing, friends!" I love you. *^_^*

I think what you're doing is a little bit different in the sense that you're giving people an opportunity to empower themselves by making things with their own hands. Further, you're not seeking to make a profit from the clothing you make. You're just making it for personal use and that's a pretty important distinction. <3

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Rebecca link

7/17/2014 12:36:50 pm

Thank you! I shall gleefully continue to post on how to sew knock-off dresses without any sense of guilt. :D

Elisabet link

7/17/2014 10:25:39 pm

Blue and red match great. Love the combination and like so much the dress. Converse are perfect for this look. Congrats Anna :)

http://oneusefashion.wordpress.com/

Rachel Dahl - ALAMODEST link

7/18/2014 06:17:07 pm

Thanks for the comments bomb on my page! xoxo! I am about to reply to each one. <3

I like how outspoken you are about things. I have received a few free designer-stolen swag from Chinese companies that a lot of even big bloggers work with. I guess I won't name who they are, because I am as guilty as they are! I see copies from Chanel to Anthropologie on those websites. It makes me feel bad to be promoting their website just by wearing an item that is copied on my blog, but I do just like how these clothes look---not so much the label attached to them.

A lot of the people who land on my page too I believe are people who just like getting ideas anyways. They like styles and not brands. They don't necessarily purchase from the sites I have my clothes linked to, which could be bad news for the advertisers! Then again, it's not like I have much!

That dress is uber cute on you, though ;-)

Based on what you said above, I take it you're either vegan or vegetarian?

Also, so cool that you know how to speak fluent Japanese! I used to be able to write Katakana, and I used to be able to speak a few basic phrases. I went to Japan for a conference once when I was a kid, but that was it!

Anna

7/22/2014 10:43:34 am

Oh, no worries! You left me no choice really. I would have left more comments, except that I didn't want to be a weird stalker person. Haha. When I really like something, I just have to comment. :P

I'm more of a....pescaterian. Haha. It's nonsense, I know, but basically I only eat fish and veggies. Bread is great. I love bread. A lot. Haha. I do consume dairy products, too, but I try to make sure that I know about how the animals were treated and how the products were made (i.e. I have some trusted organic brands and I don't go outside of that).

Oh I'm not fluent! Omgosh. No. Haha. I'm proficient, though. I can hold my own in a regular conversation and my reading and listening skills are still pretty good. My writing is OK, but could use some work admittedly. It's hard to keep up when you have no one to talk to in the language. Heh. :D

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Forest Pizza Bunny link

7/20/2014 04:32:37 pm

When I was younger I used to not care-- I wear whatever I think looks good on me. But as I got older, I became more conscious on how I shop. I don't mind spending a little bit more on a quality item that I know I'll wear forever (this does mean I would target for a luxury item). Otherwise, thrift stores are great.

I remembered my co-worker thought I was crazy for spending 80 bucks on my black pants, but they're the kind of pants I've been wearing consistently and still in great condition!

Nita Bunny

http://thearmyofrabbits.blogspot.com/

Anna

7/22/2014 10:46:20 am

Right! I totally hear you. I think most people who have the money would make those kinds of positive, conscious choices. I know I've made those types of decision in the past. <3

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Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

Hi! I'm Anna <3

I'm fond of artistic fashion, esoteric music, retro games (the older the platform, the better), delectable noms, good libations, my Maine Coon, Bonaparte, and my Tabby, Winsome.

Also, I attended university in Hyogo Prefecture and I am proficient in Japanese.

もし、あなたは日本語が話せる、あたしに日本語で話て下さい！練習が必要だ！*^_^*

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