Is Imitation the Sincerest Form of Flattery?

One of the best qualities of being a designer under the radar is that usually I escape unscathed from knock-offs. I'm not hosting huge runway presentations or splashy ads in magazines, so most cheap-chic lines don't even know I exist, which is great. But unfortunately, even Stacia can be a target. I guess the question is, should I be pissed or simply flattered that a celebrity knocked me off.

Since it's not a direct knock-off in silhouette, but rather an interpretation of my signature space-dye designs (a pointelle stitch and space-dyed colored pattern to be exact), maybe I should be flattered. The only risk really at this point is of brand confusion. Several customers, friends, and colleagues saw the infamous Tori Spelling 'Little Maven' dress on Ron Robinson's web site and on the Daily 10 and immediately thought it was a Stacia, but were surprised to find it was part of Ms.Spelling's new children's collection. The color is almost a replica of last Spring's "Heirloom" spacedye colorway that I custom-created and the pointelle pattern and edging looks hauntingly familiar to a pointelle collection I did last year.

The ironic thing is that I gifted Tori and her baby a year ago with a similar dress AND she bought one at retail from Kitson (hence the People magazine placement of my baby dress.) Most of my friends and customers were disgusted and upset, but honestly I think it's sort of a hoot. I'm rather flattered that Tori liked my design enough to market it for herself (and she'll probably do a better job at it than me!) My baby line has since hit the back burner thanks to the crummy economy, but maybe Tori will have better luck selling high-end specialty baby clothes than me (she certainly has the pocketbook to finance a lose if they don't sell at retail.) I only wish her the best of luck in her new venture and I'm confident that I have plenty of ideas still brewing in my head - enough to go around for everyone!