You know you’ve heard the term ‘imitation is the biggest form of flattery’…well that might not always be so.
It wasn’t the case for my best friend in college when a ‘new girl on the scene’- someone she had just befriended and spent the day shopping with, showed up later that very same night to accompany her to a party wearing none other then the very same dress and shoes that she ( my best friend) had purchased that day. The ‘new girl’ felt nothing wrong about their ‘twin’ look. We were far from being Mean Girls back then, but let’s just say she was forever known to us from that day forth as ’single,white female’.
And it apparently also isn’t the case for a famous fashion designer when naming his inspirational muse, or for the living estate of that muse when said designer uses actual image, name and design of aforementioned without the ‘please and thank you’ necessary for such ‘borrowing’. In other words:
This is the case of the Tony Duquette, Inc. vs. American fashion guru Micheal Kors.
It all seems very on the up and up at first- Mr. Kors did nothing to hide the fact where his inspiration came for his 2009 Resort Collection. According to Style.com the designer exclaimed at it’s unveiling “It’s Babe ( Pauley ) and Tony ( Duquette )!”
And it was easy to see why. Among the styles that the former fashion editor, socialite and fashion icon Babe Pauley made famous ( easy elegance- caftans, mini’s and head wraps ) were the patterns and overly ornate jewelry that put the late-designer/artist/and all around creative genius Tony Duquette on the map ( malachite, marble swirls and baubles galore ).
Micheal Kors’ recipe for a delectably packed suitcase:
Mix a heaping cup of Babe
to equal parts Duquette, and Viola!
Your the best dressed girl on the ‘all inclusive package’! A sampling of colors from his collection below:
It probably would have been all fine and dandy if the Kors’ camp had just left it to that…. Where they seemed to go wrong was in actually using the Duquette name to sell the clothes and showcasing fabrics in their ad campaigns that were just a tad bit too close to original Duquette designs-for Hutton Wilkinson, Duquette’s former partner and current President and Creative Director of Tony Duquette, Inc. to stomach.
In a statement from Paris during the renown Maison & Objet trade show ( where he was unveiling his Tony Duquette for JIm Thompson Thai Silk Collection ), Mr Willkinson was quoted as saying :“This lawsuit was filed with an aim toward protecting Tony Duquette’s good name and ensuring that our valuable intellectual property and licenses around the world endure without harm.”
I’m not really sure that having a $1900 dress named after him does harm to the brand, but Micheal- you should have at least asked!
This past Fall a line of reproduction furnishing and accessories were released through Baker Furniture as well…with a repro of his famous Biomorphic Console ( on a fun note-I saw the original at the Showtime Showhouse in NY’s Gramercy Park this past Fall in a room designed by the design duo White Webb- god, I love those guys! ) amongst the fab offerings.
No doubt this story is getting a lot of press – putting the Duquette brand name and recent book all over the press and I’m sure will continue to do so until this case is settled… hum, no press is bad press. What do you think..
Did Micheal Kors take his inspiration too far? Where does one draw the line when drawing from inspiration?
images from Style.com and TonyDuquette.com
Julie,
I thought this was such an interesting article. I recently met Madeline Weinrib and she is sueing Michael Kors, and believe it or not, Pottery Barn, for their use of ikat. Apparently she thinks she owns the entire style???
Keep up the good work.
Beth
Beth,
How fun you met Madeline Weinrib. I love her rugs and pillows, but how could she possibly lay claim to ikat? I mean- Duquette ,Inc at least has the right to be angry about the use of the Duquette name, unless the Pottery Barn is listing in their catalog ‘Weinrib’ pillows, I don’t think she has a dip-dyed leg to stand on.
Styles get hot and then filtered- thank God that they do, if they don’t make it to PB or West Elm or Target I can’t afford to indulge.
Oh, well – poor Micheal, he just can’t seem to catch a break. Perhaps Madeline should just be thrilled to be the pioneer of the trend and take heart in the fact that her offerings will always be considered the ‘creme de la creme”-
- but then again in a world where Paris Hilton is fighting to have the phrase ‘that’s hot’ trademarked… I guess it’s anyone’s guess which way her case will go.
Owch! Just goes to show that design is gleened from everywhere and everyonne….