Knock It Off

In fashion it is rare to find a truly unique design, it's more often an evolution from one label and season to the next.  Case in point, J.Crew's Tillary Tote that is currently discussed as a knockoff of the Celine Luggage tote below.

Celine

Celine

Below is J.Crew's version, their Tillary tote.  What are your thoughts when compared side-by-side with the Celine tote?

J.Crew

J.Crew

The J.Crew Tillary certainly looks to be in the same spirit as the Celine tote, with a few minor adjustments like moving the zipper up and outside pockets under the flaps, which I think are an excellent feature.

J.Crew

Do you think it looks like a copy of Celine?  I do, but I have no issue with that at all. 

Burberry

When I first saw the Celine bag it reminded me of Burberry's Manor bag with the flared sides and front zip pocket.  As I said, in my opinion fashion is an evolution from one brand and season to the next so it was no surprise to see Celine take some of the Burberry features, square up the shape and streamline the silhouette to create a new tote.

Burberry

I have Burberry's Mini-Manor in two versions that also have the flared sides and front zip.  The front zip pocket is fairly small but it's the perfect size for pens or a couple of keys.  

Burberry

The flared sides are great for when you want access to the end of the bag without opening the zipper because the zipper "floats" over the ends and there is room to slip your hand into the bag.  I had the large Manor bag and still have the two Mini-Manors (all three along with some J.Crew bags in this post) and I can say from experience that being able to slip my hand into the side of the bag is a useful feature and the floating zipper covers the opening so it doesn't look vulnerable.

J.Crew

Oddly enough, J.Crew's version zips all the way across and doesn't take advantage of the flared sides with a "floating" zipper on each end.  You don't have access to the to the end of the bag like you do with the Celine or Burberry styles, unless you leave the zipper open slightly on one side and then you can access that side only.  But, J.Crew has introduced a different feature with the flap pockets straddling the main zipper.  You can easily access these pockets without opening the bag, a very smart idea.  One drawback though, incorporating the form and not the function leaves the flared sides as simply aesthetic and gives the tote a rather overstuffed look when zipped.

Back on the topic of knockoffs, the Celine tote isn't the first designer bag J.Crew has used for inspiration.  Does this tote look familiar?

Hermès

Hermès

J.Crew

J.Crew

The J.Crew Uptown tote mimicked the Hermès Garden Party tote in more than just style.  The Borge Garveri leather was reportedly sourced from the same tannery supplying leather used for several Hermès bags, although not the Garden Party tote itself.  It's likely more affordable quality leather from the same tannery was used for the J.Crew bags.  Thank goodness for that because I have these two J.Crew uptown totes in BG leather and I love them.  I don't know that I would pay the price for one of the Hermès totes, never mind two.

J.Crew Uptown totes

Going back to my original thought, it's certainly not just J.Crew that takes a popular design and spins it into something they hope will appeal to their customers, every label does it to some degree and there are number of versions in the style of the Celine tote popping up this spring.  Once a design becomes truly mainstream it is no longer about copying the original design, it simply becomes a style with a life of its own.  An example would be the Chanel 255 bags. 

Chanel

We've all seen this bag and a plethora of knockoffs.  The small rectangular shape in a textured material with locking flap closure and chain shoulder strap is a perennially popular style.

J.Crew

J.Crew did a fairly nice version of this ladylike style in their Metallic Tweed charmed mini bag with chain shoulder strap, above and the Shimmerveil charmed mini bag below.  Since the original Chanel design has been around and copied for so long, it's not really a design copy but J.Crew's own version of a classic style.

J.Crew

I don't mind knockoffs since they afford greater opportunity for a range of customers to acquire a popular design or maybe even pick up more than one version of a style.  As long as the knockoff is not trying to pass a fake as the real thing, it's totally fine and those who like to turnover their bags for something new every once in a while will not have to break the bank or pass up the opportunity to refresh their bag due to a major investment in a single bag that they feel they need to use forever to attain a reasonable cost per wear.

Vintage red attaché

J.Crew Edie Attaché

What are your thoughts on knockoffs?  Do you think they diminish the cachet of owning the real thing?  Do you have any knockoff bags that would be recognized as a version of the original design?  Are you going to try one of J.Crew's bags or have you set your sights on a new favorite bag this season?