The Budget Babe | Affordable Fashion & Style Blog

Diane Von Furstenberg Sues Forever21 for Knock-Off Dress

Designer Diane Von Furstenberg's studio filed a copyright-infringement lawsuit just weeks ago against Forever 21, claiming their $32 "Sabrina" dress is practically an exact copy—from the pattern right down to the measurements—of her $325 "Cerisier" dress.

We actually tried on the Forever21 version a couple weeks ago and well, it's hard to argue. They look pretty much identical, and both are even 100% silk.

So needless to say, we're shooting ourselves in the foot right about now for not buying the knock-off. Sure, it's wrong, but it's also one super cute, super cheap frock!

We immediately thought of checking Ebay, and spotted a dress (above) that looked like the Forever21 version, but claimed to be an original in the item description. Starting bid: $225. At that price, it better be the real thing, but who's to say that some unsuspecting buyer might be getting ripped off with a faux? All's we can say is shop smart and do your research if you're worried about getting taken for a ride.

This may be the first lawsuit we've heard about against Forever21, but it's not the first time we've spotted a copycat design. Check out this Anna Sui Rose-Print Voile Dress, $541 at neimanmarcus.com (left) and this Maven Top for $17.80 that we saw at Forever21.com and in stores on the right. It's one thing to draw inspiration from another designer, but this takes the cake. Still, we're torn...it's cute, cheap and reminds us of one of our favorite expensive designers. What's a girl to do? More on this later.............