Copying Controversy Over Taylor's Jumps

High Street labels take inspiration from,and in some cases even copy, designer labels - this we know - but internet sensation Nasty Gal's latest effort has landed the brand in hot water. The fast-fashion retailer posted a picture of Taylor Swift at Sunday night's Billboard Music Awards on its social media accounts proclaiming that she was wearing its own-label Frisco Inferno jumpsuit, only she wasn't. Swift, like many starlets at the event, was wearing Balmain.

Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Jourdan Dunn, Lily Aldridge, Chrissy Teigen and more were wearing Balmain at the ceremony, where Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing unveiled the house´s forthcoming collaboration with H&M.Swift's one-piece debuted on the catwalk during the spring/summer 2015 show, after which Nasty Gal - which was founded by retail entrepreneur Sophia Amoruso, author of Girl Boss - released its own lookalike style.

"So, what are we to make of this?" legal commentator The Fashion Law asked today. "We can certainly conclude one of two things. Either Nasty Gal is so good at copying other brands' garments stitch-for-stitch that even its employees cannot tell the difference between the real thing and the copy, or Nasty Gal knew that Swift was wearing Balmain and was using this opportunity to sell one of its near exact copies."

Explanations aside, the post was deleted by the LA-based company shortly after, but not until the white jumpsuit had sold out. It's unlikely that Rousteing will be too distressed, however, since he's made it clear that he considers such imitation the sincerest form of flattery - and since it may just inspire him to include the said jumpsuit in his new H&M range, giving Balmain fans access to something that actually does bear the Balmain label when the range launches in November.