Givenchy Vs. Jeffrey Campbell
posted by: brianka in Boots, Designer Shoe Déja Vu, General, Givenchy Shoes, High heels, Jeffrey Campbell, Platforms, Wedges on July 14th, 2010
So, I’m sitting here, sipping a home-brewed mocha with a sprained ankle. It seemed a perfect opportunity to do a quick shoe-showdown. What else would I expect do with sudden, unexpected, bed rest?
These Givenchy wedges were seen last fall on the SS2010 runway and were available for purchase as of late March of this year. Jeffrey Campbell’s ‘Tick’ wedges beat Givenchy’s runway wedges to the retail scene by almost six months. So, are they a crazy, rushed, runway-inspired copy? Or did several designers get mad deals on similar, psychedelic, tribal fabric?
Yes, these are the things I wonder about at 10pm when most people are either tucked into bed or out on the town. I’m not sure what, if anything, that says about me…hmm..Anyway, I’d love to know which style is your favorite and why.
Givenchy Jersey print wedges $1550.70 at Luisaviaroma.
Jeffrey Campbell ‘Tick’ wedges $150 at Karmaloop.
17 Comments
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July 20, 2010 at 12:15 am, Johanna - MyShoebox. said:
I love the Givenchy ones, because I hate the studs on the Jeffrey Campbell wedge
July 17, 2010 at 2:57 am, Suzanne aka Punk Gla said:
Thanks Galligator! Feel better!
July 16, 2010 at 9:49 am, Suzanne aka Punk Glam Queen said:
Oops sorry for the double post, but is there any way to get rid of these spammers that keep copying people’s responses for seemingly no reason?
XXX
Suzanne
July 16, 2010 at 9:04 am, galligator said:
Suzanne, a lot of the worst (believe me some of it's awful) spam gets caught by our spam checker, but some occasionally gets through – then Shomore or I will delete it when we are checking & responding to our real readers. It's imperfect, but mosty works out.
July 16, 2010 at 2:48 am, Suzanne aka Punk Gla said:
Galligator, I hope you're healing quickly, what a drag! For the bruising, arnica gets rid of unsightly bruises straight away. (Personally I think the arnica oil works best, it also comes in cream.) It also does wonders with muscle pain, just rub it in gently and the pain eases. (Also a good tip for those of us who are high-heel wearers!) You can find it easily in most drug stores or failing that a health food store. I believe even Target sells the "weleda" brand oil. As far as who copied who, I tend to believe that JC is the mimic as they have done so with so many of their shoes. I think the shape of the Givenchy wedges are more aesthetically pleasing than JC's, the addition of the studs clashes too much for my tastes (normally I like this clash of styles, but here I think the addition of the pattern with the studs is whats hurting my eyes!) As far as colours, prints, styles showing up across the board in fashion; every fashion house subscribes to a "trend forecasting" service. If you want to get all psychological/ metaphysical, there's also what Jung called the "collective unconscious", which many construe as a reason the same ideas pop up at any given time.
XXX
Suzanne
July 15, 2010 at 6:34 pm, abcfashionhouse said:
Whatever the case. I love Jeffrey Campbell and own a pair of the ticks in the Natural woven material with gold studs. The shoes are amazingly comfortable and a show stopper where ever I go in them. And at a great price point. Jeffery Campbell designs for a different market , so normally the woman that can afford Givenchy will buy Givenchy (which I absolutely love as well) not Jeffrey Campbell. He appeals to a younger more urban-chic, boho-chic market. Givenchy does not.
July 15, 2010 at 5:42 am, Bootstrapperboy said:
I have to say I fell in love with the Givenchy wedge when I first saw them and splattered them all over my blog but I am surprised to find out that JC produced his 6 months before….if that’s true, Givenchy have done a classic ‘Steve Madden’ which is a shame!!!
July 15, 2010 at 5:40 am, Lara said:
I often think the same thing – how much of an influence the textile industry really has on designers. I also find it funny that groups of designers will focus on the same trends each season. I wonder if they have spies out scoping what the competition is up to. In this case, I think Campbell definitely ripped off Givenchy. He really loves to rip off the Givenchy toe and heel shapes but not as well. So sick of studs. Definitely love the Givenchy’s.
July 15, 2010 at 5:25 am, Shazza said:
Whatever the case. I love Jeffrey Campbell and own a pair of the ticks in the Natural woven material with gold studs. The shoes are amazingly comfortable and a show stopper where ever I go in them. And at a great price point. Jeffery Campbell designs for a different market , so normally the woman that can afford Givenchy will buy Givenchy (which I absolutely love as well) not Jeffrey Campbell. He appeals to a younger more urban-chic, boho-chic market. Givenchy does not.
Each season designers follow similar trends, because that is what is predicting to sale. Only a few risk takers steer off to set their own trends – Jeffrey Campbell is one, but he is also a business man and will occasionally follow a trend (such as the popular tribal print) to produce sales.
So whether you like Givenchy or Jeffrey Campbell – to me it is not a question of who ripped off who, but who appealed to what market at the right time.
July 15, 2010 at 5:17 am, Valentina said:
G, you got it right again! Yeah, these aren't the LEAST bit sexy in my opinion, they just look like strange urban 'art' to me.
July 15, 2010 at 5:09 am, galligator said:
Razz – always a possiblity.
July 15, 2010 at 3:47 am, Razzmatazz said:
The Jeffrey Campbell wedges were released (in black) in late Septemeber, while the Givenchy wedges with the tribal print were first seen about a week later during Paris Fashion Week. They're just toooooo similar for me to believe it was a coincedence! AND the Jeffrey Campbell wedges weren't released in this print until early this year, NOT back in the fall.
It seems to me like Jeffrey Campbell wanted to cash in on the Givenchy look!
July 15, 2010 at 3:30 am, galligator said:
AEJ – Thanks. I'm on my 3rd day since a rather icky fall & woke up with a whole lot less pain and seem to be working out the stiffness. Yay, it looks like it is mostly bruising and a light sprain.
On the boots, they both caught my attention, but I know that I'd never figure out how to wear either pair – that's just me, I suppose.
July 15, 2010 at 3:27 am, galligator said:
Valentina – you have an unspoken 'minimum sexy requirement' unless I miss my guess. These are just too chunky for you.
July 15, 2010 at 3:26 am, galligator said:
Lara – I've found myself unintentionally predicting trends on clothing elements (zippers, studs, etc.) before because I am a hobby seamstress who occasionally makes her own clothing. Color trends and notions (notions = buttons, decorations, any small sewing bits, really) are available in fabric stores about the same time most designer houses get them. So I do agree that materials availability has a greater impact on fashion than we often think about.
Bootstrapperboy – Extending from what I said above, I think this may be more of a coincidence of new and interesting available materials combining with the next common silhouette (after open-toed ankle boots, were open toes spring & summer wedges really that big a stretch). I do think this is a great example of the disadvantage couture houses can encounter with new product. A 6-month runway-to-retail production schedule (These would have showed in Fall '09 around the same time the JC were initially available) allows low & mid brands to produce & sell new styles immediately while a house like Givenchy has that potentially damaging lag. This is another reason that while I am a big proponent of intellectual property rights in the creative arts, it is tricky with fashion because there are some cases where so many of the designers move in the same circles and are influenced by similar things that it's difficult to say that similar ideas couldn't have been reached independently.
Food for thought.
July 15, 2010 at 3:00 am, AEJ said:
Sorry about your ankle! I hope you’re feeling better soon.
My personal preference is for the top one, because it looks like footwear. The bottom one looks like some sort of riding boot or rockstar show-boot — too much hardware for me.
July 15, 2010 at 12:16 am, Valentina said:
Ew, neither (despite the fact that the Givenchy pair meets my MINIMUM 5 inch heel height requirement). Kinda hideous.