TFG Exclusive: Fashion Quote of the Day
Saturday, October 20, 2012 
"A good fashion designer must be an architect when it comes to plans, a sculptor when it comes to shapes, a painter when it comes to color, a musician when it comes to harmony, and a philosopher when it comes to moderation."
- Cristobal Balenciaga
NBC Interview with Tory Burch on Fashion Feud With Ex-Husband
Saturday, October 20, 2012 With her 2 billion dollar brand, Tory Burch may have had her fair share of success, but as covered in our previous post, her legal troubles have yet to subside. After their divorce in 2006, two years after they started Tory Burch, LLC, Chris Burch eventually moved on to launch the eerily similar concept store C. Wonder. There were rumblings that Tory Burch was going to file a lawsuit for trade dress infringement. While the lawsuit never came about, her ex-husband has accused the famous designer of tortious interference with his business and has filed a lawsuit seeking a declaration from the Delaware courts that his ex-wife and her company cannot stop him from pursuing other business ventures
Seems as though Tory Burch is taking matters into her own hands with some publicity, giving an "unflappable" interview with NBC's Harry Smith. Her composure in describing her legal troubles will definitely fix any damages to her image that may have been caused by her ex-husband's allegations. Whether she will gain favor in the courts or by her ex-husband remains to be seen.
YSL Drops Red-Sole Suit Against Louboutin
Tuesday, October 16, 2012 The legal battle which began in 2011 when Louboutin sued YSL for trademark infringement when its rival sold red pumps with a red sole is officially over. YSL has decided to drop all remaining claims in the lawsuit. This comes a month after the Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Louboutin's famous trademark, stating that "the district court’s conclusion that a single color can never serve as a trademark in the fashion industry was based on an incorrect understanding of the doctrine of aesthetic functionality" and that color can indeed be trademarked. However, the court narrowed the trademark by creating an exception for YSL to make and sell monochromatic red-soled shoes. It seems as though YSL's legal team were happy with this ruling, releasing the following statement:
"Now that the Court of Appeals has definitively ruled for Yves Saint Laurent and has dismissed Christian Louboutin’s claims, Yves Saint Laurent has decided to end what was left of the litigation and refocus its energies on its business and its creative designs. By dismissing the case now, Yves Saint Laurent also wishes to ensure that the Court will not make any further rulings that put at risk the ability of fashion designers to trademark color in appropriate cases.”
With all the excitement surrounding the validation of Louboutin's trademark, many didn't take notice that YSL also saw the ruling as a victory since it supported what was their position all along, which was to distinguish their monochromatic red shoes with Louboutin's trademark of contrasting the red-sole with the rest of the shoe. Now that the exception provided by the Court's ruling supports YSL's design as well, all fashion parties seem to be happy and all is good in the fashion law world.
Chanel No. 5 New Ad With Brad Pitt Revealed
Sunday, October 14, 2012 It was a major surprise when Chanel revealed that it was going to have Brad Pitt star as the new face for the No. 5 ad campaign. I know what you're thinking, and no, it's not a new cologne for men. Brad Pitt will be the face of history's most iconic scent for women.
Why? After decades of choosing famous actresses like Nicole Kidman and Marilyn Monroe, we aren't so sure. Despite the surprised reactions, Chanel seems to be confident in its move, as indicated with the following statement:
"No. 5 is the most iconic fragrance of our time, and Brad Pitt is the most iconic actor of our time. To keep a legend fresh, you always have to change its point of view. It is the first time we've had a man speaking about a women's fragrance. We think very much that the perfume is a seduction between a man, a woman and the perfume. No. 5 is our leading fragrance, and we are willing to make the investment to keep it on that level."
The brand has just released the first of the No. 5 footage with the famous actor. And while I'm a fan of both Chanel and Brad Pitt, I'm still trying to reconcile the collaboration. What do you think of the film? Dreamy or cheesy?
