One of the most emotive topics I have come across since the inception of ‘It’s All About The Sash’ is the topic of copying. Nothing seems to be more upsetting or gets a member’s blood boiling more than when it appears that someone has either ‘copied’ or taken ‘heavy inspiration’ from one of your race wear looks. It is not just the styling of looks that upsets members, it’s also the copying of millinery, custom garments and unique styling features.

Every successful FOTF entrants can most likely put up their hand and state that they have been ‘copied’ in some way, shape or form over the years. I for one can say that I have not even realized that I have been allegedly ‘copied’ on a number of occasions, until others have pointed it out to me. Call me naive, but copying is not something I immediately look out for, as I like to see the best in people. Others would say perhaps it is because it has become so rife within the realms of FOTF that it is almost an expectation that good outfits will be copied and successful entrants can be seen as ‘influencers’. Let’s look at this and many of the surrounding issues a little further. 

A few years ago, it seemed that every country race day would have more than one lady in what could be called the FOTF uniform of the time, with accessories being: a high shine metallic belt, ball bag with a matching piece of fabric inside, brooch (often a horse) & boater hat. This specific look also extended to people using bamboo bags, clear bags with coloured inserts, basket bags with a scarf tied around the handle etc. All of these repeated elements were readily available at an affordable price point at many high street and online retailers. These popular elements originated from looks of previously successful FOTF entrants, who may have been seen as incidental ‘influencers’ to other entrants and therefore easily replicated. Although the outfit may have been different in each case, these accessories are just some of many examples I have seen over the years that show how easily FOTF outfits are highly influenced by others. 

Turning up in the same outfit as someone else is an experience where your heart immediately sinks. I’ve had it happen to me on two major occasions

1. I turned up in the same dress as the Flemington Derby Day winner. I made the preliminary finals, the other lady won the overall winners title on the day.
2. I turned up in the same dress as the eventual National winner. I won the Longines Award for Elegance, the other lady won Derby Day, the Victorian State Final and then the National Title. A 3rd lady also wore the same dress also but did not take home a prize. 

Although I had no idea that I would be wearing the same dress as these other ladies on both of these occasions, the chances were high, as both times they were designed by a Myer Designer, with Myer sponsoring the competition. Both dresses were relatively expensive, however many competitors are prepared to invest in special pieces they love or save up for one special outfit per season. On both occasions I had chosen these dresses from the Designers runway show & ordered from that moment, but that’s not to say others won’t also love the dress when they see it on the rack when it’s released in the future. On both of these occasions the dresses were styled completely differently on each competitor. It came down to how each woman wore each dress and how they put their look together. I was happy with how I looked on both occasions, however the judges preferred how the other winning ladies put together their looks. This showed me early on that it’s not just about the dress, but the styling. 

Due to these experiences, I have personally chosen to look further afield when not only sourcing outfits but accessories as well. Some of the things I’ve chosen to do to ensure my looks are more unique are

• Only buy pieces I love. If I love something I can’t live without, but there is a chance it may also be owned by others, I don’t care. I know I’ll style my outfit differently to others & will look different on my body than it will look on other people. I also choose to style this item differently to how it has been seen online or on the runway. If you know of someone in your local competing area who has the same outfit or outfit element as you, check when they will be wearing their outfit & out of courtesy, wear it to different events. I did this last season as a friend of mine also bought the same dress I had purchased. We styled it totally differently & we made sure we wore that dress to different events. 
• Have outfits custom designed/made. This can be an expensive process depending on the level of experience and qualifications of your designer. Many competitors have taken to designing their own outfits, sourcing their own fabric and some have even learnt to sew themselves. Going to a couturier or designer with a popular label will usually be more costly than going to a dress maker. Ask around, get quotes, find someone who is local to you as it makes it much easier for fittings and alterations if you are unable to create yourself. 
• Have custom millinery made. Work with a milliner who will come up with a unique design to suit your outfit. Professional milliners make high quality pieces that turn a simple outfit into something that says ‘wow’. They have understanding of what suits your face, what will balance the with the shape of your outfit and what colours will best compliment. Asking to have a popular style replicated won’t always work with your look but may also be replicated by many other entrants on the same stage. Put faith in your milliner and the style they choose. 
• Have off the rack outfits & suits tailored to your body shape. If buying online, check the measurements then buy to your biggest measurement eg I’ll always buy based on my bust measurement then have the waist etc taken in. If unsure, discuss if this piece can easily be altered by an alterations expert prior to purchasing. My alterations lady is quite used to me sending her photos, but she’d prefer this than having to work with a garment that is impossible to tailor due to its construction or cut. Also remember that it is always much easier to take in than to let out! 
• Does a piece say ‘wow’ to you? Does it still say ‘wow’ when you try it on? If the answer is yes on both occasions and you can afford it, you know what you should do! If the garment looks ‘wow’ on a model but doesn’t look the same on you, steer clear. 
• Look for up and coming designers and small brands. This is one way to support a growing business but also wear a piece many people would not have seen before. 
• Put outfits on ice. It can take me up to 18 months to put an outfit together. I will not wear a look unless I am 100% happy with how it has come together. That has meant re-wearing/revamping old looks or missing race days in the interim, but is personally prefer to do that then wear something I’m not 100% confident in. This is also the case for outfits I’ve worn, were confident with but then didn’t feel quite right when I’ve looked back at the photos. There is nothing wrong with having a few outfits in the background that you are looking to tweak and perfect. 

Milliners, designers and entrants have for some time, called out the behaviour of copying. ‘naming & shaming’ has become more popular in recent times. I can honestly say that it is not a good feeling when witnessing this, as I immediately have empathy for those who have been copied as I’ve been there in some ways myself. I also immediately wonder if the accused has been approached about the topic prior to a public shaming and the legitimacy of the claim. How to deal with this alleged ‘copying’ is up to the individual. Some people choose to do nothing, some people see it as a form of flattery, some get upset and go public, others choose to approach the alleged ‘copier’ privately. No matter how one deals with this situation, it is one better to avoid by wearing a look that is unique. 

My advice in creating a unique look:

• If buying a highly ‘on trend’ look from a popular label, be prepared that many other people have also purchased that same outfit/dress/suit etc. It is likely that your piece has been mass produced so therefore many people in the FOTF world may have also loved the same look. If you love it, buy it, but think of ways you can make it your own with unique/custom millinery, unexpected colour pairings & accessories. If you copy the look you’ve seen on a celebrity or influencer, expect that others have done the same. 
• Don’t look at winning outfits, click on the outfit details & replicate a look or parts of a look based on brands. It is frustrating when competitors buy a pair of shoes or a dress because someone else has worn that label, however it doesn’t quite work on someone else. 
• Wear colours and shapes that suit you rather than what your favourite celebrity or influencer is wearing. If you don’t know what suits you, it may pay to get some professional assistance or do some further research. There are professionals for everything out there these days as well as many published articles on topics such as dressing to suit your body shape, what colours to wear to suit your personal colouring and how to choose millinery to suit your face shape. Even think back to outfits where you have received a plethora of compliments wearing. Is there something in particular that made the outfit work better than others? If in doubt, approach a professional! It may be worth the investment. 
• Buy pieces you love rather than ‘looks’. If you purchase a ‘look’ that is straight out of the page of a magazine or website, expect that other people have seen and loved this too. If you love it, buy it, but then make it your own. 
• Buy something because it suits you & you love it on you, not just because it’s a brand currently ‘on trend’. I’ll use some well-known Australian brands as examples. Lots of ladies in previous years purchased pieces by Maticevski as they always seemed to win. I’m now seeing this occur for other ‘hot’ designers of the moment, Zimmermann being one that immediately comes to mind as well as hot pieces by smaller local designers. I’ve seen this work both for and against competitors. Just because you fork out thousands of dollars for an ‘it’ piece doesn’t mean it will win FOTF. It also has to do with how you wear the item, how it is styled and how it suits your body type. I’ve seen some super expensive dresses worn that don’t look particularly great on stage, however I’ve seen some relatively inexpensive pieces look amazing! It’s all in the styling and how the outfit suits the body. 
• Never ever copy or have something copied. From my years of experience in FOTF, this is the number 1 most deadly sin. Remember, just because a garment, outfit or style has been successful for another competitor, doesn’t mean it will do the same for you. My advice is to find your own style and your own wow piece. If you feel as though people will draw comparisons between a look you have planned and something that has already been worn by someone else, think about how you can change the outfit to make it your own. Having outfits and millinery copied is not only ethically wrong but you could also legally get in trouble, so be very careful. Any professional designer, dressmaker or milliner will not agree to replicating the work of others. The FOTF world is highly visible, so people will see for themselves if someone has ‘knocked off’ a look. I have witnessed the heartache and tears of people from both ends of this spectrum (the copied and the alleged copiers) and it is not nice for anyone. 
• I have also heard from people who have genuinely purchased or designed and styled and outfit and someone else has worn something incredibly similar prior to them having the opportunity to do so themselves. People have come to me asking what they should do. My advice is to contact the person who wore/designed the similar outfit, explain your situation and work it out with them directly. They say that ‘great minds think alike’ so this can happen more regularly than you realize, especially for highly ‘on trend’ pieces. You may even be able to change your look around with different accessories or millinery, to make a significantly different look. 
• Many high-end designers now sell their fabric as a part of their offering. This does not mean that you have a dressmaker create a less expensive version replica of say the Dolce & Gabbana dress you love using their fabric (I’m using D&G as an example as they are one of many design houses that sell their fabric). My advice is if you love the fabric, make something unique from it! If you love the original, save up and buy the original or wait for it to come on sale. 
• Try an outfit on & take photos of yourself in a full-length mirror. Now do the same with a variety of accessories to see what works best. Don’t ask the opinion of too many other people as you’ll get confused. If you need advice, ask one trusted friend. 
• Look everywhere. Don’t limit yourself to your local shopping centre and regular online shops to put together your looks. Look further and wider for pieces. Look for unique pieces by artisan makers, look in vintage shops, markets, utilize your own talents whether it be painting/embroidery/beading/sewing/knitting etc. Outfits for FOTF don’t have to have expensive elements, it’s creativity that’s often the winner. 

In summary, the most successful FOTF entrants all follow a similar formula & are the ones who

• Dress to suit their own body shape & know what looks good on them
• Are prepared to take fashion risks
• Set the trends rather than be influenced by them 

A quick note on how to avoid buying in-genuine products. I’ve had many people contact me over the years to ask if certain websites are genuine (if you’re wondering why, I’m the first to admit I’m an online shopaholic & have a sneaking suspicion others may have cottoned onto this too). In the current social media age ‘I didn’t know it was a copy’ is a fairly weak excuse these days for people wearing copies along with the phrase ‘I bought it online’ when asked what brand the item is. I’m not an expert, but if something seems too cheap, alarm bells ring. Many websites selling fakes use images from original designers then provide you with a substandard product, usually in quality, sizing, material and look. Perform a quick Google search on a description of the item or even a reverse Google image search and see what comes up. From personal experience, I’ve seen one dress I own that cost me a small fortune & months of saving, replicated badly online for under $100, so if in doubt do your research. Copies cost that price for a reason, and when I’ve seen a knock off piece in real life, you can usually tell the difference in the price points straight away. If purchasing online I always buy online from brands own websites or authorized resellers. This way you can guarantee what you are wearing is original, but be savvy and wait for it to go on sale or search for a coupon code! If you have purchased a designer item second hand ie bag, shoes, dress etc that you were told was 'authentic' but would like confirmation, there are many services out there who will authenticate designer items for a small fee. It could be worth checking on an item, even prior to purchasing for the peace of mind! There are many published articles about the ethics of purchasing replica high end pieces and I’ll put some links at the bottom of this article, rather than go into this too deeply myself. 

Many of the above-mentioned issues come down to a matter of personal ethics. What I believe is ok may not be ok for another person, and if people have serious issues about being copied, how they choose to deal with it is also up to them, whether they do anything at all or even chose to pursue a legal route, especially if it is affecting their business. The most important thing for any entrant is to feel good in what they are wearing, and remembering if they feel a million dollars on the day, no matter the result of FOTF, they will always be a winner. 

If you are interested in reading more about how to be inspired without copying or the implications of copying in order to make up your own mind on this issue, here are just a few articles on various topics covered (there are also many more available online):

Article on how to be inspired without copying:

Everything Here Now:  'How to be creative without copying'

Articles on Designer copying within Australia 

The Sydney Morning Herald/Melissa Singer:  Neoprene knockoffs: how Australian designers are taking on copycats

The Sydney Morning Herald/Melissa Singer: Copycats and call-outs: why Australian designers have had enough

Articles on copying in regards to intellectual property (millinery focus) within Australia

Lexology: When it comes to intellectual property, milliners should take off their fascinators and put on their thinking caps!

Article on purchasing replica/fake designer items (International based articles)

 The Replica Dilemma: The ethics of fake designer products - WUFT News  

Emma Scodellaro 2019 Revised 2023