It's been in the news recently that Alexander McQueen is suing Steve Madden over copying, nearly to the letter, his motorcycle-jacket-inspired open-toe bootie. While I completely respect Monsieur McQueen's prerogative to hate on the high-street retailer who's capitalizing on his hard-earned work to make a fast buck, it's also a sobering reminder that much of today's fashion is actually designed to be out of reach. Everyday geeks like me and you aren't MEANT to have access to the fashions we see on the runway.

Most girls rely pretty heavily on mass market retailers to give us access to that fashion dream we experienced on style.com. And arguably, some of the idea-poaching is so blatant that you can barely tell the original from the fake -- why would we pay full price for the high-quality version, other than for a season's worth of bragging rights? The maestros who created the originals have a right to be pissed. Problem is, the phenomenon has become so rampant that it's near impossible to pinpoint who the bad guy is. Steve Madden is a big brand that's come under fire in the past, so it's an easy target... but they're not the only ones who do a little bit of copycatting.

Ethically speaking, I'm on the fence with this issue. But style-wise, I'm all on board. When you have a wallet to keep track of, mortgages to pay, and a stomach that needs to be fed, you can't be dropping every dime on fashion. Which is why, thank god, there's Steve Madden, which is actually not even that cheap, and LaFresha on YesStyle. Just some recent picks I'm looking at lately... I mean, I know these are low-res and all but can you even tell the difference?

McQueen motorcycle jacket booties




Christian Louboutin ankle boots




Ann Demeulemeester lace-up boots