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Balenciaga, Thakoon and Ralph Lauren have shown the influence of flowers in their spring collection. Prada is exploring more color, while Gucci is keeping it Gucci.

Forever 21 will be bringing you a variation of all of this in time for spring break.

According to Radar magazine, the "typical midmarket competitors," such as Gap and Urban Outfitters, require three months to take an item from the design stages to the rack.

For Forever 21, the cycle is reduced to just weeks.

"It doesn't waste time on original designs," the article states. "Instead … they duplicate the latest styles to hit the runways."

When only logos and brand names are protected by U.S. law, does obvious copying make Forever 21 and its other stores (Forever XXI, Heritage 1981) thieves?

Let's face it - we all borrow from one another.

You see a girl walking down the street with amazing shoes on and you're compelled to ask where she got them. If she really doesn't want you to copy her style, then she won't remember where she got them. If she doesn't care after first exclaiming how inexpensive they were, then she will reveal the location to your potential happiness.

If you're the kind of person who "can't remember," you are in the designers' position. Your individual style is at risk of being shared with everyone and you don't profit as much off it as you could if everyone would stop copying.

If you're the girl who doesn't care, then you are Forever 21 and don't see everyone having a chance to own something beautiful as a problem.

No matter how fully aware I am of this copying, the affordably priced, stylish and copied frocks from the catwalks make the store irresistible.

According to January's luxury report in Harper's Bazaar, "counterfeiting costs American businesses $200 billion to $250 billion annually and is directly responsible for the loss of more than 750,000 jobs in the United States."

While Forever 21 isn't "counterfeiting" goods by trying to pass them off as genuine, they are digging into the pockets of the hard-working designers who labor diligently on collections year-round to keep you fashion fixed.

It's a dilemma with no easy solution - cute cheap clothes or giving the designers their due.

The choice is up to you.

Designers like Isaac Mizrahi and Vera Wang, who have created lines specifically for smaller budgets, may be on the winning side of the battle.

Remember, style mavens follow the rules, but break them accordingly.

Jakina Hill can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 273 or jhill@siude.com.

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