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Social media calls out Ralph Lauren for ‘copying’ Met Gala NYC design
copying a classic look at the Met Gala.Social media users were pointing fingers at Ralph Lauren, angrily alleging that the designer ripped off the idea of Alicia Keys’ New York skyscraper cape from fellow high-fashion designer Zang Toi.Toi, the go-to designer favored by the fashionable society set, showed a white couture silk gazar floor-length cape with black hand-beaded New York skyscrapers in February 2020 during his Fall/Winter 2020 runway show at New York Fashion Week — much like Lauren’s design for the 2022 Met Gala.“My cape was inspired by my love for my adopted home, New York City,” Toi told The Post, noting his inbox has been flooded with fashion lovers pointing out the similarities to his original design. “I came here 41 years ago with $300 to study at Parsons School of Design and I wanted to show my love and appreciation for the city that embraced me — and allowed me to live the American Dream.”In fact, Toi debuted his black-and-white skyscraper cape many years ago during his Spring 2009 collection — later worn by Ling Tan at the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards.“I decided to bring the iconic hand-beaded New York skyline cape out of the archive — timeless beauty never goes out of style — to pay tribute to my favorite city at my 2020 ‘New York, New York’ runway show,” he told The Post, which was attended by former mayor Rudy Giuliani.Eagle-eyed fashionistas couldn’t help but point out that it seems Lauren may have lifted the idea from the Malaysia-born designer’s “New York, New York” collection, which included a cape with similar NYC embellishments.“They copied Zang because they know Zang is the most creative unparalleled fashion designer,” one fan said.
