Is Zara The Reason Celine Isn’t Releasing Resort Photos?

The whole six-month wait between a collection reveal and its actual availability is a tortuous pleasure for us consumers. On one hand, who wouldn't want to see images of, say, the new Céline resort collection as soon as humanly possible? On the other hand, we have to wait half a year before we can actually touch them in stores for ourselves. For brands, this waiting game can bring up some situations a little more adverse.

Céline announced that it wouldn't be sharing imagery from its just-shown resort '14 collection, instead waiting until the actual resort retail season in January 2014 to reveal the photos. Editors and buyers were instructed that photos, reviews, and tweets were banned, though WWD did manage to sneak in a quickie:

"A leaner yet still relaxed silhouette dominated the tight lineup marked by a distinct utilitarian vibe. This showed up in a mostly neutral palette of khaki, black and white, and bold D-ring and pocket details. While these rendered straightforward chic, a pair of transparent white dresses over loud underpinnings — one green, one purple — made a slyly subversive tweak on nurse’s garb. There were also rich suedes, including an ultrachic belted lavender shift and fabulous two-toned minks — one color coming and another going."

Why? Céline has run into problems with certain high-street shops quickly replicating the styles from collection imagery and releasing "inspired-by" pieces before the actual collection is even available. The Telegraph points out that one certain retailer in particular, Zara, is particularly guilty of producing Céline-inspired clothes, though the argument can certainly, and fairly, be made that the Céline and Zara consumers are not the same demographic. The issue lies more in fashion fatigue: If you've already seen loads of "transparent white dresses over loud underpinnings" on the Internet or in the mall for a few months, you're probably less likely to even want to buy another version, even if it is the original.