Where do prints come from?

I often wonder where prints come from. Of course, many designers have their prints trademarked (think Coach or Louis Vuitton). But what about everything else? For instance, Anthropologie's in house designers : do they design the print for the fabric themselves, or do they just go to a big fabric warehouse and pick out what they like for the garment? Some recent finds of mine may have answered this (or made it more confusing).

 

I love shopping at places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls. I'm not going to lie though.... to find good deals and unique pieces can be time consuming. You have to stop often, because the merchandise changes quickly. You also have to remember that the TJ Maxx in your town might have something that the TJ Maxx in the next town over does not have. You also have to be okay with having an unsuccessful outing where you don't find anything. But then, when you do find something, it is so rewarding! I have found actual Anthropologie pieces at TJ Maxx before (here and here). The 2 pieces featured here though really have me stumped. They are prints that I've seen at Anthropologie, but the labels are not that of Anthropologie brands.

 

For some reason, I have a photographic memory when it comes to shopping. I can usually remember where I have seen things. And, if I am unsure, pulling something up on my iPhone to confirm is a huge help (or to check sales, coupons and prices). I really should be pursuing this (something in fashion, personal shopping, etc.....) as a career because I enjoy it so much. I may not remember Algebra from high school, but this kind of stuff??? This, I know.

 First up is Anthropologie's Moorea Maxi Skirt by "Maeve". When I saw the skirt at Marshall's, I knew it looked familiar so I pulled it up on my phone to compare the details. I had seen the skirt in person at Anthro in the Spring, and it is exact down to the side slit and mesh lining. The label in the Marshall's skirt is "nine 1 eight". And of course, the other difference was the price. The skirt retailed for $98 at Anthro and sold out on sale for $49.95. I paid $19.99 at Marshall's. It's stretchy nature allows me to wear it now with the bump, and I love the richer colors that will be great for Fall with tights and boots.

 

Here is the interesting thing though (to me at least). When I was doing my "research" for this post, I looked up the skirt on Pinterest. As I scrolled down the page, I noticed one pinner had captioned it, "My print has made it into Anthropologie". So I clicked on it to find UK based print and pattern designer Katie Clement. How cool! So that answers one question : Anthropologie purchased her design to use in this skirt. But the question that is unanswered is what about the label at Marshall's? Did they purchase the design too? Or did they buy the leftover skirts at discount from Anthro and re-label them? These are the things I'd like to learn more about when it comes to the fashion industry.

 Next up are Anthropologie's Tiled Wide Legs by "Elevenses". They retailed for $118 and sold out on sale for $39.95. The pair I found at TJ Maxx are labeled "Kenar" and I paid $24.99. Once again, I pulled them up on my phone to confirm the print was exactly the same. The only design difference I can see is that Anthropologie's were numerically sized with a button and zipper closure, and mine are an elastic waistband with S, M, L sizing (which I prefer). Y'all know how I love my crazy printed, wide leg pants but these are probably going to have to wait to be loved until after baby now. While many of my pants like this have worked with the belly, these go into the category of being a little bit too snug. But, I wanted to show them for this post so I apologize for the look not being the best that it could be. I know I will have so many options for tops with these when I am not pregnant. I could not find the same kind of info on the print as I did with the skirt, but it most definitely is the same.

It's really intriguing to me that I have found two instances of this within such a short time period. As much as I love getting the Anthro look for less, it leaves so many questions. And it leaves me even more excited for future lucky finds!

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy