Saint Laurent Accuses Dior and Lady Gaga of Plagiarizing Design for Olympic Opening Performance

In the early morning of July 27 (Vietnam time), the Paris 2024 Olympics officially kicked off with a grand opening ceremony along the Seine River. As anticipated, Lady Gaga, known as “Mother Monster,”took to the stage. Although her performance left some audience members confused, she received praise for her stunning Dior outfit. However, the story did not end there. A few hours later, Anthony Vaccarello, Creative Director at Saint Laurent, accused Dior and Lady Gaga of stealing ideas from the brand’s founder, Yves Saint Laurent.

At the Paris Olympic opening ceremony, Lady Gaga paid homage to Zizi Jeanmaire, a 1960s French music and style icon, by performing her popular song “Mon truc en plumes.” This act was perceived as a tribute to both Zizi Jeanmaire and the rich heritage of French music and culture.

“I am deeply grateful to have been approached by the organizers of the Olympics to perform a significant French song – one that pays tribute to the rich artistic and musical heritage of the French people. This particular song, ‘Mon Truc en Plumes’, was originally sung by the renowned French ballerina, Zizi Jeanmaire, who was born in Paris. Her rendition in 1961 brought fame to the song, and I am honored to follow in her footsteps,”shared Lady Gaga.

The ensemble for the performance included opulent ostrich feathers in shades of luxurious pink and black. Lady Gaga worked with Dior to design the costume and props for her performance of “Mon Truc en Plumes”at the 2024 Summer Olympics. This setup was reminiscent of the one used by the original performer, Zizi Jeanmaire, during her rendition of the song on stage.

Zizi Jeanmaire performing “My Feather Thing.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=//www.youtube.com/watch?v=f92hNNh9DVs

Following the event, Anthony Vaccarello, the Creative Director of Saint Laurent, publicly voiced his disappointment and alleged that Lady Gaga and Dior had plagiarized design concepts from Yves Saint Laurent. It is well-known that the ensembles donned by the late actress Zizi Jeanmaire for her “Mon Truc en Plumes”performances were originally designed by the legendary Yves Saint Laurent.

Anthony Vaccarello’s post was quickly deleted afterward.

Shortly after sharing his “grievance”on his personal page, Anthony Vaccarello promptly removed the post. Nevertheless, numerous individuals were able to save and share the intense message, causing it to spread rapidly. The designer’s accusations against Dior and Lady Gaga in particular ignited controversy among internet users.

Some costumes designed by Yves Saint Laurent for Zizi Jeanmaire’s “Mon Truc en Plumes” performances.

The majority of online users hold the belief that the two ensembles share little similarities, possibly only in the form of gloves. Furthermore, the showgirl burlesque aesthetic involving feather costumes and props has been present for a considerable amount of time and was not introduced by Yves Saint Laurent. Additionally, while Lady Gaga and Dior drew inspiration from Yves Saint Laurent’s designs, they made adaptations to create a distinct costume while still capturing the essence of Zizi Jeanmaire.

The majority of comments expressed disagreement towards Anthony Vaccarello.

Here are a few noteworthy comments:

“So now Yves Saint Laurent invented feathers?”
“Yeah, right, plagiarism… ‘gloves.’”
“Anthony Vaccarello is just being jealous.”
“These two designs are completely different, the only common point is ostrich feathers. Maybe Yves Saint Laurent invented ostrich feathers too!”
“Where’s the copying?”
“I’ve been staring at this picture for 3 minutes and still haven’t found any plagiarism.”
“The common point here is that Yves Saint Laurent used to be the Creative Director for Christian Dior?”

The source is K14.